Tigers take the points

It was a disappointing finish to a very hard fought Championship fixture tonight for the Stellar Monarchs, as Chris Harris and Kyle Howarth proved too strong and took a final race 5-1 for a 47-43 triumph. Tigers are set fair to finish top of the Championship but Monarchs (unless they can gain a point at Ashfield next week) will be waiting for results elsewhere to decide if they can get a top four finish for Playoff qualification.

Team boss Alex Harkess said "It was a very disappointing finish. I felt our team tried very hard but there were one or two points slipped away that we should have had, especially in heats when we seemed to have made the gate. In the end that was crucial because there was never going to be much in it. Michael Palm Toft who started by blowing an engine did so well to win heat 14 and get us level going into the last race."

It was a big crowd at Armadale and you could see how much it meant to all the riders as they fought for points. There were two or three very good races but most of the important work was done on the opening lap, with Tigers' top four excelling with their first bend work. Harris, Dan Thompson and Howarth took 8 heat wins between them and Flint teamed up with Thompson for two 5-1s and a 4-2 in their heats together.

The closeness of the score rather than the quality of the racing made it an engrossing match to watch. There was a bad looking crash at the first corner in heat 2 when Max Perry and Jordy Loftus collided and both finished up under the fence. Loftus seemed to take the brunt of it but it was Perry who suffered most and had to withdraw from the match. Loftus continued but looked a little subdued compared to recent fixtures.

Scores swung back and forward over the first 8 races. Both Harris's wins in heats 1 and 5 came courtesy of clever first bend work and surges down the back straight after being outgated. Monarchs took the race winners in heats 2 and 8 without any visiting big guns, and Kye Thomson added another when he defeated Howarth in heat 4.

Paco Castagna's win in heat 8 was backed by Jonatan Grahn for a 5-1 to put Monarchs two ahead, and that was doubled by a 4-2 from Sedgmen and Palm Toft over Howarth.

However the powerful pair of Dan Thompson and Flint levelled up again in heat 10 after a great battle between Flint and Castagna. Again Monarchs came back as Thomson became the first Monarch to beat Harris with Grahn again third, and the lead was held when Sedgmen took the first point off Dan Thompson. In that heat 12 though, Freddy Hodder beat Grahn to what seemed at the time a vital point.

Monarchs then ran into heat 13. Victor Paalovaara was having a disappointing night with just three points, and in order to strengthen heat 14 with Grahn, Loftus was given his obligatory third race by replacing Palovaara in heat 13. Kye Thomson could not stop Harris and Howarth taking a 5-1 and again the Tigers led by two.

Flint led all the way in heat 14 but Palm Toft chased determinedly and pulled off a last gasp pass, which with Grahn third meant the teams were level.

Tigers had choice of gates and their pair of Harris and Howarth settled things early to delight the visiting fans. They deserved the win especially when you consider that Dane Villads Nagel was missing, and guest Jacob Hook had an off night in his place.

But Monarchs deserve credit from the match too in spite of the disappointment at the end, they certainly gave their all.