Fourteen point lead for fast gating Monarchs

The Stellar Monarchs lead by 14 points in the Championship Playoff after tonight's first leg at Armadale, which is probably a wider margin that anyone would have predicted beforehand.

And yet it could well have been greater as Monarchs had piled up a 20-point advantage at heat 11, and pulverised the visitors over the early stages with much superior gating in the wet conditions after heavy showers.

Tigers fought back though, never gave up and managed to pull back 6 points over these last four heats, leaving the tie wide open with the Ashfield leg to come on 26th September. They were especially indebted to Kyle Howarth who was excellent throughout, plus battling Leon Flint and reserve Freddie Hodder who pulled off two paid wins during the match.

Monarchs captain Paco Castagna was happy with the outcome. He said "We should be very happy. We've lost to Glasgow a couple of times at home this year so with a 14 point lead I think we should be happy and proud.

"There is no pressure on us, we made the Playoffs and because we had no pressure we showed what we are capable of. If we go through to Glasgow in a couple of weeks and ride like we did tonight then I think we will be happy at the end of the night. We are very focussed on that."

In the early stages it was almost all Edinburgh, opening with two 4-2s then a big 5-1 from Palm Toft and Sedgmen over Flint and the disappointing guest Nicolai Klindt. Glasgow hit back with a heat 4 5-1 from Howarth and Hodder but Edinburgh ran riot over the next 4 heats with an incredible 19 points to lead 33-15 after heat 8.

There was another 4-2 In heat 10 with Victor Palovaara coming to the party but Tigers then started to chip away at the advantage Monarchs had.

Klindt finally won a heat when he beat Sedgmen in heat 12 after a slightly suspicious start, heat 13 was won by Palovaara and shared but there was a big disappointment in a rerun heat 14 when Jonatan Grahn lost a chain after hitting the back straight in front. That meant Glasgow took a 5-1, and they might have had another in heat 15 as Howarth and Flint went ahead only for Flint to fall on the fourth bend.

It's all to play for in the second leg on 26th September. Awards were made tonight with Jordy Loftus getting the George Wells Memorial Trophy for the Most Improved Young Rider, while Paco Castagna won the Rider of the Year voted for by supporters.