Isle of Wight Islanders v Edinburgh Monarchs

REPORT Tuesday 3rd July 2007, 10:00pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

The 67-24 defeat at the Isle of Wight must be regarded as one of our most feeble performances ever.

It was not an easy situation, on a big fast track which we don?t like at the best of times, soaked by the inevitable dose of pre-meeting rain.

However with the exception of Ronnie Correy we were almost totally uncompetitive to the first corner, and after that the results were inevitable.

Ronnie was desperately unlucky, losing two chains when well placed. Add to this his fall at Newport on Sunday, also due to a chain break, and it must be affecting his confidence as well as his bank balance. Apparently he has had 11 chain breaks this season.

The first two heats on the Island were ominously easy home 5-1?s, and it was with some relief we saw Jason Bunyan pull up early in heat 3, allowing us a shared race.

Henrik Moller made a start from gate 4 in heat 4, going ahead from Phillips. He rode a steady enough race but on the final lap, Phillips came inside him on the car park bend to take the win. At least we had genuinely headed a home rider (Johnson).

We were again swamped 5-1 in heats 5 and 6, completely uneventful after the start.

At last in heat 7 we saw Ronnie Correy ride a good first turn to move ahead up the back straight, and hold his lead without difficulty. Just when we were expecting a comfortable heat victory, his chain came off on the last bend of lap three.

So heat 8 became the fourth 5-1 in a row and the sixth in total.

Henrik was given the TR ride in heat 9, and it did bring an advantage? but probably only because Bunyan?s problems continued as he fell on the first corner. Stojanowski won the heat and we took a 5-3.

Heat 10 was a decent race, and again Correy rode a good first corner ? almost going ahead but just being pegged back by Gathercole. Nevertheless he headed Holder for three laps ? until he lost a chain again.

After this sickening luck and the likelihood of a re-occurrence Ronnie pulled out of the meeting.

Heat 11 was another easy home 5-1, with Theo completely failing to reproduce his excellent Island form of 2006.

Bunyan stopped again in heat 12, but so did Matthew Wethers, leaving Jack Roberts to finish quite close to Johnson in a 2-3.

The final three heats would all have been 5-1 losses but for a good pass by Matthew who finally got going and passed Andrew Bargh late in the heat, riding a good outside line.

A tiny consolation in a dismal team effort.

Full Result Details