TWO POINTS CLEAR AT THE TOP

NEWS Friday 12th September 2008, 1:04am

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

Newcastle looked like a team who would know how to ride Armadale, but even with the encouragement of a gift 5-1 to start with, the Diamonds were well beaten 64-29 after another powerhouse Monarchs show.

The remarkable thing about the evening was the number of times the visiting riders made the start, but they were almost invariably pegged back.

Andrew Tully and Matthew Wethers both scored paid maximums, in their different styles, and that first heat 1-5 was quickly followed by an amazing 8 successive 5-1 heat advantages to Edinburgh.

In the later stages Jason King won two heats, and Christian Henry took heat 13, but other than that the one way traffic continued.

Monarchs were even able to allow William Lawson a couple of rides he might not normally have had in order to help him get back to his best form more quickly. He is, after all, the no. 1 Armadale specialist in the home camp when at his best.

That first heat loss came about when Derek Sneddon failed to leave the start, and William Lawson was slowly away.

The win gives Monarchs a 2-point lead over Somerset at the top of the table. On Saturday the Rebels ride at Rye House with a strange team lining up for them, and on Sunday Monarchs go to Newcastle for a very important match.