Edinburgh Monarchs v Redcar Bears

REPORT Friday 1st May 2009, 10:00pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

Having won away at Redcar it would have been disappointing to slip up at home, but that didn?t happen in one of the more mundane matches of the season.

Ryan Fisher cruised through the meeting until messing up the final heat, and there were points throughout the side.

The Bears didn?t provide particularly stiff opposition though their reserves did take a surprise 5-1 in heat 2 and kept battling while some of their more experienced team mates seemed out of sorts.

The track was quite tricky, which was probably due to some heavy morning rain. Even so Fisher powered through the pack on the first turn of the opening heat after a slow start, and won easily in a decent time. Havelock took second and Summers reeled in and passed Robbie Kessler.

Our reserves generally manage an advantage, but not this time. Sean Stoddart slid off round the first corner, and though Rajkowski gated he was swallowed up by Bugeja and Compton. He came back to pass Compton near the end of the heat but lost second again on the run to the line.

Andrew Tully flew to a fast win in heat 3 but rider replacement Summers again had to overcome a bad start, passing Ben Wilson.

Matthew Wethers gated in heat 4 but was passed by Ty Proctor who led for a couple of laps but suddenly spun round on the road bend and fell. Wethers tried to slip inside but his the bike and came down heavily with the bike on top of him. For the second week running he needed an ambulance trip and some fairly lengthy treatment.

The awarded 5-1 (Stoddart ahead of Bugeja) gave us a 4-point lead.

Fisher led Havelock all the way in heat 5 with Tully snapping at Havvy?s heels, not quite managing one of his trademark passes.

Proctor may have been affected by his first ride crash, because he trailed disappointingly at the back in heat 6.

There was some brief drizzle though not enough to cause much of a problem, though the riders in heat 7 made the track look really awkward. Stonehewer was on a TR but he was at the back, with Ben Wilson in front. He was never challenged and won in the slowest time of the night, 59.0, as everyone else struggled ? Wethers and Rajkowski rode as if they had never seen the place and Stoney got into a lot of difficulty.

So the TR gained nothing, and we added to our advantage in heat 8 through Summers? first win. Compton replaced Kessler who apparently had a foot injury, and Arlo fell off leaving another point for Sean.

Matthew Wethers spluttered a way from the start of heat 9 and couldn?t make up the deficit, so it was a shared heat with Andrew Tully up front. We were 33-21 up even though we were making heavy weather of it.

Fiesher and Summers were out in heat 10 and against Stonehewer and Wilson, it was a pretty easy 5-1.

Matthew Wethers was certainly struggling to get his bike going and he came out on a Fisher machine for heat 11. It didn?t work and he struggled round behind the visitors, but this time Rajkowski snapped into gear and easily beat Gary Havelock on a TR.

The Raj was going now and he led all the way in heat 12 also, with Stoney managing to hold off Andrew for second.

The points were pretty well in the bag with both TRs gone, but just to make sure Matthew Wethers emerged on his own bike once more to lead heat 15 from Fisher in an easy 5-1. Proctor withdrew from this heat.

Andrew Tully was the night?s third withdrawal allowing Stoddart into heat 14, and he took full advantage with an excellent burst round the outside to win the heat. The Raj backed up and we had another 5-1.

The final heat was a shambles, though Havelock did gate and win without a problem. Unbeaten and untroubled to this point, Ryan Fisher missed the gate, then looked like passing everyone on the first corner of lap two. He didn?t make it, and Stoney then fell off. On the next bend Ryan fell, and though the race might have been stopped we finished up with Stonehewer and Fisher remounting to battle for the point!

Fisher fell again though and that was that.

The night began with a minute?s silence for Michael Jonasson and the sadness of his passing overshadowed the night for many of us.

HERMISTON MONARCH OF THE MATCH: Michal Rajkowski.

Full Result Details