NO POINTS AT STOKE

NEWS Sunday 13th September 2009, 0:17am

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

In our quest for a top four place Stoke looked like our best remaining bet to pick up away points, but it wasn't to be as we went down 49-40 in a match which was scrappy but not without interest.

Preparation of a Sunday afternoon track on a sunny day can be a problem, and whatever the answer is, Stoke certainly don't have it. They watered late and caused the riders problems in the first few heats.

Guest Paul Clews arrived late and missed heat 1, in which Aaron Summers took his place and romped to a 5-1 backed by Ryan Fisher. Clews rode a poor second race before improving and finally winning heat 11.

Heat 2 was another problem. We might well have scored another 5-1, but Aaron Summers fell trying to ride on the muddy outside of the second bend. Byron Bekker had gone ahead, and did it again in the rerun, but he fell on the inside of the pits bend. The Stoke reserves were going so badly that Byron was able to remount and stay ahead ? but referee Flint had quite unnecessarily stopped the heat. Having done that, it had to be a 5-0 to Stoke.

We briefly led again after heat 4 but as the match went on we were unable to find our best form. Stoke had a vulnerable third pairing which we did gain advantages against, but we only managed four heat wins overall.

Only Aaron Summers looked comfortable throughout, his score being spoilt by that heat 2 fall. Ryan Fisher missed every start, tried every line but never really got anywhere. The Raj took two wins over Ksiezak and did well to hold off Madsen in heat 6 but faded in the latter stages.

We were within the 6-point margin right up to the last heat, but we knew what was coming there as we had no-one going well enough to hold Bunyan and Complin. To say we were outgated in heat 15 is an understatement.

We are still going for a top four place and have a chance, but we will have to do a bit better than this.