Andre slides off in the last heat Image Credit: Ron MacNeill

DERWENT PARK LOSS

REPORT Saturday 21st August 2010, 11:48am

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

The Scotwaste Monarchs missed a chance to take at least a point out of their match at Workington when they went down by 51-42, in spite of having a majority of heat winners.

Workington were missing their very handy reserve Richard Lawson so we can't look on ourselves as unlucky really, but on the night luck ran against us. Andrew Tully, having set the night's fastest time in heat 4, crashed on his TR ride in heat 9 when in second and missed his final outing.

The dubious exclusion of Kevin Wolbert in heat 15 when Compton came down cost us a likely 5-1 which would have salvaged a point, and we saw William Lawson twice lose points to last bend overtakes by Kenny Ingalls.

Ryan Fisher was brilliant again, and each of our top five had good moments. We had too many last places though with William Lawson picking up five of these after a second in heat 2.

Workington are a decent side and we had Wolbert, Tully and Wethers all on the wrong end of 5-1s in the first half of the match. Andrew Tully's TR failed when he tried an extravagant move to pass Compton in heat 9, and only when the flying Fisher's TR succeeded in heat 11 (a 7-2) did we start to look candidates for a point.

We actually had the last six race winners with Wolbert coming good and Katajisto taking his second victory, but in only one of these heats did we avoid the fourth place.

We might have salvaged a point with a 5-1 in heat 15, but the Comets' pair of Compton and Harrison made the start. Ryan Fisher brilliantly burst past the Comets and Wolbert seemed to be following suit when Compton spun off entering the first corner of lap two.

It didn't look like Wolbert's fault from the first corner but obviously from referee Horley's viewpoint it did.

There was consolation from Shielfield Park when we heard that title rivals Newcastle had been slaughtered 61-32.