The cup final teams - and trophies Image Credit: Ron MacNeill

BEATEN IN A LAST HEAT DECIDER

NEWS Sunday 31st October 2010, 0:07am

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

The Scotwaste Monarchs needed a 5-1 from the final heat to win the Knockout Cup at Newcastle, but could only share the race and so lost to the Diamonds on an aggregate of 88-91.

With only a 5-point lead from Friday's home leg, we needed to get just about everything right at Newcastle, but we lost a disappointing 5-1 in heat 3 followed by a machine problem which relegated Matthew Wethers to the back in heat 4.

Thereafter it was very close though we always looked just the underdogs. In the end it would have taken wins in heat 13 and 15 from Ryan Fisher if we were to come out on top ? he did win the last heat but we lost heat 13 5-1 to Kenni Larsen and the paid maximum guest Stuart Robson.

The cup was probably lost on Friday, especially in the disastrous heat 6, but the truth is that we fell short of our best in both legs. At Newcastle, we took too few points from the home heat leaders and conceded too many to their back up riders.

Newcastle will be delighted obviously, and congratulations to them, but what should have been a spectacular showdown between the season's outstanding teams was marred by the absence of too many key riders on both sides, and by the depressing weather which affected the Armadale leg so badly.

Rider replacement for Andrew Tully yielded 5 at Armadale and a mere 3 at Newcastle, well short of Andy's likely contribution, while Newcastle suffered from the absence of Dakota North and injury to his replacement in BOTH legs. On the other hand their guests for Lemon were extremely successful.

So we end the season as hugely deserving Premier League champions, Scottish Cup winners, KO Cup runners-up, Fours runners-up and Playoff semi-finalists, with Ryan Fisher topping the averages and coming third in the PLRC. It's a fine haul and we will soon get over our disappointment at missing out on the KO Cup.