SIX POINTS DULY GAINED

NEWS Friday 14th September 2012, 11:06pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

It was a triumph for stamina as well as skill as the Scotwaste Monarchs took six points from two matches, scoring 57 against both Glasgow and Rye House in matches which were tight in the early stages.

Monarchs are now fifth and need two more points from their final three fixtures to make the Playoffs, and even that assumes that Ipswich take all four points at Berwick tomorrow which can’t be guaranteed.

Kevin Wolbert was a great guest at no. 1 with just a single point dropped over the two matches, reminding us in every ride of his class, and Byron Bekker was also a hero at no. 6 with a series of crucial points.

He transformed the first match in heat 11, with Monarchs 8 points up, when he passed no less a rider than Mark Lemon to back Andrew Tully to a 5-1. We never looked back.

There wasn’t a single last place throughout the 30 heats for our top five, quite an achievement, as the meetings were completed in a fraction over the 3 hours.

Against the Tigers, who had four of the first five race winners, we held just a 4-point advantage at heat 8. Charles Wright had been the most impressive reserve, but after a couple of 4-2s we had the Bekker ride in heat 11 to put us 8 ahead.

Theo then beat TR Josh Grajczonek, and Byron Bekker took another excellent point to ensure that Tigers made no headway.

A 5-1 in heat 13 from the brilliant Wolbert and Tully had the 3 points sewn up with two races to go.

Referee Dowling made the first of two terrible heat 14 decisions by excluding Bager from the heat after Matthew Wethers had got himself into the wrong place at the wrong time.

We were actually behind in the second match after a heat 2 5-1 to the Rockets. We turned that round in heat 4 when suddenly Marcel Helfer came to life, gating third and passing Bunyan to join Andrew Tully for a 5-1.

Thereafter we gradually eased ahead in spite of a 6-point TR for Mellgren in heat 10, the only point dropped by Kevin Wolbert all night.

Once again Byron Bekker did a great job, and if you’re only going to score 3 as he did against the Rockets, then it’s not bad going if both James Grieves and Anders Mellgren are amongst your victims!

Once again there was a heat 14 refereeing howler. Jason Bunyan passed Helfer for second, but on the pits bend he locked up and stopped right in Helfer’s path. The decision to exclude the German was ridiculous, but thankfully Marcel was OK and the result was not affected.

A last heat 5-1 closed a highly satisfactory night for the Scotwaste Monarchs.