DEFEAT AT NEWCASTLE

NEWS Sunday 16th September 2012, 11:57pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

We started well and led after 4 heats, we finished strongly with Theo and Andrew on song, but the bit in the middle was a bit of a problem as we went down 53-39 to Newcastle, who now top the Premier League.

Unfortunately as well as the regular absentees Cook and Tabaka, we arrived to find that Derek Sneddon had called off with food poisoning on a track where he would have been more than handy.

The track rode well early on, but it was quite dry due to threatening rain and gating became absolutely all-important as the match wore on.

Kevin Wolbert started with a fast win over Robson so it looked as though he was in for a good night, but he stopped on the first corner in heat 5. He took a second place on his TR in heat 11, giving Lindgren a good chase, but he finished at the back in heat 13 and overall it wasn’t a great meeting for our former no. 1.

Our best man throughout was Theo Pijper. He passed Mark Lemon to win heat 3, and had two race wins later on with some good gating. He had just flown in from his German longtrack and gave an excellent display.

Andrew Tully looked quick throughout but was handicapping himself with some dire starts – until heat 13. He zipped off gate 4 and scorched round to beat Lindgren and Robson by a mile in the fastest timeof the night.

He rode well also in the last race which was a good battle with Lindgren.

Matthew – well, least said… He was totally uncompetitive to the first corner and will have to improve on this in the Playoffs. He also came out for heat 3 without a dirt deflector. A night to forget for him.

Mason Campton gave us honest effort at no. 6 and Marcel Helfer sailed along as usual, picking up the odd point.

An unmemorable but not totally wasted night.