Image Credit: Ron MacNeill

CHAMPION CRAIG!

NEWS Sunday 14th October 2012, 5:35pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

Scotwaste Monarchs' hero and no. 1 Craig Cook made up for any disappointments the team may have had, and his own injury-interrupted season, when he became Premier League Riders' Champion at Sheffield today.

It was a totally deserved triumph as he had been top scorer in the qualifiers even though he had been on the unfavourable outside gates three times.

Craig said "I don't know how I stayed calm during the time it took to run the final. It hasn't really sunk in yet, I guess it will soon.

"I hope I get some publicity now, I haven't had much recently!"

He won his first two races comfortably from the better inside gates, then showed coolness and skill to work his way into second place in each of his other races, from gates which had destroyed the chances of some of the contenders such as Alden and Nick Morris.

He went straight through to the final, joined there by Workington's Rene Bach. From the semi, the qualifiers were Anders Mellgren (Rye House) and Somerset's Jason Doyle who made it with a brilliant, bold burst on the final turn.

The final then took three attempts to run! The first time Craig off gate two wasn't away well, with clutch problems apparently, but he was probing for a way through when Rene Bach catapulted off a rut and into the fence round the first/second bend.

He looked shaken but uninjured, but the same thing happened again the second time with Jason Doyle suffering the same fate. Doyle had been leading the first time, Cook the second.

After a lengthy delay when nerves must have been fraying, Craig made a brilliant start which allowed him to move across and prevent Mellgren making any kind of move.

He rode an untroubled four laps though his pulse must have been racing.

As he said to track interviewer afterwards, he had been National League Riders' Champion three years ago, so it is another step up the ladder for an outstanding young British rider.

Our other representative Theo Pijper picked up three points and was out on track with his team mate at the end to celebrate. Andrew Tully also came down to congratulate the champion.

The dominance of the inside gates was an unwanted feature of the day, as was the need to ride so wide to find the quickest line. It became so deep on the outside that it was dangerous, contributing to some spectacular overtakes but also crashes.

We will welcome the champion to Armadale on Friday at our last home meeting. For those who didn't see the real thing, the DVD should also be available on Friday.