Edinburgh Monarchs v Newcastle Diamonds

REPORT Friday 23rd May 2014, 10:00pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

Edinburgh started this match with two 5-1s and there was never much doubt that they would record their 13th successive victory of the season.

Newcastle had four very competitive riders who were always worth watching, but the absence of two other team members left them exposed with inexperienced tail-enders. That meant they only had a handful of potential heat advantages.

Danny King looked slightly reserved and was passed in the opening heat by Justin Sedgmen before he fell. His tactical ride was thwarted by the lively Max Fricke and it was as if his high average was weighing him down.

The Robson – Kerr pairing delivered a great amount of entertainment and there won't be many livelier duos in the division. They should have had a 5-1 in heat 3 but Kerr spun off.

Ludvig Lindgren didn't gate well and had to take one ride off 15 metres, but he was by no means disappointing.

However the home side had too much overall strength. Craig Cook dropped just one point, to Robson in heat 10 after he had to spend the first couple of laps battling past Kerr. Indeed even after Cook was in second he could not concentrate on chasing the leader because Kerr was still a threat.

Max Fricke had an excellent match after a fortunate second in heat 3. He beat King, won heat 9 and joined Steve Worrall in a heat 12 win over Robson which was the best race of the night. Goodness knows how the Monarchs' pair managed to get the better of their experienced opponent oin the first lap, after all three had charged level into the third corner.

The young Aussie is getting the hang of using the grip on the inside of the fourth bend, though he did lift a couple of times, and this was what cost him in heat 15.

Steve Worrall was again excellent, so was Justin Sedgmen, birthday boy Sam Masters won his first two heats in fine style and to complete a very healthy picture in the home camp, Aaron Fox had his best score yet.

The American had declared himself fit in spite of a severely gashed leg in the match a week earlier, and he rode slightly cautiously in the early heats. However he was confident enough to sweep past Kerr in heat 14 and eventually combine with Captain Sneddon for a slightly surprising 5-1.

Full Result Details