ANOTHER ASTONISHING WIN

REPORT Sunday 1st June 2014, 9:51pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

It's hard to find words to describe what the amazing Scotwaste Monarchs are doing at the moment. They have won again, and are unbeaten after 16 matches, having snatched a 45-44 win at Newcastle.

It proved to be our toughest match yet against a determined and well organised Diamonds team. We weren't really at our best, and we were also on the wrong end of a couple of refereeing decisions, and when we trailed 38-33 with three heats left, I think most of us thought we were fighting for a point.

But that's not how the team thinks. Heat 13, Craig Cook jetted from gate two, and Sam Masters pulled off an excellent run round the outside of the first two bends. It was a tricky move but he made it and never gave Danny King a look-in.

So now we were a point down and definitely in the hunt, but we had to take care of the very speedy Lewis Kerr in heat 14. Stevie Worrall, again coolness personified, raced clear and there was another captain's ride from Derek Sneddon.

He didn't have a good night overall but he is so good at making a start when the chips are down. He got ahead of Kerr, and held him up for two laps to let Stevie get clear. That's teamwork.

So... It was the same old story. Three points needed in the last heat. Masters on gate one, probably the poorest gate, then Robson, then Cook, and King on the outside.

It was stopped at the first attempt with Robson a tyre ahead but our pair right with him. All four back. Second attempt, Cook's front wheel lifted, but he still drove his machine forward and into the turn. He was in front, away, and never challenged, doing the fastest time of the season! (He reckoned he could have gone a lot faster).

So again, joy for the mighty Monarchs and the Craig Cook legend rolls on. He wasn't happy earlier in heat 11 when he was excluded after Oliver Greenwood had come off entering the third turn.

It was a classic case of a fast rider on the inside (and Craig's front wheel never left the white line) with a slower rider outside him, and few in the Edinburgh camp felt it was fair.

Earlier in heat 3 we'd seen Ludvig Lindgren take a header under the first bend fence, all on his own, but get a rerun. That one had no effect as we took a 5-1 anyway.

Our middle pair of Max Fricke and Derek Sneddon wasn't at its best, even though both are regarded as track specialists. Their two 1-5 losses plus the Cook incident had a lot to do with the 5-point deficit after heat 12. But we turned it round - again.

Newcastle must have been hugely disappointed, but they took it in their usual sporting manner with handshakes all round at the end. Thanks to the Diamonds.

Full Result Details