Monarchs Defeated At Berwick

REPORT Saturday 11th August 2018, 9:54pm

by Graham Muncie

  Edinburgh Monarchs

The Staggs Bar Monarchs fell foul to a sharp gating Berwick outfit going down 51-39 at Shielfield on Saturday night.

As is often the case the majority of the heats were won from the start and in that regard the home men were the better of the teams and were well worth their victory.

The Monarchs showed their battling qualities to take maximum heat advantages in heats 13 and 15 to take the sting out of the score but in all fairness we were never in the hunt.

Monarchs number 1 Ricky Wells backing up the heat winner in each of heats 13 and 15 saying after the match ''I won heat one with plenty of speed but if you didn't gate that was it, I didn't make a single change all night had 3 5-1's yet when I was at the back I couldn't make an impression. Berwick are strong at home but I had hoped we could win here but on the night it wasn't to be.''

Many had said before the match the meeting would be won and lost at reserve and this proved to be the major difference between the sides on the night. Berwick's strength being proved by the fact that their pairing of Busk-Jakobsen and Pijper appeared in heat 15 while the Monarchs duo failed to beat an opponent throughout.

The Monarchs started well with a heat 1 5-1 but this was immediately reversed in heat 2. By heat 5 we were 6 down and in trouble. A tactical substitute ride in heat 7 faIled miserably as Ricky who had made the jump from gate 3 lifted across the corner and with Erik ineffective from the graveyard inside gate a Bandits maximum was the outcome.

There was hope the next few races might pull the Armadale men back into the meeting as the hosts held the ineffective inside gates. This was not to be though as the Monarchs were contained all 4 heats being shared and it looked like a mountain to climb.

The Bandits then made the gate advantages count taking maximum heat advantages in the next 2 races and the meeting was done.

Those late advantages gave a respectable look to the final score line but in all honesty it was a night where the Bandits continued their strong home form.

There are further away matches to come for the Monarchs with away points a must if the playoffs are to be achieved.

Full Result Details