Monarchs KO'd at Brough Park

REPORT Sunday 14th July 2019, 9:04pm

by Graham Muncie

  Edinburgh Monarchs

For the second year in a row the Staggs Bar Monarchs have exited the KO Cup at the semi final stage despite holding a handy first leg lead going down 56-34 against the Newcastle Diamonds on Sunday evening thus meaning an aggregate defeat of 94-86.

The Monarchs had headed south hoping that a 14 point advantage from the first leg would suffice but the writing was on the wall from the off and as so often has been the case on the road this season it was a lack of heat winners that was to cost the Monarchs dear.

8 of the first 10 heats were won by the hosts with only Cameron Heeps able to take the chequered flag for the Armadale men and the aggregate lead had swung to the home men by this point.

A truly remarkable heat 12 was won by Josh Pickering from 15 metres after his clutch had went, dragging him into the tapes the Aussie star saying after the match ''14 up going into today so it's disappointing to go out. We knew we were going to be up against it, the track was a bit tricky early on but we came up short. There wasn't enough heat winners and that was the main thing. You need all 7 chipping in on a night like this and that didn't happen tonight it's not about what I do or Cameron does it's about what the team does. The better team won over the two legs though and that's it. It is annoying though and I think we through that away.''

It was a truly remarkable effort by both Josh and partner William Lawson in that heat 12 as the Diamonds gated on a 5-1 with Josh quickly in hot pursuit blasting round the fence, whether it was Josh's presence that meant that the two Newcastle riders Lasse Bjerre and Max Clegg were riding wider than they were comfortable with this allowed William Lawson to sneak under both and join his partner at the front. A sign of how good their efforts was being that Newcastle centre green announcer Roy Clarke described it as one of the most remarkable races he had ever seen at Brough Park.

This meant the Monarchs were back in front on aggregate but any hopes that this would provide a boost were quickly extinguished as the Diamonds rocketed from the start as they had done so often in each of the next two races to record maximum heat advantages of their own and the tie was over.

Heat 15 was another exceptional race with Pickering and Matthew Wethers passing and re-passing with the Monarch just taking 2nd on the line.

It has to be said despite the disappointment of the scoreline there was some excellent racing on the day unfortunately though this was due mostly to the Monarchs repeatedly missing the starts.

So it is the Diamonds who progress with no one able to argue they were not the better of the sides over the two legs as for the Monarchs attention now turns back to the Championship with ground to make up to clinch a place in the Play Offs.

Full Result Details