Rivalry Renewed

PREVIEW Friday 23rd July 2021, 11:50am

by Jim Milton

  Edinburgh Monarchs

Taking care of Newcastle with such surprising ease last weekend sets the Monarchs up for the big one – the long-awaited derby doubler that could very well define their entire season.

It was vintage Edinburgh on Friday past with no fewer than four of our six riders on show – Sam, Ritchie, Josh and reserve Kye Thompson clocking up scores in double figures. The Diamonds simply had no answer to the onslaught as the boys in blue and gold ripped up the track like a… well, like a team heading for the title. And there can be no greater incentive than that as we gear up to face the mighty Tigers' roar twice in a couple of days.

Against the Diamonds, Kye top scored with an impressive 15 points from seven rides but even the young Aussie had to look on in awe as his countryman, Joshie Pickering, produced as good a performance as he has ever managed in Edinburgh racing colours. You just couldn't keep your eyes off him.

Josh has come of age at last. Lately the long overdue recipient of his first Premiership ride with Sheffield Tigers, the New South Wales flyer had now added consistency to his lengthy array of talents, but it is his reputation as the archetypal entertainer that keeps his adoring fans coming back for more.

Virtually every meeting he competes in has at least one example of some laws-of-physics manoeuvre sure to have the crowd on its feet in gasping anticipation. Against Newcastle we had to wait eight heats for that degree of engagement, although it is true by that time, he already had two heat wins to his name.

Of course, some will say his gating could be better. Yet, while it's true, smarter starts would make for an even more rounded product, think of the spine-tingling drama we would be denied if he had no one to overtake. By all means strive to improve but leave us something to rack our nerves to every so often.

There will be no greater test of Josh's mettle than those upcoming Tigers' derby clashes. Cami Brown's men top the Championship table for a reason. They are the team everyone has been talking about but how well the Monarchs have clawed back what was a sizeable lead to five just points, and that's with the Tigers having ridden two meetings more.

And adding even more spice to an already explosive mix is an Ashfield septet that includes three celebrated former Monarchs whose erstwhile popularity with the Armadale faithfully could well be up for renewal come the weekend. Despite how we view their current circumstances, one thing's for sure, Craig Cook, Ricky Wells and Justin Sedgmen certainly know their way around both Scottish tracks.

It doesn't end there for Glasgow, of course. Californian Broc Nicol is tipped to go right to the very top and with his average increasing by close on two points since the start of the season, the 23-year-old is certainly on the right path.

A rise to prominence even more impressive than Nicol's is that of Sam Jensen. A year older than Broc, the Dane has added just under three to his CMA, an astonishing leap that has taken him from reserve to heat leader in just over two months.

And it only gets better for the Tigers. One of four newcomers introduced in May – only Cook, Jensen and Bailey remain from the aborted 2020 campaign - fellow Dane Ulrich Ostergaard was signed with the express hope of sharing the point-scoring burden with the aforementioned Cookie. And boy has he answered that call in spades. Taking his average from 5.98 to a ridiculous 8.84, Ulrich has become a true jewel in Glasgow's gleaming crown with the type of experience – the 40-year-old can count stints at Eastbourne, Isle of Wight, Swindon, Peterborough, Birmingham, Workington, Reading, Belle Vue, Redcar and Newcastle in a career in UK speedway spanning just shy of two decades – that opposing teams find so difficult to counter. 2015 Premier League Riders champion and an Elite League and Knockout Cup winner with Peterborough (2006 and 2017 respectively), Ulle shares his Tigers' racing duties with Brovst in the Danish league and the UK Premiership Panthers with whom he has held a long association.

At reserve, Tigers' Rising Star is the talented Connor Bailey who had been replaced by Jack Smith on the eve of the current season but returned to the fold just three meetings ago. Much faith has been invested in the young Aussie and his clashes with our own 6 and 7, Joe Lawlor and Willie Lawson, will another interesting facet of the tartan tussle to come.

Nathan Greaves and Joe Lawlor should return for a full-strength Edinburgh.

So, fasten your seat belts – they're installing them at Armadale as we speak – we could be in for a bumpy ride…

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