Monarchs Battle For Point

REPORT Wednesday 4th August 2021, 10:42pm

by Graham Muncie

  Edinburgh Monarchs

On a night where it would have been so easy to collapse the What the Fork Monarchs showed their mettle once again sticking to task to become the first team to leave Poole with anything this year courtesy of a heat 15 maximum from Richie Worrall and Sam Masters in heat 15.

With the disappointment of a late collapse at Plymouth 24 hours earlier still fresh in the memory it would have been the easy option for the Monarchs to fold when facing a 14 point deficit 8 heats in and with the track causing issues for both sets of riders but that isn't what this team does. A late fight back including that last heat 5-1 from Worrall and Masters meant 1 league point was reward for their efforts leaving team boss John Campbell to say 'It was a very very tough start I couldn't believe it to go so many races without winning a race is not our style, when we got back into we certainly got back into it and Sam and Richie were briallent in heat 15 to get the point.

'This is the toughest top 3 we have come up against this year and after not starting well against then we have come out on top of them at the end to get us that vital league point.'

As Campbell said unusually for the Armadale men heat wins were hard to come by in the early stages as a home man was first to the checkered flag in no less than the first 8 races, most of this work being done from the gate as passing was at a premium on a track that neither camp seemed overly happy with.

With the Monarchs occupying last place in 6 of these first 8 races that meant the hosts had built a hefty 14 point lead.

Heat 9 would be the start of the fight back as Worrall and tactical substitute Masters roared from the tapes for a maximum.

The lead was lessened further in the following heat albeit in unusual circumstances as Josh Pickering hit the front only to hit a bump and head for the fence thus allowing home man Rory Schlein through. Schlein would fall victim to the same patch of track the following lap doing very fell to stay on but allowing Pickering back through.

Some remedial work was done after this and the best of the racing on the night would follow. Kye Thomson with an unsuccessful chase of home man Stevie Worrall in heat 12 and heat 14 the pick of the night as Pickering and Stefan Nielsen passed and repassed.

With Pickering able to get the better of Nielsen in this one it meant the gap was 10 going into the last race and a repeat of their heat 9 maximum exploits was required by Worrall and Masters.

The Monarchs pair duly delivered as they shot from the tapes Masters allowing Worrall round him and looking over his shoulder every lap to ensure home number 1 Schlein could not split them and the Monarchs pair wheelied over the line to show their delight at claiming a hard fought point.

Full Result Details