Monarchs Pipped At The Last

REPORT Saturday 27th September 2025, 0:07am

by Graham Muncie

  Edinburgh Monarchs

Stellar Monarchs took it all the way to a last heat decider before falling just short at Ashfield going down 53-37 on the night and 91-89 on aggregate after a night of drama in the Championship playoff semi finals.

Holding a 14 point lead from the first leg a fortnight ago the Monarchs knew they still had a huge task ahead such has been the strength of the Tigers at home but they set about their task well.

After four heats it was only a two point home advantage on the night this including a heavy fall for home number two Villads Nagal he would never recover from.

The big drama would come in heat six, Kye Thomson making a sharp gate and riding the dominant outside line to head home number one Chris Harris.

Inexplicably the red lights came on and the race was stopped, the explanation that the referee had hit the button by mistake.

Thomson would repeat the trick in the re-run on the way to a ten point haul as the Aussie said after, 'I think we got everything thrown at us but we hung in for so long and it's disappointing to get pipped in the last race.

'It was a pretty gnarly track tonight and you had to be right on the edge, it was wild. I tried my hardest and we all tried our hardest and that's speedway.

'We all stepped up and we pushed the team that finished top all the way to the last race so we can be proud of that but it hurts.'

It would be nip and tuck for the next few heats after this uproar as every time the home men extended their lead the Monarchs would strike back.

By the end of heat 11 it was a six point home advantage on the night and the formula looked simple.

For the Monarchs stop the home reserves from scoring and split the big pairings in either heat 13 or 15 for the Monarchs and they would be through.

For the hosts get a heat advantage in heat 12 or 14 and allow the top end to bring them home in the others.

As it was it would be heat 14 that was crucial and it was the hosts that took the advantage as home match winner Max Perry settled into third after a couple of heats of battling up front that saw his teammate Leon Flint round the field to head Monarch Michael Palm Toft.

Heat 15 took two attempts but Home pair Chris Harris and Kyle Howarth would not be denied and that means it is the Tigers that move on as they await Poole or Redcar in the final.