Dan's great move gains a point for Monarchs

NEWS Saturday 11th April 2026, 0:10am

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

An audacious last bend move by Monarchs' no. 1 Dan Thompson gained a draw for his team in a match which the home side led by 8 points with four heats remaining. Tigers pulled it back to just two going in to the last race and seemed set for victory as Howarth and Harris led, only for Thompson to slice between them, passing Harris and finishing close with Howarth as they crossed the line.

Dan said "I made a few starts early on but not really in that last one. I span away from gate one and when I saw Kyle come round the outside I knew it was going to be hard. I kept my head down for four laps and on that last turn I went in really slow so I could make a nice turn. I came off the kerb and nearly got Kyle as well.

"It was only our first meeting here and I know I can do a lot better than that."

On a very cold night what we didn't want was delays, but we got them early on as, perhaps predictably, the new boys struggled to adapt to a circuit tighter than they are used to. Mario Hausl came off in the second running of heat 1 (after Dan Thompson had finished under the fence at the first attempt), and in heat 2 a very bold entry to the third turn by Mitch Cluff saw him race across the bend and pile in to the air fence. This required a lengthy repair.

Thereafter things ran much more smoothly and for much of the match Monarchs' superior gating was giving them the upper hand. Not in heat 2 though, as the visiting reserves took a 5-1.

Monarchs levelled with a Sedgmen victory, and then we were treated to a Harris special in heat 5. Sedgmen had gated again but Tigers' captain chased him down, harried and went thundering through for the win.

Howarth then beat Dan Thompson, and Kye Thomson took his first win in heat 8 assisted by a tape touch for Leon Flint which put him off 15 metres. Monarchs trailed by two at this point but knocked in two successive 5-1s through Grahn and Loftus, then Sedgmen and Castagna over Howarth.

Pedersen fell in heat 10 and Monarchs added two points to their lead, and Kye Thomson won heat 11 against Harris. Mitch Cluff gated well in this heat but almost ran into his partner on the first bend and came down, gifting a point to Hausl.

Harris inevitably took a tac sub ride in heat 12 and won, but Sedgmen took second ahead of Flint. Heat 13 was then crucial but the power pair of Howarth and Harris made no mistake, Howarth from the gate and Harris with a brilliant burst inside both Thomson and Thompson on the inside of the third and fourth corners.

Kevin Juhl Pedersen had improved with every ride and won heat 14 comfortably, as Castagna chose to shield partner Loftus for a shared heat. That left us at 43-41 going in to heat 15, with Thompson's great last corner salvaging a point for Monarchs.

Final score 45-45, next match for the team next Friday away at Redcar in the Knock Out Cup.

Full Result Details