Edinburgh Monarchs v Newport Wasps

The weather was bad, the crowd was low ? but the speedway was good and the team performed well as we beat Newport 59-33.

The bad news is that both Tony Atkin and Matthew Wethers have leg injuries and will miss the weekend?s action at least.

The injuries came in a heat 7 which should have been stopped as TR Phil Morris gained an unfair advantage from the tapes, jerking forward and keeping on going as the tapes rose.

That heat interrupted Monarchs? run of success which had started at heat 1. Nick Simmons was excluded for an early fall, Theo and Derek cruised to a 5-1 over newcomer Tom Hedley.

The fast gating Michal Rajkowski led the way in heat 2 with Matthew Wethers closing in. The track was riding quite well in spite of the dampness and Matthew pulled off a great outside overtake on the final turn.

Meanwhile Jack Roberts comfortably took third for his first PL point.

The Wasps gated in heat 3 but Ronnie burst in between them down the back straight and kicked for home. Andrew moved in to challenge and was gifted a point when Atkin stopped.

Henrik Moller had bike problems before the start of heat 4 and was ruled out on 2 minutes. Jack Roberts took the ride and another point, while Matthew headed Chris Schramm. Nice to have a reserve who is heat leader standard at home!

The not-so-hot opening pair of the Wasps conceded a 5-1 in heat 5, and eventually we gained another point in an eventful heat 6.

Rajkowski led the way with Theo in hot pursuit. Derek fell on the first bend and remounted. The Pole unluckily stopped as Theo moved in to challenge, which should have meant that Derek grabbed a point ? but Derek was filled in with mud on his goggles, and had decided to withdraw, unaware that there was a point to be had.

Then came the 1-8, the heat which saw Wethers and Atkin take their leg knocks. Tony was in obvious pain and that was his night over, but after treatment Matthew amazingly re-emerged for later heats.

The score was now 26-18 and a fair bit of our good work was undone.

Heat 8 was another Wethers special, amazing in view of his injury. He again chased and caught Rajkowski with a great inside move on the last lap.

The Raj did finally get the win that his fast gating was threatening in heat 9. Ronnie off gate 4 got trapped at the first bend and lost too much ground, backing up Andrew?s second place.

Tough luck for Phil Morris in heat 10, unsettled by a wobble by partner Burchatt on the first corner and excluded for falling. The rerun was an easy 5-1.

There was another first bend problem in heat 11 as Rajkowski went across the turn and brought down Matthew. Both were OK but the Raj?s bike seemed to suffer.

In the rerun he was no threat to Matthew and Henrik on a 5-1. The lead was building back up again.

Correy beat Morris in heat 12 with an even better point for Roberts, ahead of Rajkowski.

Theo and Henrik chased Chris Schramm into the third bend of heat 13, and it was a relief to see our pair go past on the inside as Schramm fell.

Andrew was the heat 14 faller, caught on the outside, and Jack Roberts had his best ride so far in pursuit of Rajkowski.

Theo and Ronnie closed the show with a 5-1 in the final heat, Ronnie dealing firmly with a first-lap challenge from Schramm.

HERMISTON MOTOR CO. MONARCH OF THE MATCH: Matthew Wethers.

Edinburgh Monarchs v Newport Wasps

The Premier League?s sole Welsh representatives arrive on our doorstep this Friday, as the Newport Wasps come looking for two points.

This will be the first ?leg? of a quickfire double, with the Monarchs travelling to the Hayley Stadium on Sunday. Rather strangely, despite the fact both tracks are kind of similar in shape and size, our record down there is pretty woeful. Indeed, we?ve only ever recorded one win (typically, I managed to miss it!), in the Wasps? inaugural season (1997). Since then, a single draw remains our best effort. Let?s hope for a change of fortune some time soon?

In recent seasons, the Wasps have struggled dreadfully, not least thanks to losing top man Craig Watson for lengthy spells, due to serious injury. Nowadays, Wato is notably absent, having failed to agree terms with the infamous Tim Stone during the winter and flopping badly in his brief stint at new parent club Poole in the Elite League.

His replacement is new Polish sensation Michal Rajkowski. Previously unheard of over here (unless you?re a sad git like me!), his seemingly permanent reserve berth has allowed him plenty track time and has also boosted his side?s scores somewhat. If we are to win big in this fixture, we?ll have to hope he finds our bends too tight (doubtful!).

The downside (if you can call it that) to Rajkowski being at reserve for so long is that poor Nick Simmons has been ?wrongly? elevated to the top 5. He is undoubtedly struggling (hardly surprising) and must be looking forward to the day he finally returns to his ?rightful? place.

Riders from ?the valleys? are somewhat rare in speedway, but that hasn?t stopped Phil Morris making a go of things. His career has been fairly successful and, although he?s now getting on a bit (even turning his hand to TV appearances on the likes of The Weakest Link and Supermarket Sweep!!), he?s literally ?come home? for his retiral bash. It seems strange that he hasn?t been seen at the Lothian Arena since the 2005 season, when he rode for the Newcastle Diamonds, but I?m sure he?ll still remember the best way to knock our guys off!

As a team, the Wasps are proving rather difficult to predict. No less than three of their members are making their Armadale debut on Friday. As well as the aforementioned Rajkowski, both Tom Hedley and Barry Burchatt will be finding their way round for the first time. Hedley is the latest in the line of exciting Aussie youngsters to ply his trade in the UK and I?m really looking forward to seeing him in action. Having secured his first maximum on these shores against Glasgow last weekend, we?ll have to show him the other side of Scotland have far better riders in their team!

Burchatt was one of a list of inexperienced young lads who were thrown into the deep end at PL level last year, thanks to the ridiculous reserve grading rules (Peter Oakes should be shot for that one). Having been given his chance by Mildenhall, he was dropped in mid season but Mr Stone has given him another shot at the big time in 2007.

The remaining two Wasps are very well known. Tony Atkin is way past his best now, but has been known as something of a ?wily old fox? in previous days. But, while Mr Atkin is something of a well respected Gentleman of the sport, I remain unconvinced Chris Schramm will ever reach similar status. One of the most annoying on-track characters I?ve ever witnessed, I can only hope he learns to ride sensibly before it?s too late?

Following last week?s home defeat to PL Champions? elect, Kings Lynn (not to mention the miserable final tally of 4 heat winners), the Monarchs have decided the time is right to swap Ronnie Correy and Theo Pijper in the riding order. Captain Correy will now start at number 3, while Dutchman Pijper will have more of a chance to break his track record by appearing in heat 1 every week!

Buxton youngster Jack Roberts continues to deputise for Daniele Tessari and will also line up at Stoke on Saturday. While he failed to score last week, he certainly sported a tidy enough looking style and obviously impressed our Promotion. Here?s hoping he can earn some points? money this time as reward for his efforts.

As always, may the best team win...

Line-ups:

Monarchs: Theo Pijper, Derek Sneddon, Ronnie Correy, Andrew Tully, Henrik Moller, Jack Roberts, Matthew Wethers.

Wasps: Nick Simmons, Tom Hedley, Phil Morris, Tony Atkin, Chris Schramm, Michal Rajkowski, Barry Burchatt.