Edinburgh Monarchs v Wolverhampton Wolves

REPORT Friday 1st June 2007, 10:00pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

It all ended well in spite of Jason Crump's absence as the Scotwaste Monarchs grabbed a 2-point win over Wolves with Theo Pijper and William Lawson prominent.

The sun shone and there was a good crowd there to see a lineup that included more stars than a normal Friday night in West Lothian.

The first heat suggested that Wolves might have just too many stars as David Howe and Magnus Karlsson romped away for an easy 5-1.

Monarchs did look to be stronger at reserve, and there were no problems for Wethers and Tully in levelling the scores.

Heat 3 was a good one. On his first Armadale ride of the season, Pijper flew from the start to lead Grieves, who came under pressure from Lawson. Lawson's dives into the turns eventually brought him past Grieves for an excellent 5-1.

GP star Freddie Lindgren, who remembered making his UK debut at Armadale in 2001, won his opening heat easily, and then we had the heat 5 clash of two pairs who had opened with maximum advantages.

The Wolves proved the stronger though Lawson did well to pass Karlsson and limit the damage.

Sneddon had a tough first lap in heat 6, squeezed against the fence by partner Nermark on the back straight, then putting too much into his effort to get round Wilkinson and falling on the first bend of lap two.

So the scores were now level. Tully slid off on the first bend of heat 7 but remounted just as Kerr lost control spectacularly, bucking and spinning before coming off. Excluded? No, the Wolves had been on the wrong gates so everyone was allowed back.

Now Grieves got something of a flier with Kerr away well also. Remarkably it was Tully who sorted things out, passing Kerr and holding him wide as Parker came through in support.

Magnus Karlsson was successful in heat 8, usually dominated by our Wethers/Sneddon pair.

Scores were level but we pulled off a big surprise in heat 9. William Lawson shot off the inside of the second bend and got ahead of Lindgren down the back straight, and as the Swede moved out to try to come back, Pijper passed him as well! The 5-1 was completed with some ease.

Grieves won heat 10 but Nermark and Sneddon kept Kerr at the back again.

Howe took his third win in heat 11 and for a while it looked like a 5-1, but Parker worked hard to prevent it. Karlsson was riding wide on the faster line, but Monarchs' guest held in tight and managed to make up the ground for a good second spot.

Pijper and Grieves raced close and hard for most of heat 12 with the home man winning narrowly, and Matthew's third took as four points clear again.

That was wiped out in heat 13 as Howe and Lindgren rode side by side, well clear of Parker and Nermark.

We needed an advantage from heat 14, and we got it, though Kerr did wake up and give Lawson a good run for it.

Two points ahead then, but Howe and Lindgren to be faced. We tracked Pijper and Lawson. On a night when one or two riders got away with fliers at the gate, Theo chose a good time to get his, racing away from the tapes.

He had to work hard to prevent David Howe passing as the Wolves' no. 1 got within a foot or so by the finish, but Theo had clinched the win. He would no doubt be satisfied to have shown Chris Van Straaten what he is capable of.

HERMISTON MONARCH OF THE MATCH: Theo Pijper.

Full Result Details