Edinburgh Monarchs v Workington Comets

REPORT Friday 24th August 2007, 10:00pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

The Scotwaste Monarchs lost 44-49 at home to Workington and have yet to win a match in August.

The scoreline probably flattered Monarchs as the Comets managed to make a few errors on their way to victory, and also an 8-1 advantage in heat 14 helped to take the match to a last heat decider.

There was an early shock for everyone as the originally booked guest Jason Lyons was ineligible and should not have been booked. This only came to light on Friday afternoon and the only rider who could be pressed into action was Jacek Rempala, who had scored 8 on his last appearance.

In the event he had a poor match and looked unsteady and slow.

The start was fine. Derek Sneddon and George Stancl made good starts, Ostergaard fell on the second bend and the home pair finished a long way ahead of the toiling Carpanese.

We hoped our young reserve pair might take something out of heat 2, but they didn?t, both gating poorly as is their norm. It seemed Katajisto might pass Branney once or twice but it wasn?t to be.

James Wright easily won heat 4 but guest Rempala and Tully eventually got the better of Craig Branney who made a mistake while lying third.

Matthew Wethers had to work hard to hold second ahead of John Branney in heat 4 and it did look as though Matthew might not be at his quickest.

Carpanese was in heat 5 which allowed us to share it behind Ostergaard. Rempala was making decent starts but thereafter lacked speed, and it was Tully who chased the Comets? no. 1.

George Stancl lunged at the tapes in heat 6, but was caught out and left as they rose. Derek Sneddon once again ode a fine race to win but Stancl lost ground if anything behind Nieminen and Charles Wright, leaving us still 2 down.

Things went wrong in heat 7 though. Craig Branney got his first turn right with a wide sweep, and James Wright settled in on his inside. Wethers toiled to reach them but it was a comfortable 5-1 to the Comets.

Sneddon kept his unbeaten run going in heat 8, and Sam Martin came back after a poor start to grab a late point from John Branney.

Heat 9 looked like another Comets? 5-1 through Charles Wright and Nieminen, but Andrew Tully thought otherwise. He chased all the way and rounded Nieminen on the last bend to take second, with Rempala well adrift.

James Wright won heat 10 while Derek Sneddon repaid earlier favours from Stancl by helping him come past Craig Branney to share the heat.

We were still six down and that was unchanged as Ostergaard won heat 11, in which Katajisto easily beat the dire Campanese.

Heat 12 didn?t look too clever but Charles Wright gifted us a shared heat by falling and picking up an exclusion. It was Martin rather than his Bandits? team mate Rempala who gave chase.

Nieminen and Ostergaard raced off for a 5-1 over Wethers and Stancl in heat 13, opening the gap to 10 and apparently ending the match as a contest.

But not quite. Andrew Tully was out as a TR in heat 14, and showed great determination to go round the outside on the first corner and lead. Charles Wright fell again, and Katajisto was putting Craig Branney under pressure. So much so that Branney hit the fence on the pits bend, and the wee Finn was through for an 8-1 (Wright had remounted).

So amazingly we were only three down going into the final heat. Sneddon and Wethers stepped up to the plate again, against James Wright and Kauko Nieminen.

It was three abreast into the pits corner, Wethers between the two Comets. The visitors went ahead but Matthew did manage to pass Wright in his best ride of the night. Derek seemed to be having bike problems, and that was that. A last heat 5-1 was not in most people?s list of likely outcomes.

Full Result Details