Edinburgh Monarchs v Redcar Bears

REPORT Friday 31st August 2012, 10:00pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

Edinburgh raised their game for the second part of the double header, against a much less committed opposition side.

It was a pretty dull event, the riders slithering round generally in the positions gained from the start. A couple of early falls for Matej Kus and Ulrich Ostergaard didn't help the Bears' cause, though they were a little fortunate when Aaron Summers got a second chance to win heat 3 after Wilkinson had fallen.

The visitors only managed three race winners and the most impressive performers were on the home side – double figures for James Grieves, Theo Pijper and Andrew Tully, and equally solid performances from Derek Sneddon and Matthew Wethers.

Even Marcel Helfer won a heat, a major surprise after how he went in the previous match. Bears' reserve Jade Mudgway was the unluckiest rider, with three successive stoppages on the start line.

The best race of all 28 on a disappointing night was what proved to be the final heat of this match, as Tully kept forcing his way inside race leader Kus only to be pipped at the post. The end, however, was still a relief.

Full Result Details