IT’S NEWCASTLE

NEWS Sunday 28th April 2013, 11:00pm

by Toby Lerone

  Edinburgh Monarchs

We now know our opponents in the Knock Out Cup quarter final after action at the Newcastle Stadium on Sunday evening.

Newcastle Diamonds went into the second leg as red hot favourites to qualify having won the first leg at Plymouth on Friday evening and that’s the way it turned out with the Diamonds winning a truncated second leg by 42 ½ to 29 ½ with Ludvig Lindgren and Mark Lemon dead heating for the win in heat 3. The match was rained off after heat 12 when heavy rain hit Tyneside. There had been a delay earlier in the meeting for the sun blinding the riders!

The dates for the two ties will be finalised over the next few days but a June staging is likely.

John Campbell wrote in his programme notes last week that he would have preferred Plymouth despite the additional 12 hours for the return journey but after hearing the outcome from Brough Park said, “Despite the travel involved it would have been nice to have Plymouth in the quarter final but if we are going to win the cup then we have to beat the best teams and Newcastle are certainly one of them at present but I’d put us in that category also so I think it is an evenly balanced contest.”

Andrew Tully, who was present at Armadale on Friday, said that he hopes to be back on track by the beginning of June so he could be fit for the cup ties. In his absence so far this season the Diamonds have been well served by rider replacement an, in fact, Andrew’s rides top scored in both legs of the tie against Plymouth. The Diamonds have also had spectacular success in the signing of Lewis Kerr who already has a string of race wins over more experienced opposition.

In looks like a classic cup tie is in prospect.