Image Credit: Ron Macneill

Empty Handed At Workington

REPORT Sunday 21st May 2017, 9:58pm

by Graham Muncie

  Edinburgh Monarchs

The Parsons Peebles Monarchs left Derwent Park empty handed and frustrated as they went down to the Workington Comets 51-42.

The Monarchs as is perhaps becoming a worrying habit started the match slowly being 10-2 down after the first two heats and though they battled manfully a last heat maximum for the Comets meant the final margin was 9 and the Monarchs could not expand their lead at the top of the SGB Championship.

Team manager John Campbell stating after the match ‘We lost it at the start; it’s difficult to give Workington 8 points of a start and hope to do anything. Disappointing as well to lose the 5-1 in the last heat and that cost us the chance for points.’

The Monarchs could not make any great inroads after the first two heats and despite some battling rides running 9 lasts to Workington’s 6 meant heat advantages were at a premium and we could not claw our way back into the match.

There were positives that can be taken from the match with Mitchell Davey riding well after burning out a clutch in his second ride. Davey’s third to first burst in heat 14 his finest ride since coming back into the second tier of the sport and he can take heart from this.

Josh Pickering looked back to something like his usual self using the outside line to some aplomb and all of the top 4 recorded at least one heat victory. However with a lack of consistent backup the visitors could not make inroads into the lead that the Comets had built up. Anytime it looked like the Monarchs had a way back a Craig Cook or Thomas Jorgensen ride was in the offing and the hard work was undone.

Workington are in a fine run of form and this result sees them jump into the top 4 and the playoff places so it is a case of defeated but not disgraced for the Monarchs as they now look ahead to Peterborough’s visit to Armadale this Friday.