Curtain falls at Armadale for 2023

NEWS Thursday 28th September 2023, 10:38am

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

The Stellar Monarchs race their final match for this season when Poole Pirates visit in the last match in Group A of the Championship Playoffs. Poole have already qualified from the group but the Monarchs will relish the opportunity to finish with an improved display against the best all-round team in the division.

Monarchs scored 35 at Poole on Wednesday which represents a reasonable display in which both Josh Pickering and Paco Castagna were in race-winning form. It equalled the total they achieved at home on Poole's last visit, and they will be looking at the least for an improved score on Friday.

Castagna defeated Richard Lawson at Poole, and Pickering took the scalps of both Lawson and Worrall, with the remainder of the team chipping in with some good rides. The whole team are very determined not to go out on a low note after such a disappointing year.

However the ill-fortune which has dogged the club throughout this season has still not let up, as the booked guest Justin Sedgmen was injured at Redcar and is forced to withdraw. With Rory Schlein once more unavailable Monarchs are again forced to use rider replacement as they did at Poole.

Team manager Alex Harkes said "Poole are very good, they finished top of the league, they are the people's favourites to win. We are the complete underdogs, anything we do will be a surprise to the rest of the speedway world I suspect. Let's hope we can."

Friday's match will be Live Streamed for those who cannot attend, details on www.edinburghmonarchs.co.uk.

FRIDAY'S MATCH:

Friday 29th September: Edinburgh Monarchs v Poole Pirates (Championship Playoff), Armadale, 7:30pm.

STELLAR MONARCHS: Rider replacement for Craig Cook, Lasse Fredriksen, Kye Thomson, Paco Castagna, Josh Pickering (captain), Dayle Wood, Bastian Borke.

WESSEX MARINE PIRATES: Richard Lawson, rider replacement for Anders Rowe, Ben Cook, Zach Cook, Steve Worrall (captain), Kyle Newman, Joe Thompson.

Full Result Details