Chargers Complete Quick Fire Double Over Academy

REPORT Sunday 21st April 2024, 6:19pm

by Graham Muncie

  Edinburgh Monarchs Academy

Stellar Monarchs Academy suffered another defeat on the road going down 51-36 to the Oxford Chargers on Sunday again a lack of heat winners being the main cause for concern.

A rider in Blue and Gold only took the checkered flag on three occasions and that is never going to lead to challenging for any encounter as team boss Scott Wilson said after, "It was another tough afternoon for us but we dug in and fought hard which was what I asked for before the match.

"We kept ourselves in touching distance but unfortunately things unravelled a bit in heats 13 and 14 which makes the scoreline look worse than I think we deserved today.

"Connor was struggling for speed all day, but he flew from the start, twice, in heat 15 and looked good. Hopefully that's a launch point for him now to start winning races regularly.

"That was our problem today - just not enough race winners. It's something we need to change."

The Academy made a dream if fortunate start as home number one Luke Killeen would come off while leading heat one meaning a 5-1 to start for Wilson's men but the home side led brilliantly again by Killeen, Jody Scott and Jason Garrad soon set about overturning that.

The home men had the lead by the end of heat four as Ashton Vale who also helped himself to a big score joined Scott up front for a maximum to make it 13-11 to the hosts and the lead would only be extended from there.

In a long-drawn-out affair with a multitude of fallers and stoppages it would take till heat 12 for the Academy to taste victory again as Dayle Wood made the gate to head Jacob Clouting with teammate Kyran Lyden at the back no inroads could be made on what was by this point an eight-point lead.

This would be extended even further in the next two heats as Killeen rode the ride of the day to join Scott up front in heat 13 before a calamitous penultimate heat saw first Lyden, then Senna Summers and finally Wood all came down meaning a home 3-0 that allowed Garrad to complete his maximum.

Jody Scott would not join Garrad as home maximum men as Academy number one Connor Coles would make a fantastic start to take the victory in the last heat this only serving as scant consolation though.

To take nothing away from a fantastic weekend's work by Oxford but a little bit of reflection may be needed by the Academy men with a bit of a break prior to their next fixture at the end of next month.

Oxford Chargers 51: Killeen 10+1, Hutt 1, Clouting 4, Garrad 12, Scott 13+1, Summers 2, Vale 9+2

Stellar Monarchs Academy 36: Coles 10, Watson 6+3, Wood 6+1, Perry 8, Parker 1+1, Lyden 5+1

Full Result Details