Cup Tie In The Balance After Battling Display

REPORT Wednesday 24th April 2024, 10:33pm

by Graham Muncie

  Edinburgh Monarchs

Stellar Monarchs battled hard throughout coming away with a respectable nine point deficit in the first leg of their KO Cup encounter at Poole on Wednesday night.

In a meeting that at times felt like it would never end due to first an electric issue with the red light then a malfunctioning starting gate that meant alternatives were needed for both the Monarchs did not let this get to them team manager John Campbell saying after, 'it was a battling display and I actually felt we maybe left a couple of points on the track at times, but we have to be happy with that and the second leg of finely poised.'

The match was tight throughout with the lead changing hands over the first few heats, first up Max James making it two from two in the reserve race this season, teammate Connor Coles getting third after Sam Hagon came off while chasing.

This was nullified in the very next heat as the impressive middle order of Tom Brennan and Zach Cook took a maximum advantage.

The home men would extend their lead to four after a tremendous Hagon ride in heat seven before the drama started in heat eight.

Hagon coming down in the first bend with James needing to take avoiding action, confusion then reigned as no red lights came on despite the flag marshalls waving the red flag.

As it transpired the red light had malfunctioned meaning a delay to try and sort this, the referee eventually making the incredible decision to disqualify both Hagon and James, Tobias Thomsen pipping Lasse Fredriksen on the line in the re-run.

Brennan and Cook repeating their heat three trick taking a maximum in heat nine also and the home lead was now nine.

There is a different spirit in this years Monarchs camp though and any thoughts anyone had of a Monarchs capitulation were quickly dispelled as Josh Pickering would take victories in heats 11 and 13 and Paco Castagna in the penultimate heat to keep the Armadale men right in the fight.

By this point starts were under green light conditions due to the malfunctioning start gate this leading to some untidy openings to races as the riders tried to adjust.

The final heat would see one final advantage for the Pirates to mean a final deficit of nine but having watched the hosts score 61 two weeks ago this is a score most of a Blue and Gold persuasion would have taken prior to the first heat in Dorset.

Poole Pirates 49 : Lawson 14, Thomsen 4, Brennan 11+1, Z Cook 8+2, B Cook 8+1, Hagon 2+1, Perry 2

Stellar Monarchs 40 : Pickering 13, Fredriksen 4+1, Thomson 5, Castagna 6+1, Sedgmen 6, James 4+1, Coles 2

Full Result Details