Speedway: Monarchs lift their game to shrug off dogged Diamonds

Published on Friday 1 July 2011 11:14

Edinburgh MONARCHS lost just one heat against Newcastle Diamonds at Armadale last night but were unable to shake the Tynesiders off until the second half in a meeting which had a surfeit of shared races. However, Monarchs eventually prevailed 53-39 to scoop all three Premier League points up for grabs.

Monarchs got off to a dreadful start in the opening race when No.?1 Kevin Wolbert fell off on the first bend and stayed down hoping the referee would call all four riders' back. But the German's gamble backfired when he was excluded from the rerun and this left skipper Matthew Wethers on his own and he couldn't prevent Diamonds guest ace James Grieves and Derek Sneddon zooming away for a 5-1.

Had Wolbert got up off the track straight away, Monarchs could have probably shared the race as Wethers was in front when the red light came on.

In fact, Wolbert did not win a race until his last outing in heat 13 when he defeated Grieves and Dane Claes Nedermark. Wolbert was not full of the joys of summer afterwards declaring he had not enjoyed the evening, the home supporters weren't exactly jumping for joy either.

Grieves, who was guesting for the injured Mark Lemon, posted nine points for the Diamonds but the Paisley ace isn't 'Mr Invincibility' any more and was passed on three separate occasions by Monarchs heat leaders, including twice by Andrew Tully.

Monarchs' new reserve Tim Webster made his home debut at reserve and picked up two points which wasn't a bad effort on his first time round the track. He said: "I think I've got the speed and, if I can get out of the gate, I should be fine and I'll be concentrating on my starts in the next couple of meetings."

Webster added: "Armadale is not an easy track and it makes you use your head which probably explains why I had a headache afterwards! But I spent three years riding small circuits so I'll be able to adjust to Armadale quite well.

"I was happy to get two points given that it was my first match but obviously I'd like to score more.

"The track was a bit slick and that's why I struggled out of the traps, I always seemed to be sitting behind everybody.

"I was nervous before the meeting, but that's the hard part out of the way."

Webster's reserve partner Kyle Howarth was back in the groove following his recent injury and scored seven points which included two vital 5-1 wins when he combined with Wethers and Tully respectively. And Monarchs' joint total of nine points from the tail-end was a decisive factor in their victory, easing the pressure on their top five.

Howarth said: "I'm very happy to be back for Monarchs and scoring good points. I gated well and my confidence levels are up. I just rode the way I had done before my injury and this worked out fine.

"It was nice to feature in two 5-1 races and I definitely had the speed. I also worked something out with my gearing and have learned something from it. Newcastle had been expected to perhaps provide a shock and they do have experienced riders in their side but we all hung in there and got the win we wanted. The track was a touch slick, but you just have to ride it and get on with your job."

Wethers was grateful that the young duo shone, admitting: "Personally, I struggled with the track and was thankful that the rest of the guys, including the reserves, stepped up their game and got us the win I think we deserved."

The Diamonds still had a chance until Nedermark's tactical outing in heat 13 went belly up when he fell and at that point so did Newcastle's victory hopes.

Monarchs: Cook 12, Tully 10, Katajisto 9, Wethers 7, Howarth 7, Wolbert 6, Webster 2.

Newcastle: Robson 13, Grieves 9, Nedermark 7, Sneddon 4, Newman 3, Worrall 3, King 0.