Monarchs ready for Kings Lynn visit on cup duty

Aug 19 2010 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

LEAGUE leaders Scotwaste Monarchs face a tough test on KO Cup duty tomorrow night when King’s Lynn Stars come calling at Armadale Stadium.

This is the second leg of the Cup quarter-final, and the Stars now have former Elite League rider Oliver Allen (runner-up in the Scottish Open at Armadale last month) and Danish teenage hot prospect Lasse Bjerre riding alongside their regular top man Tomas Topinka.

They have made these changes largely because of the 22-point defeat Monarchs inflicted on them on their own track last month in the first leg of this tie.

The newcomers are expected to make Friday a tough match – though Monarchs should ensure that they go through to a semi-final tie against in-form Workington.

Monarchs will be facing Workington this week whatever happens - as they travel there on Saturday in a key league match.

With a 50-39 home win over Berwick last Friday Monarchs extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to a remarkable 13 points.

It was a superb result but one which didn’t look so comfortable with three heats left as they held a slender three point lead.

Berwick plugged away and even made the start in the final heat, when they could have taken a point.

However, the heat was stopped when Ryan Fisher fell, all four riders were invited back, and Monarchs duly enjoyed a 5-1 result.

That gave the mighty Fisher an 18-point maximum on a night on which he dominated every race other than that first running of heat 15.

Matthew Wethers was also brilliant again with 15+1; dropping points only with a third in heat one.

The problems lay elsewhere. Neither of the two bikes William Lawson had with him functioned, and he gained three of his four points riding Matthew’s bike in crucial heat 12.

Kalle Katajisto looked back on-form — but only scored in two of his five heats.

He had two exclusions and a fall, and each time there was much discussion over whether the referee might have ruled in his favour rather than against. Different views in the stadium can tell such different stories.

Andrew Tully won his first two heats in style, then took a last and a third (in a 1-5) before bouncing back to join Fisher in heat 13, which finished 5-1.

Berwick plugged away and showed better form than they usually do at Armadale, with Rajkowski always a threat.

However, in reality they had no-one who could live with the best home men and were given too many gift points.

The mystery of why Monarchs make so few errors away from home, and so many at home, continues. There is still work to be done, but if the third title in eight seasons is to be clinched, then Saturday’s away match could be very important.

Monarchs did win last week at Sheffield, which was a superb result, and made it all the more surprising that once again they found their home match tricky.

In the end, the reliable Ryan Fisher and Matthew Wethers saw them home to take all three match points.

Monarchs finished an excellent second in the Premier Fours at Peterborough behind winners Birmingham.

Teams for Friday

Scotwaste Monarchs: Ryan Fisher, Kalle Katajisto, Kevin Wolbert, Matthew Wethers, Andrew Tully, Arlo Bugeja, William Lawson. King’s Lynn Stars: Oliver Allen, Adam Roynon, Lasse Bjerre, Kozza Smith, Tomas Topinka, Jamie Courtney, Cal McDade.