Title Partner
A visit from Berwick is usually a good confidence booster for the Monarchs' riders.
Berwick have rarely employed many Armadale specialists, although we hadn't seen Stan Burza or Andreas Bergstrom before.
These two had their moments but after 4 heats, with the score at 19-5, there was no doubt who was on the way to a win.
Burza did make the start in heat 1 but Henrik Moller and Theo Pijper soon worked their way past.
Heat 2 unfortunately brought injury. Craig Branney off gate 4 pushed inwards, Derek off gate 3 pushed outwards and they came down in a heap. Craig's foot hit the fence and he was out of the match.
That was a serious blow to the Bandits and probably cost them a few points.
They gained their first scalp in heat 4 when Bergstrom chased Derek all the way and nipped inside him on the final turn.
Monarchs gave Andrew Tully an outing in heat 5. Burza led for a lap this time before Matthew cleverly anticipated the Pole moving out on the road bend, and cut under him for the win. The double points left Berwick with a 5-3 advantage.
Two of the next three were 5-1's with Sean unplaced in heat 7 meaning a 3-3. Nothing much worthy of comment.
Andrew Tully took another of the TR rides in heat 9, and came from the back with a powerful drive into the pits bend to take a point off Warwick.
Henrik and Theo took another easy 5-1 from heat 10, then Berwick tried Bergstrom as a TS off 15 metres. Derek had an ef at the gate which meant he would score. Burza was getting the hang of the track now, and gave Rusty a decent chase, so Bergstrom was too far back to take second - result a 3-4.
Matthew took his fourth win in heat 12, but Sean finished behind Birkinshaw and Warwick, a disappointing result. Heat 13 was an easy 5-1, and Makovsky took the second TR in heat 14.
This was Matthew's fifth heat and he had little difficulty taking his fifth win. This time Sean looked more determined and passed Warwick for third, which gave us a 4-4 result.
Monarchs now needed a 5-1 from the last heat to clinch third place in the Premier Trophy north. With four unbeaten riders it seemed odds on, but Burza outgated Henrik and Rusty, who finished behind Makovsky as well. A final consolation for the beleaguered Bandits.
It's unusual to reach the middle of June without having raced at home against the Berwick Bandits but that's the case this year after the postponement of the Bandits' visit scheduled for 31 March to make way for the Spring Trophy match against Glasgow.
The Bandits appear to be on the verge of making changes to their side but not before this match. The qualifiers for the semi-finals of this year's Premier Trophy are already known so there is not a great deal at stake in this match. We need to beat the Bandits by more than 9 points to take the bonus point and by 31 points to pip Glasgow for third spot in the section. The first target looks a near certainty and the second a distinct possibility since Armadale has consistently been the home to some of Berwick's poorest performances.
The top two average men in the Bandits' side have still to ride at Edinburgh - Stanislaw Burza and Andreas Bergstrom - so are a bit of an unknown quantity. Burza has had some excellent away performances and some dismal ones and it will be interesting to see how he adapts to Armadale. He has scored well at some of the smaller circuits as a 12 point return at Rye House demonstrates. His gating can be superb and if he makes fast starts in this match he may well provide some stiff opposition for us. Andreas Bergstrom is an exciting rider to watch because he has to score most of his points from the back due to poor gating. Both riders will be hoping that the general malaise which tends to accompany Berwick sides to Armadale doesn't affect them.
Berwick's strength has been in the middle of the team where the scoring of Lee Smethills and Michal Makovsky has been the mainstay of the team in many of their matches. However, Michal Makovsky probably doesn't have a poorer away track than Armadale. If previous performances are an indicator he is not likely to offer much of a threat but you never know with speedway!
Former Monarch David Meldrum looks like he will be making his last appearance for the Bandits since he is about to be replaced by James Birkinshaw in the side while reserve Daniel Warwick is another who will be unfamiliar with the Edinburgh track.
The one Berwick rider who has been a thorn in our flesh in past matches has been Craig Branney. Craig rode as a guest for Mildenhall last Sunday at Newcastle, not at reserve but at number 4 for the Fen Tigers, and had two wins and two second places in his 10 point return. That sort of form could spell danger but overall it would be nothing short of a sensation if Berwick were to leave with a win under their belts.
The Bandits have suffered some hammerings on their travels this year. This match might be another. It gives the Monarchs a chance to get a big win under their belts to boost their confidence for the stiffer challenges ahead. The riders all know that here is a chance to send the fans home happy. It's up to them to deliver.
Saturday 17th June 2006, 10:47am
Monarchs hit sixty for the first time this season with an efficient demolition of Berwick.
© Edinburgh Monarchs Speedway 2024
Bathgate Road
Armadale
EH48 2PD
Season 2006 | 4 years ago
