Edinburgh Monarchs v Birmingham Brummies

You would expect the two teams who have fought through to a cup final and eliminated all others to be evenly matched, but that was not the case in the first leg of the Premier Trophy final.

With heavy afternoon rain yet again leaving a damaged circuit, the riders faced a tough evening but in the main only the home riders really seemed to have the appetite for it. A 65-24 victory leaves Monarchs with very little to do in the second leg.

And yet the Brummies won the first heat! It was rerun after Piszcz and Lemon had tangled at the first attempt, and Tomasz Piszcz showed how spirited he is as he stormed from gate 4 for a good win. Mark Lemon had problems (his steel shoe strap caught in his chain!) and the Brummies had a 4-2.

They also gated in the reserve race but as has become customary, Tully and Summers soon stormed through.

Jason Lyons slithered across the first turn in heat 3 and forced partner Legault into the fence, so he picked up an exclusion. Legault smoothly won the rerun though Matthew Wethers put him under pressure.

Over the next 6 heats, Monarchs piled up 30 points to Birmingham?s 5! The lost point came in heat 4 when Jay Herne fell on the pits bend of lap 2, and Watson (who initially led) went down on the first bend of lap three, apparently just before the red lights came on. The rules insist on a rerun but Ryan Fisher and Aaron Summers made no mistake.

The Brummies continued to gate well and it was Piszcz away again in heat 5, only to be pushed hard by Wethers into the pits bend. As they battled for the lead, Tully stole under both and went ahead. Wethers soon followed through and the spirited Pole was pushed back.

Mark Lemon had sorted himself out by now and backed Derek Sneddon to an easy 5-1 over Watson in heat 6. Heat 7 should have been tough, against Lyons and Legault, but a forceful first lap by Fisher and Tully gave us another 5-1. Heads must have gone well down in the Brummie camp after that one.

Heat 8 looked like a home banker and so it proved again with Sneddon and Summers romping home. Likewise heat 9 where Watson was at the back as Fisher and Wethers raced home.

Jason Lyons took the TR in heat 10 against what possibly appeared the most vulnerable home pair. All things are relative! Lemon was flying now and won the heat easily, and unfortunately for Birmingham it was Legault and not the toiling Lyons who spit the Monarchs.

Both Piszcz and Tully fell in separate incidentsb on the first corner of heat 11, with Andrew remounting to take the point in a heat won by Fisher.

Jason Lyons made his best start in heat 12, but Wethers was soon under him and away, followed remarkably by Summers who thus completed a paid maximum.

Piszcz fell again trying to match the home riders on the opening lap of heat 13, and in the rerun Watson was again easy meat for the Monarchs. Legault managed a second place in heat 14, and the final heat should have been a Brummies? advantage.

Piszcz once again led and seemed to be a certain winner, especially after Matthew Wethers fell attempting an awkward challenge. But on the last lap Piszcz stopped and Fisher happily raced through to complete a full 18 max.

The Brummies? luck was out but their performance was pretty bad in any case, and they have no chance of regaining the lost ground.

HERMISTON MONARCH OF THE MATCH: Ryan Fisher