Somerset Rebels v Edinburgh Monarchs

Once again the Scotwaste Monarchs came up trumps as a backs-to-the-wall battle took us into the Playoff Final.

For much of the night it didn?t seem like this would be the outcome. William had no speed, Aaron hasn?t learnt to cope with these really quick tracks yet, and we were slowly sinking under a barrage of relentless Rebels.

To make matters worse Ryan Fisher blew his motor when lying second in heat 4 (he was thrown off his bike) and Derek Sneddon blew his while third in heat 8. It seemed these stoppages would be fatal to our efforts, but we still had enough fight left to turn the tide.

Supporters at the start line were pretty adamant that Matthew Wethers had edged a win in heat 1 from the formidable combination of Kramer and Doyle, but it was given to Kramer after a race-long chase.

Derek Sneddon took second spot in heat 2 but an early challenge to Warwick (replacing the ill Matthias Kroger) by Aaron Summers eventually faded away.

Heat 3 looked like the third successive 4-2 to Rebels until Ryan?s bike gave way under him in a shower of sparks and he hit the deck. The rerun weas a home 5-1.

Matthew took second to the speedy Frampton in heat 4 and we lost a 5-1 by a large margin in heat 5, so with the score at 8-22 things were not looking bright.

At last we had a race winner, another super effort by Matthew in heat 6 to lead Doyle and Frampton all the way. At least Somerset had used their two strongest rider replacements.

We chose to use the TR in heat 7 and although Ryan and Andrew nosed ahead on the second bend, Frampton again showed his pace by bursting to the front at the third corner.

A 5-3 wasn?t a great return and maybe heat 8 would have been a better place for the TR. Heat 8 would have been an advantage, but we suffered another blow when Derek Sneddon stopped while lying third ahead of Katt. Ryan won the heat but it was only shared.

Matthew had been our most consistent rider but even he could do no better than third in heat 9, another home 5-1, and we were just 5 up on aggregate. No chance, surely?

Doyle won his first heat in heat 10 but Ryan and Andrew managed to hold Werner at the back. Heat 11 was also shared, behind Frampton, with Warwick slipping off at the back but clearing the track.

Heat 12 was a big one. Derek on gate 1, Ryan gate 3, Kramer gate 2 and Werner on the fence. First attempt, Ryan jerked forward and though we made the gate, it was stopped. Second attempt, it was Werner who moved, we made the gate again and no advantage rule was applied. Stopped again.

Could we make the start again, against the unbeaten Kramer? Yes we could and a great ride by Ryan and Derek gave us a vital 5-1.

Now the gap was only 12. Looking down the heats, 13 and 15 did not look good but perhaps we could take an advantage in between?

It didn?t quite work out according to expectations, indeed it rarely does. Matthew did really well in heat 13 to get between Doyle and Frampton, and now Rebels needed two 5-1s to go through.

Katt made the start again, but Andrew and Derek happily rode together to keep Warwick at the rear and ensure that we were through.

Doyle won the last one but again we shared it, through Ryan and Matthew ahead of Kramer.

The key fact was that of our four contributing riders, they had 23 rides and only one last place (as well as two unlucky engine failures) in these heats. A great effort against a strong team.

Somerset Rebels v Edinburgh Monarchs

"The Monarchs head off to Somerset?s Oak Tree Arena on Wednesday night for the second leg of their semi-final Play-off tie. Will their 21 point lead be enough to see them through?

Expressed opinions so far have generally been of the view that the hard work has been done at Armadale and that passage to the final is almost assured. As a confirmed pessimist it will come as no surprise to learn that I don?t happen to agree with that!

The optimists will point to the excellent result the team achieved just over a month ago in the Premier League match in the cider country when they lost by just four points. Certainly excellent performances were turned in by Ryan Fisher and Matthew Wethers who, between them, scored 24 of the team?s 44 point total. A similar return will go a long way towards the target 37 (or thereabouts) likely to be required for success. However William Lawson and Aaron Summers have yet to impress on this track. Indeed William turned in an undistinguished performance there in the PL Pairs event this year and Aaron failed to score a point last time there.

Without Thomas H Jonasson and with not everyone eligible to take an R/R ride this time things don?t look quite so hot. It?s going to take a decent contribution from all of the team to see them through on aggregate even with that healthy first leg advantage.

Of course a 21 point lead is actually probably worth more than that because a Tactical Ride which produces an extra 2 or 3 points effectively increases the lead to 23/24 points. Somerset have a team which, when on form at home, seems able to charge through the 60 point barrier without much difficulty and that is the worrying aspect of the match. Last time there, Edinburgh lost both the opening heats to 1-5s which had them struggling from the start. Their fight back from that position was remarkable and exciting and probably took the Rebels by surprise. They?ll know better this time! One of the main objectives on this occasion will be to avoid the Rebels opening up a big early lead. This is easier said than done and will be exactly what the Somerset boys will be aiming for.

I think I side with those who have come to the conclusion that the tie is very finely balanced. It would no surprise to see the outcome going to the last heat before being decided which should make for a thrilling meeting. If Edinburgh are in the mood and firing on all cylinders then an aggregate victory should be well within reach. If not, expect Somerset to win through. As always that little bit of luck will probably play a part. It should be a nerve wracking 15 heats of speedway but if the team can?t defend a 21 point lead then perhaps they won?t deserve to go through.

The probable line-ups are:

Somerset: Jason Doyle, Simon Walker (R/R), Emil Kramer, Stephan Katt, Jordan Frampton, Matthias Kroger, Brent Werner.

Edinburgh: William Lawson, Thomas Jonasson, Ryan Fisher, Andrew Tully, Matthew Wethers, Derek Sneddon, Aaron Summers.

Here?s hoping for another fine performance from the Monarchs to keep this remarkable season going for as long as possible.