Stoke Potters v Edinburgh Monarchs

No Monarchs fan had ever seen the team pick up the points to clinch a league title on track ? previously results elsewhere had finished the job. A few hundred of us enjoyed the experience on a memorable Stoke Saturday night.

The team have never shown any doubts or lowering of resolve, and they had a firm grip on this match throughout with Ryan Fisher and Kevin Wolbert displaying the broadest of shoulders as they both scored paid maximums ? as well as riding brilliantly in tandem with their team mates.

Matthew kicked off proceedings with a fast gate in heat 1, and Ryan happily slotted in to back him up for the maximum start. They showed there delight after the race and it is important to get off to a good start ? as we so often have this year.

Heat 2 looked ok too as William Lawson came round the field and led down the back straight ? only to fall at the third corner. So that was the scores level.

Heat 3 was a terrific heat (after Katajisto and Wilson had fallen at the first attempt). Kalle swept to the front at the second run, and Kevin edged his way into second, holding off a strong challenge from Lee Smart. Smart did get round Kevin at one point and was challenging Kalle, but Kevin came roaring back on the last turn to complete a brilliant 5-1.

Tomicek took his second win in heat 4 though Lawson challenged hard, with Tully in third and Stoke?s new Swede Jeremiah Thelaus well back.

Now we had the first long, long grading session for the track which didn?t have a lot of shale on to start with.

Ryan Fisher won heat 5 easily though Matthew was surprisingly at the rear in spite of challenging Wilson. Bearing in mind we were only looking for one point for the title, a 17-13 lead was more than satisfactory at this stage.

Taylor Poole took a first bend tumble in heat 6 trying to round Tully, but it was all four back. Facher was a surprise leader in the rerun but Andrew eventually cut under him, while Ashley Morris rode an excellent race to hold off Poole for third.

The Katajisto / Wolbert combo worked to perfection again in heat 7 to take us ten points ahead, and that title was just about there now.

Three heats on from the last grading there was not another, with a huge watering cart joining in, a contraption which looked as though it would be very handy assisting laying Edinburgh?s tram lines.

Tomicek took a TR in heat 8 but we seemed to have that covered as Matthew led the race. Regrettably at the end of lap two he shed a chain and came down heavily. Poole was already out after a first bend fall and the rerun went to Stoke by 6-2.

Tully just failed with an exciting effort to pass Wilson in heat 9, while Smart was held back for much of the race by the impressive Morris. Eventually Stoke got a 4-2 and they had cut our lead to 4.

No problem though to Kevin and Kalle who raced off for their third 5-1, this time with our German heading the heat.

Heat 11 looked profitable too but Matthew had another bike problem. Fisher kept his unbeaten run going so we led 38-30.

Another show of power from Wolbert gave us a shared heat 12, and at this point we actually won the title! Three 5-0s to Stoke would have left us with the point we needed.

We were going to do better than that of course, and we had another amazing Fisher show in heat 13. It might not have been his toughest race but after missing the gate he simply flew round the air fence to pass everyone and win by a mile. Ten up with two to go, the match was in the bag.

Kalle was on a max but he missed the start in heat 15 as we lost a 5-1, and that left us needing an advantage to take all four points ? nothing wrong with being greedy!

And of course, with two guys like Ryan and Kevin on hand, we did it in great style with a closing 5-1.

Celebration time, and the team looked rightly happy and proud as they joined the fans for photos with the famous Dennis Darling Monarchs? flag.

Stoke Potters v Edinburgh Monarchs

All roads lead to Stoke tonight (7.30) where a much larger than normal travelling contingent of Monarchs fans need no reminding that one single point stands between them and a guaranteed third Premier League title in eight years.

They face a Stoke side who have had a troubled season to say the least. All seven current riders are under-25, four have been brought in as replacements and four began on assessed averages. Hardly a recipe for instant success, more of a long-term strategy.

Ryan Fisher will face 21-year-old former Berwick rider Frank Facher who beat Kevin Wolbert to the German Championship title. Brought in to replace Hynek Stichauer, he may struggle to match an assessed seven point average due to lack of UK experience.

Matthew Wethers lines up against one of Stoke's few 2010 success stories. One-time grass tracker, 22-year-old Lee Smart has taken a rare chance of a stable Premier League spot to push his average up to a respectable 5.87 and will be a handful around Loomer Road.

Kevin Wolbert is paired against Sheffield-born Ben Wilson, still only 24 who was signed to replace Jan Graversen. This followed his own replacement in the Redcar side by Joe Haines. His slight dip in average reflects a period of recovery from a heavy crash at Berwick.

Two exceptionally exciting talents face each other at No.4 in Kalle Katajisto and Taylor Poole. The 18-year-old from Sydney is a Peterborough asset out on loan whose sensational early season scores were subdued by a hand injury which curtailed his scoring.

Andrew Tully will relish facing an untried opponent at No.5. He is 22-year-old Swedish rider Jeremia Thelaus who is being flown in as a replacement for Klaus Vissing. Jeremia is another who is saddled with trying to live up to a seven point starting average.

Ashley Morris lines up opposite the 19-year-old American captain of the Potters, Ricky Wells, who is on loan from parent club Coventry. Despite not being eligible to double up, Ricky has achieved a respectable five point average in his first UK season.

William Lawson will certainly have his hands full against his opposite number, 24-year-old Czech Republic rider, Lubos Tomicek. Lubos was brought in to replace Claus Vissing and is likely to make full use of his Elite League experience at reserve.

Monarchs need only keep the scores within six points difference to earn the single Premier League point they require, but they are confident of being able to do much better than that on the back of some incredible away performances this year.

Stoke are firmly stuck in the bottom three but have been able to turn on their best performances on their home shale. They have riders capable of double figure scores, but the telling point will be whether they can immediately gel as a team. It's a tall order.

Edinburgh are expected by most to clinch the title tonight. If so, there should be unforgettable celebrations tonight and the pressure would be totally removed for tomorrow's visit to Ashfield for the most unpredictable derby match for a long time.

Likely line-ups:

STOKE EAZY-RIDER POTTERS: Frank Facher, Lee Smart, Ben Wilson, Taylor Poole, Jeremia Thelaus, Ricky Wells (c), Lubos Tomicek.

SCOTWASTE MONARCHS: Ryan Fisher, Matthew Wethers (c), Kevin Wolbert, Kalle Katajisto, Andrew Tully, Ashley Morris, William Lawson.