Edinburgh Monarchs v Glasgow Tigers

After two disappointing away performances, the Scotwaste Monarchs regained their composure and powered to victory in the Scottish Cup, overcoming the 16-point deficit, 5 TR points and some determined riding by the main Tigers? riders.

McGowan and Lemon as expected were to the fore for the visitors, as was 16 year old Nick Morris. Grajczonek had his moments but there were three passengers in the Tigers? lineup.

Monarchs had Ricky Wells in for Andrew Tully, and in spite of two reasonable displays recently at Armadale, Ricky did not have a successful night. He crashed in heat 4 and after two third places he was taken out of heat 13.

That meant there was a lot of work for the other six to do, but they set about their task with a clear focus and much skill, eventually winning with a bit to spare though it was far from easy.

There was plenty of good racing too, starting with heat 1. Ryan Fisher was off into the night but Matthew wethers was determined to pass McGowan for second, and put him under great pressure. After racing neck and neck for much of the heat Matthew eventually came through to ensure a maximum start.

Heat 2 kept that going, thanks to an excellent first turn by Ashley Morris who slipped under the Tigers? pair to join William Lawson up front.

Kevin Wolbert won heat 3 but a wobbly first corner by Kalle Katajisto lost him a lot of ground which he was not able to regain.

We should have shared heat 4 behind Mark Lemon, but Ricky Wells two-wheeled into the third bend and ploughed into the fence, which allowed Tigers a 4-2 in the rerun with a gift point for the very disappointing Adam McKinna.

Travis McGowan won heat 5 from Wolbert and Katajisto, and Mark Lemon rode a hard first lap to push Wethers and Fisher into the minor places in heat 6. The score was 21-15 and Tigers had recovered from their bad start, and might have been the happier team at this stage.

Nick Morris and Grajczonek made the start in heat 7 but as Ricky Wells tried to turn back under them, they all got in a mess with the Tigers? pair falling. It was all four back but Monarchs gated much better in the rerun, and held a 5-1 till Grajczonek piled into the pits bend fence and dislodged it.

At the third attempt Lawson led from Morris but the young Aussie came through and rode a bold race for a notable victory.

Still just a 6-point lead for Monarchs on the night, ten down on aggregate and Tigers still had the two TRs in hand!

In heat 8 Matthew Wethers emerged on Kalle Katjisto?s bike and we saw a really interesting heat. Ashley Morris did really well to slip past the opposition and lead all the way, but Matthew on the unfamiliar bike was having difficulty and could have finished anywhere. He stayed calm though and eventually turned hard under the Tigers and passed them off the second corner on lap three.

That meant Tigers could use their first TR with Lemon in heat 9, and he led the way. He made just a slight error though, and that was Kalle?s chance as he nipped through to limit the damage.

Nick Morris again showed his potential to lead heat 10 from Wethers and Fisher, but in a heart-stopping moment he locked up on the second bend with the home men whizzing by on either side.

That meant another TR, McGowan this time, and William Lawson was brought in to the heat. He made a brave effort and led McGowan for a couple of laps, but the Tigers? no. 1 eventually found the speed to pass.

Now we were 11 ahead on the night, 5 down on aggregate with four heats left ? two of which would feature McGowan and Lemon.

Heat 12 was a 4-2 from Wolbert and Lawson over Nick Morris, and clearly heat 13 was going to be very important. Lawson replaced Wells whose disappointing night was over.

Fisher had the tough task of coming from gate 1 but he made an excellent start and got to the dirt, while Lawson also did a great job and managed to halt Lemon?s run from the outside.

We completed the 4-2 and were now just one point down on aggregate!

Although Ashley Morris had done so well, it was still the right move to bring in Lawson for the vital heat 14. It paid off as William made the gate, with Kalle slotting into second inches ahead of the pressing Grajczonek. They held the positions with some difficulty for the 5-1 and now we led by three.

So Tigers needed a 5-1 in heat 15. Monarchs made the better start though, Fisher going ahead from gate four, but Lemon came to a stop in mid-corner and fell as Matthew went past.

Lemon was excluded, which he wasn?t happy about, but it was hard to see what his complaint was.

In the rerun McGowan had a bike problem and we romped to a 5-1, which triggered the celebrations. It had been a good night?s racing and a very happy conclusion for the Scotwaste Monarchs.

Edinburgh Monarchs v Glasgow Tigers

A large contingent of fans from the West are likely to make the trip to Armadale on Friday (7.30) with a real prospect of their team doing enough in the second leg of the Scottish Cup to win the trophy on aggregate.

Monarchs had their second really bad result in successive matches when going down by 16 points in the Ashfield match on Sunday after the first leg was postponed last Friday, and it will take a huge effort to pull back that sort of deficit with Glasgow entitled to two tactical rides if necessary.

Not only do Edinburgh go into this match low on confidence but they also do so without Andrew Tully who had been riding at his best lately on his home shale. However they do see the return of Kevin Wolbert which certainly strengthens the side.

Ryan Fisher has suffered a very uncharacteristic number of falls and exclusions in the past couple of matches which have proved costly both to the team score and his own bank balance. At No.1 he once again lines up against ex-Swindon team mate Travis McGowan.

Braveheart skipper Matthew Wethers will be looking to shrug off his last couple of low scores and get back to the form that has seen him voted Monarch of the Match so often. He lines up at No.2 against John Branney and should be capable of outpacing the Cumbrian rider.

Kevin Wolbert would have missed the |Armadale leg if it had gone ahead last week because he was earning plaudits on the Continent. His opposite number is young Nick Morris from Canberra and again it would be a major upset if the German didn't come out on top.

'Super' Kalle Katajisto again faces Glasgow's talented No.4, Josh Grajczonek, but Kalle has shown over and again that he is no respecter of reputations. The Aussie is known as a better gater than the Finn but Kalle loves nothing better than flying flat out around the Scotwaste Arena.

It's a tale of two guests at No.5 where Andrew Tully should be facing Joe Screen. Sadly both are injured, so Tigers track Mark Lemon and Monarchs have pulled in Ricky Wells. Both have shown they can go well at Armadale if the track suits their styles.

Could this be the week that young Ashley Morris finally gets among the points as the home fans have been willing him to do for some time? He has an excellent chance against his opponent at No.6 in Jake Anderson who has replaced Mitchell Davey in the Tigers colours.

William Lawson is another who could enjoy a bigger points haul than of late at No.7. His opposite number is Glasgow's second guest, Adam McKinna who is back riding after another serious injury. If Monarchs are to win, Willie will have to decisively win the battle of the Scots.

Monarchs are tasting a little of the injury misfortune that have hit near neighbours Glasgow and Berwick recently and it remains to be seen whether the rest of the side can rally sufficiently to cover for Andrew Tully's absence at such a critical time of the season.

The rider match-ups for this one indicate that Monarchs should be capable of making home advantage tell. However it remains to be seen if they can produce another of the crushing results that demolished King's Lynn, Somerset, Stoke, Workington and Sheffield in successive weeks.

Glasgow have won the Scottish Cup only once in the last nine attempts, so who would deny them success this time round? Well, the Monarchs riders and fans would for a start. This has the makings of a great match. Make sure you don't miss it!

Likely line-ups:

SCOTWASTE MONARCHS: Ryan Fisher, Matthew Wethers (capt.), Kevin Wolbert, Kalle Katajisto, Ricky Wells (guest), Ashley Morris, William Lawson.

GLASGOW A-PLANT TIGERS: Travis McGowan, John Branney, Nick Morris, Josh Grajczonek, Mark Lemon (guest), Jake Anderson, Adam McKinna (guest).