Edinburgh Monarchs v Newcastle Diamonds

Three opening 4-2s gave Edinburgh the upper hand, which they never lost, but neither did they shake off the tenacious Diamonds till a 5-1 in heat 14 decided the distribution of the points.

It was a dull, drizzly night and the track became increasingly damp, though the standard of racing was actually quite good.

On an otherwise below par night for him, the best ride came from Craig Cook who threw himself into his challenge on race leader Lewis Kerr in heat 11, finally cutting back brilliantly and getting to the front.

He had only declared himself fit earlier in the day, suffering from the after-effects of his crash seven days earlier. He won his first race comfortably, moved Steve Worrall over on the first turn of heat 7 to engineer a likely 5-1 with Max Clegg, then suddenly fell off when well in front.

Then came his pass on Kerr, before he was blocked out on the first corner of heat 15 and ran into difficulties on the now-sodden track trying to make up ground.

Sam Masters was the rock for the Border Roofing Monarchs, while the middle pairing of Kevin Wolbert and Justin Sedgmen scored well enough without looking as sharp as usual, especially in their gating.

Armadale fans are very familiar with Steve Worrall’s quality and so it came as no surprise that he scored so well. He was fortunate to get a point in heat 7 but after that, fast gating and steady, clever riding brought him three race wins and a 4-point TR, including a heat 15 victory which stopped Masters’ unbeaten run.

Lewis Kerr was also excellent, and Ludvig Lindgren was solid without ever getting to the front. However the majority of the entertainment over the evening came from home reserves Max Clegg and Rob Branford, especially in their battles with Newcastle’s Simon Nielsen. All three deserved the plaudits from the fans – they tried so hard, made some good moves, and one or two errors as well to ensure that they were always worth watching.

Edinburgh Monarchs v Newcastle Diamonds

Edinburgh Border Roofing Monarchs aim to make it three Premier League wins in a row when the Newcastle Diamonds visit Armadale on Friday, but there are so many uncertainties around the home team's line-up that it opens up all sort of potential opportunities for the Diamonds.

With Erik Riss having broken his collarbone only two weeks ago and with the skipper Craig Cook being unwell, it could yet be another six-a-side match because Newcastle come calling with only five of their normal septet plus a guest at reserve and rider replacement for one of their top five.

Scintillating Sam Masters leads the way for Monarchs against 25-year-old Lewis Kerr, a motocross rider from the age of 12 until he decided to follow the example of Craig Cook and made an impression in speedway. As a King’s Lynn asset, he is now enjoying his third season at Brough Park.

Broken collarbones are the order of the day at No.2 where Edinburgh are hoping that Erik Riss will be fit to ride, but equally that it's not too soon since there's a long season ahead. Newcastle in return operate rider replacement at No.2 for Anton Rosen who also has a broken collarbone.

Kevin Wolbert is this season's big improver for Monarchs so far and at No.3 he faces last year's big improver for Monarchs, Stevie Worrall, still only 23 but now in his fifth season and with a host of trophies in his cabinet. Steve returns to Tyneside where he rode in 2012 and 2013.

Justin Sedgmen is never happier than when he is on Doc Bridgett's shale and at No.4 this week he faces another former Monarch, Christian Henry. The popular Sydneysider rode in the Monarchs colours from 2000 to 2002 and has drifted between Glasgow and Newcastle ever since.

In the spirit of symmetrical match-ups, it should be captain versus captain at No.5 if Craig Cook declares himself fit to race against the 24-year-old Swedish rider, Ludvig Lindgren, who started off at the top end in the Elite League and has doubled down with Newcastle for the past three seasons.

Max Clegg at only 18-years-old is really starting to repay the faith the Monarchs management have shown in him. His opposite number at 6 is the more experienced Simon Nielsen from Denmark with four seasons behind him at places such as Workington, Leicester, Plymouth and Sheffield.

Rob Branford may still be finding the right set-ups and the right lines around Armadale but he has the chance for points at No.7 where his opposite number is Luke Crang from Darligton who comes in from Berwick to guest for Lewis Rose who is riding for Swindon at Coventry.

Monarchs' all-conquering 2014 side swept aside the Diamonds the last time they met at the 'Dale but expect this one to be a lot closer. Last year aside, Newcastle always go well at Armadale and Edinburgh always go well at Brough Park, so predicting the score this time will be doubly hard.

If Craig Cook is fit, Monarchs would have to start as clear favourites, but if his inspirational presence in the pits and on the track is absent, it could hand a big advantage to the Diamonds. More than ever, the blue and gold brigade will need all the vocal support you can muster. Tapes up at 7.30.

Likely line-ups:

EDINBURGH BORDER ROOFING MONARCHS: Sam Masters, Erik Riss, Kevin Wolbert, Justin Sedgmen, Craig Cook (capt.), Max Clegg, Rob Branford.

NEWCASTLE SAPPHIRE ENGINEERING DIAMONDS: Lewis Kerr, R/R for Anton Rosen, Steve Worrall, Christian Henry, Ludvig Lindgren (capt.), Simon Nielsen, Luke Crang (guest).