Stunning comeback to win at Oxford

Once again the Edinburgh What The Fork Monarchs showed just how strong their fighting spirit can be when they overcame an early 10-point deficit to grab race advantages in the final four heats and a sensational 46-44 victory. Josh Pickering was the inspiration but they all did their bit.

There is now no combination of results which can prevent Monarchs going through to the Playoffs which decide the league title, though it will be a while till we know the exact positions of the top six who qualify.

Delighted team manager John Campbell presided over the comeback and said "At the beginning I thought 'We've got no chance here, this is awful'. But as the track settled down a bit it became very obvious that Josh Pickering was becoming very dominant, and the other riders were all capable of chipping in. I thought then that it was very likely that we could win.

"As soon as we didn't get the 5-1 in heat 11, I then knew we could put Josh in heat 12, and I thought we had a chance. Jacob Hook's point in heat 14 was very good and Kye was outstanding in heat 15, very unlucky to lose second place. Josh Pickering apologised for asking Kye Thomson to take the graveyard gate 4 because he needed to be sure of the race win, but Kye made a start off it!

"Lasse Fredriksen had injured his finger again in Sweden last week which we hadn't known about, it looked bad but he rode through it, did well and got a vital race win. The whole team deserve great credit, and we had Sam Masters there as well telling them all what they should be doing!".

In the early heats it had been all Oxford, leading 20-10 after five heats and 26-16 after heat 7. At that stage Edinburgh had just one heat winner, Josh Pickering.

Things then started to change with a fine win for Lasse Fredriksen in heat 8 backed up by Hook's third, then three drawn heats which still left Oxford 37-29 ahead. Pickering the tac sub and Thomson took a 5-1 from heat 12 and that brought the gap down to four.

Pickering rode a brilliant heat 13 to come from last to first, and guest Kyle Howarth picked up the point after Nicholls fell. Two down.

As he often does, Paco Castagna won heat 14 with another great point for Hook. Then the heat 15, Josh ahead all the way and Kye defying predictions to get off gate 4, only losing second late in the race. 44-46.

This might not be the strongest team we have ever had but they certainly know how to fight, and once again they have pulled off a stunning win which takes them to the Playoffs.

Final Chance For Points

The What the Fork Monarchs finish their regular league fixtures as they make the trip to Oxford on Wednesday looking to put a stranglehold on a place in the end of season playoffs.

With that last gasp 5-1 over Plymouth at Armadale a couple of weeks ago the Monarchs have put themselves in a strong position to make the top 6 but with both Redcar and Scunthorpe still on their tail any points gained at Sandy Lane would certainly go a long way to allaying any fears.

The Monarchs will have to do the job still minus talisman and number 1 Sam Masters who continues to receive treatment on his broken shoulder and hopes to be back on Friday, standing in is Leicester man Kyle Howarth who recorded a couple of race wins in the Lions victory at the same venue earlier in the season.

Elsewhere it is as expected for the Monarchs with the hope that with Josh, Kye and Paco having all had at least one meeting and Jacob having witnessed the track from the pits at the Pairs last week that it is not as much of a trip into the unknown as would be expected for the first match between the pair at Sandy Lane since 1997.

The hosts also complete their league schedule in this one but for them there is no hopes of a playoff place, a disappointing outcome to a season that has been blighted by absences and inconsistency from what on paper looks a powerful outfit.

Scott Nicholls and Troy Batchelor lead the way and with experienced back up from Paul Starke and Aaron Summers not to mention the power at reserve of Cameron Heeps and Dillon Ruml it is hard to see why a 3rd bottom of the table position is the best they can gain from what has been a hugely promising debut season off track.

One man who misses out tonight is Jack Thomas who is suffering the effects of a wrist injury, rider replacement operates with Starke, Heeps and Ruml the ones who can step in.

So, a big match for the Monarchs as they know any points gained could help them stay at arm's reach from the chasing pack.

Tapes up are at 7.30pm with live updates available from the Monarchs official website from then.