Monarchs win a hard fought thriller

Monarchs got off to a winning start tonight in this year's Championship campaign with a 49-41 win over a tenacious Workington side in an enthralling match.

Both teams had a key man missing. Injured Monarchs' number one Dan Thompson was replaced by guest rider Nick Morris who gave an absolutely committed performance and produced some of the most exciting moments of the match.

Comets were without Craig Cook but his rider replacement rides scored 11 from 4 heats, with the trio of remaining Comets' big guns Jeppesen, Batchelor and Zischke being well juggled by manager James Denham – they just kept coming at the Monarchs.

Home team manager Alex Harkess said "It got a bit tight in the end for me after we had been fairly comfortable at the start. They had riders who gated very well and made life difficult for us. With rider replacement and tac sub they always seemed to have at least one strong rider in the heat.

"Heat 13 was crucial because they were on a 5-1 but Nick Morris and Kye Thomson fought very hard to turn it into a 3-3. I'd like to have had it sewn up before the last heat but we didn't; however Justin Sedgmen and Kye Thomson combined brilliantly in that. That made it look like an easy win but it wasn't."

Early highlights included another heat 1 win for Jonatan Grahn backed by Nick Morris passing Jonas Jeppesen for a 5-1. Mitch Cluff got his first race win for Monarchs in heat 2, also an advantage and even though Batchelor and Jeppesen won heats, Monarchs' lead was stretched to 10 with a win for Jordy Loftus in heat 8 backed by Grahn again.

However Comets top three were all riding well, confirmed by a 5-1 for Zischke and Batchelor over Morris in heat 10, and when Loftus fell trying a bold move on Ritchings in heat 12 Monarchs led 39-33 and we were in for a grandstand finish.

Hero of heat 13 was really Morris who turned back under Batchelor and passed him, making space at the last gasp for Thomson to also grab a point in a race won by Jeppesen. Loftus tried so hard to get the match winning point in heat 14 but he came off, and with Zischke comfortably beating Castagna in the rerun it was 44-40 going into the last heat.

Comets had three strong men to choose from and it seemed a little surprising that they didn't choose Jeppesen who had easily won heat 13. But in any case it was Sedgmen to the front from the tapes, with a superb sweep round everyone by Thomson taking him past everyone to set up a march to victory by the home pair. "I knew he'd be there!" said Monarch of the Match Sedgmen confirming that the pair had planned the heat exactly as it turned out.

Monarchs tackle incoming Comets this Friday

The Edinburgh Monarchs will start their league campaign with renewed optimism after a great showing last weekend which saw them clinch a semi-final spot in the BSN Series.

A solid home win over Berwick was followed by a disappointing return leg in the Borders but then, against all odds, they pulled off a beautiful Sunday win over Glasgow Tigers at Ashfield to progress as section winners.

That first Armadale win of the season came on the back of an impressive team performance in which every one of the top five won at least one race and none of them recorded a zero. Impressive maximums from Kye Thomson and Dan Thompson were a highlight, so it was a real blow when Dan sustained a broken collar-bone at Leicester this week. Berwick's Nick Morris will deputise on Friday.

In Dan's absence, Kye Thomson has shown every sign that he can step up and lead the team in scoring. He totalled 43 points over the three meetings last weekend and has continued his fine form for Northampton with a busy week in the Premiership.

Kye will be tested by the impressive Jonas Jeppesen. The Dane amassed 29 points from 2 meetings last weekend as the Comets won at Scunthorpe but lost at home to Redcar to finish their BSN Series campaign with 5 points, missing out on the best runners-up slot on points difference by just two points to Berwick. Jeppesen also romped to an 18-point maximum around Northside earlier in the season, so he is definitely one to watch.

Workington will have former Grand Prix star Troy Batchelor backing up their number one. The Aussie was a GP rider in 2014 and 2015 and twice finished on the podium, including a 2nd in Denmark. On his day, he is still highly capable.

Craig Cook was scoring well for the Comets at the start of this season before suffering a shoulder injury which has ruled him out of recent matches. Craig has failed a late fitness test before Friday's match with rider replacement covering his absence.

Riding at number two, Monarchs' Swedish star Jonatan Grahn contributed greatly to the team's victories at both Armadale and Glasgow by winning Heat 8 against his opposite number. He will face off against Niklas Holm Jakobsen, who has recovered from injury to take his place. The Comets also feature Aussie Tate Zischke, who has been scoring well for Workington and Belle Vue this year.

Monarchs' youngster Jordy Loftus was part of two vital 5-1s in Glasgow, which contributed to the 8-point overall winning margin. With Mitch Cluff also starting to settle in, maybe this will be the week that the reserve pair snatch a win in Heat 2? They will face two guests. Vinnie Foord is still recovering from a knee injury but hopes to be back in time for the Edinburgh Academy team's first fixture on 22nd May. He is replaced by Darryl Ritchings and Ryan Ingram will deputise for Max Perry, who is racing in the FIM U23 Long Track World Cup.

It is proving difficult to predict which teams will be favourites for this year's Cab Direct Championship. It looks like being an open and ultra-competitive competition and the Monarchs will be desperate to start with a convincing home win in the race for the play-offs.

Friday 8th May 2026: Edinburgh Monarchs v Workington Comets, Cab Direct Championship, Armadale Stadium, 7:30pm

EDINBURGH ROSS ECO TECHNOLOGIES MONARCHS: Nick Morris (guest), Jonatan Grahn, Justin Sedgmen, Paco Castagna (captain), Kye Thomson, Mitch Cluff, Jordy Loftus.

WORKINGTON GT TYRES COMETS: Jonas Jeppesen, Niklas Holm Jakobsen, Craig Cook R/R, Tate Zischke, Troy Batchelor (captain), Darryl Ritchings (guest), Ryan Ingram (guest).

Fixture Update

Monarchs away match at Oxford Cheetahs has been rescheduled from next Wednesday to the new date of Wednesday 27th May.

This is to allow for the timely completion of the Oxford vs Poole MAXiCab KO Cup quarter final.

Children's Evening this Friday

It's Children's Evening this Friday at Armadale Stadium with lots of fun for all the family including inflatable fun and free face painting for kids.

The Armadale Gala Day Queen of Hearts and Champion will also be there to give the occasion the royal seal of approval.