Victory grabbed at the last gasp

After a very hard-fought match in which all fourteen riders played their full part, Monarchs stormed to a heat 15 5-1 to grab a narrow 46-44 victory. That was the only time the home side had led, indeed they faced a six-point deficit in mid-match, but showing great resilience they clawed it back and forced a last heat decider.

Justin Sedgmen and Kye Thomson were the last heat heroes, with Sedgy just making the start and Kye sweeping around everyone after being at the back out of the second bend. There seemed precious little room with Sedgmen already on the wide line but Thomson managed to get round the Poole boys and squeeze inside his partner in a barnstorming ride.

Reserve Mitch Cluff was voted Monarch of the Match for the second match running after totalling 8 and winning the crucial heat 14. And yet he nearly didn't make the match!

Mitch said "I woke up yesterday with bad 'flu, I couldn't breathe, had a sore throat and I actually didn't want to be here earlier today. But I got on with the job and I knew if I put the kevlars on then I'd go for it.

"I had a good meeting, just one bad race, and I made a final change for 14 and it worked really well. Anything can happen in the second leg"

Scores were level after four heats with two race wins apiece, but Pirates then seemed to rake a grip on things with four of the next five race winners, holding a six-point lead after 9 heats.

Jonatan Grahn had already won two heats and got in front of unbeaten Lewis Kerr in heat 10. Guest Chris Harris and Kerr were battling for second when Kerr spun off, Harris doing well to swerve into the fence avoiding any serious damage to the fallen rider.

The rerun was the race of the night to that point, Harris having to pass the spirited Kyle Newman three times before clinching a paid win behind Grahn. That put a different complexion on things and a 4-2 from Thomson and Cluff over Lawson and Zischke levelled the scores!

Sedgmen got his first win in heat 12, but a 5-1 to the visitors' top two of Lawson and Cook in heat 13 put them in front again.

Cluff's win backed by Castagna in heat 14 cut the gap to two, setting the stage for the thrilling final heat by Sedgmen and Thomson.

Monarchs take their narrow advantage down to Poole on 10th June and while Poole will be favourites for the aggregate victory, Monarchs are a team of fighters and can't be counted out.

Final place on the line as BSN Series continues tonight

The hunt for the first trophy of the season intensifies tonight as the Monarchs face last year's double-winners Poole Pirates in the first leg of the BSN Series semi-final.

Both sides have been performing strongly so far this year and currently sit first and second in the Championship. The Monarchs picked up their first aggregate point of the year at Oxford this week and Poole beat Glasgow to remain top and unbeaten in the league.

With a place in the final at stake, this could already be a pivotal moment for the Monarchs' ambitions this season and they will be desperate to preserve their unbeaten home record and build an advantage to take to Dorset.

Monarchs' Aussie heat-leaders Justin Sedgmen and Kye Thomson have been in impressive form at home recently, with both reliably scoring in double-figure and continuing the club's dominance in Heat 15s at Armadale, despite the absence of Dan Thompson. After the opening match v Glasgow, the Monarchs have shown impressive top-end strength with four consecutive last race 5-1s.

This Friday, the popular Chris Harris has been drafted in to cover for Thompson. 'Bomber' can usually be relied upon to add points and excitement and will slot in at No.1.

Poole have retained last season's powerful heat-leader trio of captain Zach Cook, Lewis Kerr and Richard Lawson. Lawson actually turned 40-years-old on Valentine's Day this year, which is a scary thought for those who remember him as a youngster, and he remains one of the top stars in the league.

All three know what it takes to win trophies, but it is a pair of 16-year-old tyros at reserve who may play the most significant roles if the Pirates are to plunder the silver again this year. William Cairns and Cooper Rushen both represented Great Britain in last week's Speedway of Nations 2 event in Prague and have been tipped for stardom.

Cairns is the older of the two and will turn 17 next month. He made his Championship debut on the 2nd of July last year, just 3 days after his 16th birthday. That was too late for the Pirates' win at Armadale in May, but he did score an unbeaten 18 points here for Belle Vue Colts in an NDL match that same month. He now doubles-up with the Premiership Belle Vue Aces and is one of the most exciting prospects in the sport.

Cooper Rushen turned 16-years-old at the end of March this year. He has already made a big impression with his Doug Wyer-style sleeve tassels and swashbuckling style, although he has had a few bumps too. He was very fast at Armadale last year for Leicester Lion Cubs in the NDL and like Cairns, he is already significantly outperforming his Championship average.

On the other side of the pits, Mitch Cluff will still be on a high from his 9+2 performance in the last home match, and he has now signed for Krakow in Poland's KLZ league. Reserve partner Jordy Loftus had a big weekend last week, scoring 25 points over two Monarchs Academy matches and reaching the GB U21 final with a 2nd place in his semi-final at Leicester.

Pirates returnee Kyle Newman will be joined in the main team by Workington's Tate Zischke, guesting for the luckless Fraser Bowes, although some think that may strengthen the visitors, given Zischke's 8+1 score for Workington at Armadale recently.

How the Monarchs' second-string pairing score will again go a long way to deciding the outcome. Injury and bike problems have restricted charismatic captain Paco Castagna to only one race win so far this season at Armadale, whereas Jonatan Grahn has won a race in every home match to date. The Swede has been handy away from home too, adding two more race wins at Oxford. It may need both to click at the same time for the Monarchs to advance to the final.

The return fixture will take place in Poole on Wednesday 10th June. The other semi-final between Berwick and Redcar will take place in July.

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

POOLE WESSEX MARINE PIRATES: Richard Lawson, Tate Zischke (guest), Lewis Kerr, Kyle Newman, Zach Cook (captain), William Cairns, Cooper Rushen.