Monarchs unbeaten at home

Monarchs duly won their crunch league match against Berwick at Armadale tonight, completing the home league season undefeated and taking a big step towards the Playoffs. They rode well enough on a night that was long and over-eventful in the wrong way, but the lasting impression of the match was of the extreme bad luck suffered by Berwick, not just tonight but over the whole week.

Jordan Jenkins was injured in the Premiership on Monday, then Peter Kildemand was ruled out later in the week. Tonight Jye Etheridge after making a great start to the match was injured in a first bend tangle in heat 8, then in heat 10 Victor Palovaara slid off and under the fence and also pulled out of the match.

So with four of their key riders injured, Bandits did extremely well to keep scores close and finish on 41 points. Had they had their full seven, it would have been a completely different match and borders fans will no doubt have their own thoughts on what the outcome might have been.

Monarchs' most consistent rider Kye Thomson top scored with 13 but admitted that it wasn't easy. He said "It was tougher than we thought it was going to be. They had a team full of guests and it's happened to us many times where you probably relax a bit more than you should and they give you a fair run. They pushed us for three-quarters of the meeting, they were great out of the gate and made it tough. It was a stop-start meeting tonight, dragged on, and I hope everyone's OK after their crashes.

"In next week's away matches we have to put our heads down and do the best we can to make the Playoffs. I was happy with my score tonight, I was feeling under the weather and still have a few issues from my crash at Poole a couple of weeks ago. My mum was over from Australia so I was happy to put a performance together for her."

Even though their guest number one Jason Edwards had a poor night and was pointless in his first two heats, Bandits really pushed the home side and stood level pegging after eight heats. Etheridge had been ruled out of heat 8 after Mitch Cluff and Reid Battye tangled and left the unfortunate Jye with nowhere to go as the bikes came towards him.

Paco Castagna beat Nick Morris in heat 9 to put his team ahead, then Palovaara suffered his misfortune in heat 10 as Monarchs went six up. Monarchs still were not closing the match out and shared the next two heats, but heat 13 clinched the home victory.

It was the race of the night with Kye Thomson ahead and a great battle between Dan Thompson and Morris behind him. Thompson had to twice pass Morris but he eventually did it and his team were home. Thompson and Morris had a further tussle in heat 15 but this time Thompson spun off attempting a similar pass on his Leicester team mate.

Monarchs were solid with three riders on 8 backing Thomson and Thompson. There should be a special mention for guest reserve Ben Whalley with paid 5, heading home Battye twice. Fellow reserve Mitch Cluff had a very poor night and hit the deck a few times.

Bandits were forced to rely on the flying Morris and the battling Battye but they both performed admirably. It now remains to be seen what sort of side the unlucky Bandits can put together for their own last two home matches, with Redcar still in the Playoff picture and visiting Shielfield tomorrow. Also important will be the bonus point when Monarchs head down next week.

Bandits out to steal Monarchs' Play off spot

The race for the four Championship play-off spots is going down to the wire, but things may be slightly clearer by the end of Friday.

3rd placed Edinburgh Monarchs host a Berwick team who realistically have to win to stay alive, while it is first v second in Glasgow where the Tigers host leaders Poole, and 4th placed Scunthorpe host Workington.

Last chance saloon for the Bandits

The Bandits might be drinking in the last chance saloon but they will be hoping to pull off a late points heist in West Lothian. They have been formidable at Shielfield this year but have yet to win away, although with several Armadale specialists in their team you cannot rule them out.

Defeat for the Monarchs would leave the Edinburgh side needing to take points from one of their final two away matches at Berwick and Scunthorpe, both of whom are unbeaten at home so far in the league. Of course, Edinburgh can also boast a proud unbeaten record at home this season and the Monarchs will hope to deliver another solid team performance and avoid any slip-ups. Victory would put Edinburgh on 22 points - a total that should be enough, but which could still be beaten by Redcar, although only if the Bears win all of their remaining fixtures, which is a tall order.

Berwick a threat

When Berwick last visited in May for a BSN Series fixture, the Monarchs won 54-36 with maximums from Kye Thomson and Dan Thompson, who were this week named as Edinburgh's representatives in the Championship Best Pairs event at Poole on 2nd September. The Bandits are always dangerous though, especially this year. They have a BSN Series semi-final to come and have already booked a KO Cup final appearance too.

Nick Morris is scheduled to make his fifth appearance at Armadale this season. So far, he has delivered 48 points and a super-heat win from one Berwick match, two guest appearances for Edinburgh and one for Glasgow – an unbeaten 15-pointer a fortnight ago. They also have last season's Monarch of the Year Victor Palovaara plus Redcar's Jason Edwards, replacing former GP star Peter Kildemand, who is out of action. First-year Aussie sensation Reid Battye might expect to be busy from the reserve berths, especially after getting a taste of Armadale in Glasgow's colours recently.

Whalley in for Loftus

For Edinburgh, a repeat of last week's thrilling win over champions Poole would do nicely. All six of the regular Monarchs performed strongly, with four of them scoring eight points. The main highlight was redemption for skipper Paco Castagna. All was forgiven for the popular Italian after he clinched the league points in heat 14 under huge pressure from Edward Kennett.

Jordy Loftus is still ruled out under concussion protocols, so the Monarchs have called up former New Zealand champion Ben Whalley from their Academy side. Ben has been a very strong performer for the Academy and, after gaining experience with Plymouth at Championship level, he will want to show home fans what he is capable of.

A bruising week for both teams

It has been a tough week for some of the programmed riders after two team-mate related crashes on Monday impacted four of them. In a Premiership clash between Sheffield and King's Lynn, Berwick skipper Jye Etheridge (Sheffield) brought down fellow-Bandit Jordan Jenkins (King's Lynn). Jenkins will miss Friday's match with a leg injury, so Berwick have again invited Edinburgh Academy captain Dayle Wood back as a guest after he scored 8+2 for them in the BSN Series match in May.

On the same night at Northampton, Nick Morris crashed into Leicester team-mate Dan Thompson, resulting in the Monarch's bike going over the fence and injuries to Nick's ankle and Dan's hip. Both injured stars were struggling to be fit for Friday, but in another demonstration of the resilience of speedway riders, they are both set to ride.

There has been some sensational speedway at Armadale in the last few weeks but this week's derby contest will be the most important yet. Those who have enjoyed watching the Monarchs battling it out with the league's big-hitters in August will be hoping that the home side can get over the line and earn the chance to do it again in the play-offs next month.

Friday 21st August: Edinburgh Monarchs v Berwick Bandits, Cab Direct Championship, Armadale Stadium, 7:30pm

ROSS ECO TECHNOLOGIES MONARCHS: Dan Thompson, Jonatan Grahn, Justin Sedgmen, Paco Castagna (captain), Kye Thomson, Mitch Cluff, Ben Whalley (guest).

BERWICK R.E.D. BANDITS: Jason Edwards (guest), Jye Etheridge (captain), Victor Palovaara, Dayle Wood (guest), Nick Morris, Jack Smith, Reid Battye.