THREE KEY MATCHES IN FOUR DAYS

NEWS Monday 9th April 2007, 6:00pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

This is a big week for the Scotwaste Monarchs with three matches in four days, and nine Premier Trophy points at stake.

The team travel to Redcar on Thursday and would need to win to take any points, as the Bears won at Armadale recently.

On Friday Berwick Bandits, starring Scottish Open Champion Stanislaw Burza, are the visitors to Armadale, Bandits holding a 14-point advantage for the bonus point after their recent win at Shielfield.

Then on Sunday Monarchs travel to Newcastle with a 5-point lead for the aggregate bonus.

TEAMS FOR THE PREMIER TROPHY MATCH AT ARMADALE ON FRIDAY 13th April (start time 7.30, doors open 6.30) are:

EDINBURGH SCOTWASTE MONARCHS: Ronnie Correy (capt.), Henrik Moller, William Lawson, Daniele Tessari, Matthew Wethers, Derek Sneddon, Andrew Tully.

BERWICK ARMSTRONG'S QUALITY BUTCHERS BANDITS: Michal Makovsky (capt.), Andreas Bergstrom, Jacek Rempala, Michael Coles, Stanislaw Burza, Benji Compton, John Branney.

TROPHY TABLE: The teams leading the way in the Premier Trophy are Redcar Bears (7 points) and Glasgow (5).

The Bears have won two away matches and Glasgow one, and both are unbeaten, so Edinburgh clearly need some away success quickly to keep in touch.

Sunday at Newcastle appears to be the best chance, and a target of six points from the Friday and Sunday matches will perhaps realistically be what the team are aiming for.

STAR STAN: East European riders have not always enjoyed the best of fortune at the tight Armadale track, but one big exception is Berwick's Stanislaw Burza.

The Polish rider was at Armadale three times last year and did well each time, culminating in a surprise but deserved win in the Keyline Scottish Open Championship last August.

Polish tracks (including Burza's home circuit at Tarnow) are almost invariably large but Burza is a specialist on the smaller circuits.

His team mate Jacek Rempala is making his Armadale debut, but he is an even more experienced rider ? if these two hit it off the Bandits might well be looking for one of their best Armadale scores.

UK UNDER-21: Andrew Tully embarks on his UK Under-21 Championship campaign riding at Scunthorpe on Sunday and looking for a top 3 slot to qualify. William Lawson is seeded to the final at Eastbourne on 28th April.

SPONSORS ON FRIDAY: Buildbase will be sponsoring Friday's match with the Bandits, and indeed they will make history as the first company to occupy both Hospitality Units. They have too many guests to fit in one!

INTERESTING BANDITS: One thing about the Bandits, they are never dull! East European riders are always noted for their full-throttle efforts, and that should be obvious on Friday.

There will also be a lot of interest in the performance of Michael Coles, a star with the Monarchs from 1989 to 1993 and top of the club averages in the final season. ?Colesy? is one of the all-time greats at this level of speedway, and although he is now in his forties and rather ineffective in the past couple of years, there are signs of the old quality reappearing for the Bandits this season.

Swede Andreas Bergstrom has shown quality at Armadale before, and Michal Makovsky wholehearted efforts can sometimes pay off though he hasn't looked comfortable many times at Armadale.

At reserve, John Branney is inexperienced, but Benji Compton could be a danger man if he can avoid his all-too-frequent falls.

LAST WEEK'S MEETING: The Scotwaste Monarchs gained their first Premier Trophy points when they beat Newcastle 47-42, in spite of having trailed by six points early in the meeting. Top scorer was Ronnie Correy on 14, just pipped for a maximum in the last race.

NEXT WEEK'S MEETING: On Friday 20th April the Scotwaste Monarchs have their second visit of the year from the high-flying Glasgow Tigers.