BANDIT TIME

NEWS Saturday 3rd August 2013, 5:00pm

by Toby Lerone

  Edinburgh Monarchs

The Scotwaste Monarchs will travel to Berwick on Saturday night with great sadness as we await further news of Berwick's injured number one Ricky Ashworth. We wish him well for a speedy recovery.

The Scotwaste Monarchs could lift themselves to the top of the league with a victory by more than seven points although that would appear to be a massive ask with some of the team not on top form at the moment. The Bandits intend to use rider replacement for Ashworth and that will give an extra ride to any member of their team.

Craig Cook came storming back to form on Friday night with his win in the Scottish Open and was much more like himself after the event. The Scotwaste Monarchs will need a big score from him to have any chance of victory. Another Scotwaste Monarch in good form was Theo Pijper and it is incredible that he should do so well as he believed earlier in the week that the pneumonia that he had suffered previously had returned. The antibiotics appear to have worked.

A new month brings new averages for the Scotwaste Monarchs and it is Derek Sneddon's turn to fall to reserve. If he can offer support to Craig, Claus and Theo from that position then a positive result could be forthcoming. Max Fricke has ridden the track on a couple of occasions this season and should manage a few points.

However, the two riders likely to have the biggest influence on the outcome are Mtichell Davey and Jozsef Tabaka. Mitchell has really been struggling since returning from injury but had a couple of promising rides during the Scottish Open. For Jozsef Tabaka it seems that his form has completely deserted him. An awkward looking fall in his fourth race at the Scottish Open ended his night and he seems a completely different rider from the one who scored a fifteen point maximum at Armadale just three weeks ago.

Berwick intend to uplift their annual Speedway Riders Benevolent Fund collection tonight.

Full Result Details