GREETINGS FROM UNCLE ‘B’ (LVIII)

NEWS Sunday 4th May 2014, 3:50pm

by Brian Gray

  Edinburgh Monarchs

I'm at my keyboard a little earlier than normal this week as we have a busy racing schedule at the start of this week. I need to get my bit done before being overwhelmed by match previews and reports.

Supporters, riders and management were at different stages of their journeys last Thursday when word came through at lunchtime that the Ipswich track was waterlogged and that the meeting had been called off!

I had covered 240 miles of the A1 when I heard the news and pulled the Edmobile in to Blyth Services in Nottinghamshire to consider what to do next. After all of 30 seconds deliberation I decided to partake of sandwiches and coffee whilst thinking. Always a good idea! Should I nip over to Sheffield and see if are any seats left for the afternoon session of the snooker? Probably not. Suitably refreshed, I about-turned and started to retrace my steps northward wondering if the west side of the Great North Road was as boring as the east! Passing through the north-east of England, I considered going to Redcar for the Bears Premier League match against Somerset as it looked an appealing fixture but as I travelled through the same rain as I had about three hours previously, I thought that it would be also be postponed. As it turned out, it was a good match going to a last heat decider! And so that was as exciting a Thursday as it comes but the thought of sunshine at Armadale the following day fairly perked me up.

Most folk predicted a comfortable win against the Scunthorpe Scorpions and it was, with their two guests Theo Pijper and Mason Campton scoring 19 of their 34 points! The crowd witnessed some good racing though with all the Monarchs playing their part and the season rolled on to 9 out of 9!

We're all looking forward now to our first mini-tour of the season. We roll in to Scunthorpe on Bank Holiday Monday afternoon where we are going to enjoy a 48-42 win. I remember two things about the corresponding fixture last year. One was the sunburn to the top of my head and the other was the stupendous ice-cream fron the track ice-cream van! I hope it's there on Monday! Then we move on to Peterborough on Tuesday where we'll scrape a two point victory against Ryan Fisher and his pals. That should take us to top of the league in five days!

So, I'd better get my overnight bag out again and get set for the trip. If you're travelling down have a safe journey and enjoy the action. I look forward to saying hello to you. Be sure to give me a toot when you overtake me! Take care.

Uncle ‘B’