INTO THE FINAL WITH YET ANOTHER AWAY WIN

NEWS Sunday 12th October 2014, 9:47pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

The Scotwaste Monarchs showed all their resilience and fighting spirit to come back from a six-point deficit after ten heats to win 46-44 at Newcastle tonight. This gave us an aggregate 108-71 win in the Knockout Cup semi-final and we will now meet Ipswich in the final this coming Thursday and Friday.

We would have won slightly more easily had the unlucky Craig Cook not packed up while leading heat 15, on his way to a deserved maximum. However Sam Masters, who dropped only one point in his fixe rides, won the race to ensure the victory, incredibly our 19th away win of the season (we’ve also had two away draws) and taking our current run to 18 matches unbeaten.

The records just keep on tumbling. The riders could perhaps have been excused had they eased off, holding a 35-point lead from the first leg, and facing a 27-33 scoreline after ten heats it did look as though that might be what was happening.

Not a bit of it. Cook and Sedgmen took a 4-2 from heat 11, then Max Fricke won heat 12 with Aaron Fox taking a point. 35-37.

Heat 13 and the big two were out, and even though Cook was pulled back for a flier the first time, he made no mistake with Masters joining him, bursting past Danny King. 40-38 ahead!

Stevie Worrall hadn’t had a great night, but he knew what was required and beat Diamonds’ guest Theo Pijper in heat 14. Derek Sneddon could have had a point as Nielsen suffered a puncture, but Derek had fallen earlier.

So to the finale, and in spite of Craig’s bad luck Sam Masters ensured yet another away win. What a team.