Derwent Bound

PREVIEW Saturday 1st September 2018, 2:05pm

by Graham Muncie

  Edinburgh Monarchs

Another night another huge meeting for the Staggs Bar Monarchs as we head southwest on Saturday to take on the Workington Comets at Derwent Park in SGB Championship action.

Of course this is the return fixture after the dismantling handed out to the Comets at Armadale on Friday night. A tough night was expected but in the end it was a non contest with the Monarchs romping to a 65-25 victory.

Any thoughts that this will make for an easy encounter in Cumbria will need to be forgotten quickly though as the Comets will be on the lookout for revenge and currently sport an unbeaten home record in the league and with time running out for them to get their meetings run before the playoff cut-off on the 14th of September it could be argues this match is even more important for the home men than it is for the Comets.

Adding to the Comets firepower this evening will be guest replacement Ben Barker who steps in for Dan Bewley and we all saw last Friday just how strong Ben can be as he almost single handedly put up some resistance for the visiting Glasgow team who were easily brushed aside on the night.

A further change to the make-up of the Comets sees Mason Campton and Rene Bach switch positions with Campton heading back to reserve although this is more down to the form shown by Bach rather than any under performance by the Aussie.

The rest of the line-up is as per normal with riders like Bach, Nikolai Klindt and Rasmus Jensen surely all determined to bounce back from their Armadale horror show.

For the Monarchs Derwent Park is a place that holds no real fears with Ricky Wells a former Workington number 1, Erik Riss having enjoyed many a good night with his spectacular style suited perfectly to the wide open spaces and a little bit of research shows that Richie has been paid for double figures in his last 3 visits there also. So while it looks like we should be well served in the heat leader positions the key battles could come in the lower reaches of the team. Victor and Joel will look to carry on their outstanding form with Joel admitting it is a track he liked after his last visit and Victor's sharp gating serves him well everywhere we go. AS always Josh will be an absolute joy to watch and he has admitted he feels he has a point to prove after he had a brutal meeting in the league cup although we all know these kind of things tend not to linger with Josh too much. Willie Lawson admits he hasn't ridden Derwent Park since 2010 but says it is a track he always enjoyed and with a bike and engine set up specifically for this meeting the hope will be that he can carry on his competitiveness from Friday night.

So all in all a cracking encounter is in store with both sides looking to secure the points that would go a long way towards a top 4 spot come seasons end. An away win for the Monarchs would really put the pressure on Glasgow, Ipswich and the Comets while a home win for the Comets will keep them on track for a playoff spot.

What more could you ask for for a nights entertainment? With a big Monarchs support expected in attendance to cheer on the boys and the weather playing ball it is sure to be a belter.

Full Result Details