Derby Day At Ashfield

PREVIEW Friday 10th May 2024, 10:00am

by Jim Milton

  Edinburgh Monarchs

Deeper into the season than is normally the case, the first all-tartan clash between Edinburgh and Glasgow - if you discount April 12th's abandoned fixture at Ashfield - finally gets underway this weekend. And there's a great deal at stake…

With aggregate bonus point wins for both against Berwick nudging the Borderers out of the BSN Series picture, qualification through to the next stage is now a straight fight between the Scot's' pair.

And I think we are in for an exhilarating shoot-out over two legs (firstly at Ashfield this Friday, followed by the Armadale return in three week's time)

Apart from the similar paths the two teams have trodden to attain such a winner-takes-all situation in this competition, their respective fates in the Knockout Cup also resemble one another to a degree. Neither the Allied Vehicles Tigers nor Stellar Monarchs managed to overcome Oxford or Poole in their quarter-final ties which, with a trophy treble now out of the question for both sides, lends even more importance to further advancement in the BSN Series.

Their own KO Cup set-back aside, Glasgow have made a reasonably bright start to the 2024 campaign with an important, if narrow, Championship victory (47-43) over Workington at Ashfield last Friday adding to their aforementioned success against the Bandits.

Needless to say, the Tiger gathering most of the early season headlines has been the incomparable Chris Harris. 'Out of this world' was how team boss Cami Brown described Bomber's 15-point maximum against the Cumbrians and the former Grand Prix rider is sure to be front and centre of the Tigers' offensive strategy against their bitter rivals.

Another Glasgow rider in superlative form has been stand-in reserve (for the suspended Lee Complin) Jack Smith while, elsewhere, in Stevie Worrall, Leon Flint, Paul Starke, James Pearson and Ace Pijper, all capable of strong displays around their home track, Edinburgh can expect strong opposition on many fronts come Friday.

The Monarchs, for their part, are still smarting from a KO Cup exit that disappointed greatly after starting out so promisingly. Clawing back a nine-point first leg deficit to Poole was always going to be a tough ask, yet that gap had already been reduced to just a single point after the opening four heats, Joshie and Lasse's first heat 5-1 setting the tone for what was looking like a heroic comeback.

From that point on, however, it was all about the Pirates and the fact that Edinburgh had to wait until the final race to again taste a heat advantage, perhaps says it all.

As the dust settled, it's possible to reflect on the slender nature (five points) of our defeat in a positive light I suppose. Indeed, the fact that over half of the heats run ended all-square at 3-3 serves further to demonstrate how evenly matched the teams were over both legs.

For Friday's trip down the M8, the Stellar Monarchs will be at full strength and once again fully focussed in bringing back a favourable result ahead of the return leg later in the month.

Full Result Details