Sedgmen Back For Scunthorpe Clash

PREVIEW Friday 23rd August 2024, 12:21pm

by Jim Milton

  Edinburgh Monarchs

It seems like an eternity since bikes last thundered round our Armadale circuit - well for an entire 15 laps anyway.

Indeed, since the Stellar Monarchs defeated Berwick Bandits on July 26, they've lost narrowly in the corresponding clash at Shielfield; seen a trip to Ashfield postponed; another Scottish derby abandoned, this time at Armadale; and last Wednesday week, departed Glasgow's Peugeot Stadium on the wrong end of a 50-40 reversal.

That night saw a miraculous 20-point total from our no1 Josh Pickering in his seven rides. Only Chis Harris, in Heat 15, denied the Aussie what would have been the classic maximum of perfection.

Less than a fortnight after Joshie's Ashfield masterclass, he was at it again. Even though he and Paco could only manage fifth in the Championship Pairs at Oxford, the impervious Picko finished the competition's top individual top scorer with 15 points, outscoring named like Masters, Lawson, Palm Toft, Kerr and winners Redcar's Charles Wright in the process.

Now the main late-season focus turns to be the BSN Series and their semi-final with Scunthorpe, the opening leg of which takes place this Friday at Armadale (the return at the Eddie Wright Arena is scheduled for Friday September 6th)

An intriguing pair of tussles looks likely, earlier in the season the Monarchs took the aggregate bonus point against this week's visitors but that all goes for nought when the tapes go up on heat one tonight and the Scorpions will be buoyed by having a full 1-7 after Michael Palm Toft and Luke Harrison missed the league encounter.

If David Howe's men are happy to head north with a full 1-7 in place then the Monarchs are even more so given the news that Justin Sedgmen is fit to return, a month or so out the saddle for Sedgy has been hard to cover for the Blue and Gold and it is great to see him back in the line-up as the Aussie pair of Sedgmen and Pickering will look to lead the way once again.

As big a lead as possible is the aim for the Monarchs prior to the second leg in a couple of weeks as the Armadale men look to take the next step to end a trophyless draught that has gone on to long for anyone of a Blue and Gold persuasion's liking.

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