Good match and we beat the rain

REPORT Saturday 25th July 2026, 0:00am

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

With rain forecast for later in the evening, and a full programme to get through, the teams got cracking early with this fixture, which proved to be an entertaining one with favourable signs for both sides. Monarchs took all three Championship points with a 52-38 win on the night but Plymouth provided two of the main stars of the meeting along with a never-say-die attitude from their team mates.

With Paco Castagna away, it was important that the home reserves scored well as they were due to take ten rides. Both Cluff and Loftus stepped right up to the mark with an excellent 15 plus 5 bonus between them.

Jordy Loftus scored paid 11 of these and was a happy young fellow. "Very happy with the team's performance, we all scored points and we got very few lasts. I'm quite happy with myself because I was paid for double figures and I've scored well in the last couple of home meetings. I had a tangle in my last ride but these things happen. We knew we had to cover for Paco and we all scored points in his rides. It will be a confidence boost for tomorrow at Workington."

Over the first half of the match, Danny King and Scott Nicholls were as good as expected, but Monarchs dominated the rest of the Gladiators septet. King won heat one but then came down on the outside of the first bend in heat 5. He was pushed into an awkward position and didn't seem happy to be ruled out of the rerun, in which Jonatan Grahn pulled off a fine last bend outside overtake on Joe Thompson.

Nicholls swept majestically to victory in heats 4 and 6, but in spite of the excellence of their two stars, Monarchs took five 5-1s in the first eight heats and held a 20-point lead at that point.

Nicholls took a tac sub ride in heat 9 and along with King recorded a comfortable 5-1, the only heat that Justin Sedgmen was beaten in. This proved to be one of four heat advantages to the visitors over the last seven heats. Ben Barker got himself going after two settling-in rides, winning heat 14, and both Daniel Klima and Joe Thompson rode better than their scores suggest.

Heats 13 and 15 were obviously eagerly anticipated and did not disappoint. King gated in heat 13 and Nicholls flew around the outside of the home men to slot in behind his partner. Kye Thomson however refused to give up and took advantage of a slight slip on the final turn by Nicholls to grab second by a hairsbreadth.

Two heats later it was obvious that Dan Thompson, who hadn't scored in heat 13, wanted to make amends and although Nicholls gave it his all, the home man took the flag. Garry May explained that Danny King was rested from this heat as he wasn't fully fit and has a hard weekend ahead.

Monarchs had no weak links with everyone scoring paid 9 at least, and certainly at Armadale they look a very formidable outfit at the moment.

The Blast From the Past enthusiasts closed the show just before the anticipated rain came, and former Bandit Jason Straughan rescued a 12-12 draw for Scotland when he passed Keith Cornell in the final race.

Full Result Details