EDINBURGH Scotwaste Monarchs suffered their worst away defeat last season at Birmingham – but this year's new look squad erased those memories in fantastic style at Perry Barr Stadium last night, defeating the Brummies 51-40 in a Premier League clash which went ahead despite a heavy shower before the start.
And with Monarchs in pole position to face Birmingham in the Premier Trophy Final, what a boost this result is to the Capital side's chances of lifting their first silverware of the season.
The final scoreline probably flatters Birmingham. Monarch
s suffered three engine failures during the meeting and reserve Aaron Summers also fell off in one of his races, otherwise the margin of victory might have been even greater. But with three points in the bag for an away triumph, Monarchs have sent out a clear warning to leaders Somerset Rebels that their tenure at the top of the table may be a temporary one.
Although it was another seven-man show from Monarchs, skipper Derek Sneddon and Thomas Jonasson, who misses tomorrow's home fixture against Sheffield at Armadale, deserve special mention. Sneddon, still battling a confidence crisis, picked up eight points which included two wins, whilst Jonasson was great value for his seven points.
Monarchs director Mike Hunter said: "On a wet, small track Derek and Thomas might not have been expected to be at their best, but they both rode exceptionally well."
Jonasson and Sneddon in fact failed to finish in their first ride – but they dropped just one point each after that. Monarchs were six points down after six races but a 5-1 in the following race proved to be the springboard for their eventual triumph.
Sneddon and Matthew Wethers snatched maximum points in heat 10 and a further 5-1 advantage from William Lawson and Jonasson in heat 11 killed the Brummies off.
Just to rub it in Lawson and teammate Ryan Fisher, who both posted double figure returns, grabbed further 5-1s in heats 13 and 15 which was the icing on the cake really.
Wethers, who scored five, suffered engine failure in his last ride and Andrew Tully, who also picked up five, had an engine breakdown too in his fourth outing when he was leading. Monarchs might easily have scored sixty but for their collective gremlins.
Brummies top man was Jason Lyons with 12. The Aussie was given a tactical ride in heat 12 but only gained two points from it.
The biggest disappointment for the Midlanders was the performance of guest star Craig Watson who struggled in the heavy conditions and mustered a miserly four points. Only Jamie Birkinshaw with ten, and Krzysztof Stojanowski with nine gave Lyons any degree of support – but Birmingham simply didn't have enough firepower to stop Monarchs winning with ease.
Brummies:Lyons 12, Birkinshaw 10, Stojanowski 9, Mills 5, Watson 4, Smethills 0.
Monarchs: Fisher 12, Lawson 10, Sneddon 8, Jonasson 7, Wethers 5, Tully 5, Summers 4.
Meanwhile, Lawson today spoke for the first time about his delight at qualifying for the World Under-21 speedway final in Pardubice in the Czech Republic in October.
However, the Edinburgh Scotwaste Monarchs heat leader confessed he thought he had blown his big chance when an opponent inadvertently sent him crashing through the safety fence in the semi-final round at Rye House.
Lawson said: "I got knocked off in my first race when a Swedish rider in front of me lost control and went into Lewis Bridger, who then hit me.
"I ended up underneath the fence and struggled to get it off my bike. Thankfully my machine wasn't too badly damaged and, although I had been knocked about a bit, I just got on with it. I managed to win the rerun of the race but still felt under pressure for the rest of the meeting. I was just glad I hadn't broken anything."
Lawson was on eight points after four rides but didn't think that would be enough to clinch one of the eight qualifying places at stake.
"I really needed to score in my fifth ride in heat 19," he said. "I made a good gate but the referee put the red lights on and ordered a restart. I didn't make the gate in the rerun and finished last and I thought I hadn't made it through. I was then told I had qualified and was delighted. It didn't really sink in at that moment."
This is the Auchterarder rider's last chance at under-21 glory and, even if he doesn't lift the crown in October, he says: "My result at Rye House puts me in the top 16 for my age in the world, and that won't change no matter what I do in the final. Some of the riders in the final, guys like Chris Holder and Troy Bathchelor are on top of their game and will improve a wee bit more, but I've also got more scope for improvement."
The full article contains 838 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
