TEAMWORK has underpinned Edinburgh Scotwaste Monarchs' Premier League title charge so far this season, but it was an outstanding individual display by Matthew Wethers at Newcastle Diamonds last night which has brought Monarchs to within touching distance of the championship crown.
Wethers scored a fantastic 21-point maximum from seven rides to lead Monarchs to a 49-40 victory over the Diamonds on a Brough Park circuit which caused untold problems for both sets of riders.
Monarchs are now five points clear of Somerset Rebel
s, who were crushed 65-25 at Rye House on Saturday. The Rebels must win both their remaining away fixtures at the Isle of Wight and Birmingham to have any chance of stopping Monarchs. This seems highly unlikely given that the Isle of Wight are unbeaten at home.
Yet Monarchs had to work like Trojans before overcoming a Newcastle team, who at one point looked certain to spring the biggest upset of the campaign this year. The third and fourth bends, which had reportedly been under water in the morning, caught almost everybody out. And points were squandered as a consequence But Wethers proved the exception. While he made it look easy, the Aussie revealed afterwards, it was anything but. He said: "I blew my engine up before the parade and had to switch to my spare bike which I didn't think was set up for the track. It proved me wrong.
"But it took the shine off my maximum a little. I found the third and fourth bends just as difficult as everyone else. You had to ride using your head. And, although I stuck mostly to the inside line, I wouldn't say it was entirely sensible. It was scary and I was all over the place on occasions."
With the score tied 33-33 after 11 races it was hard to see how Monarchs would pull this match out of the fire.
They needed a breakthrough and it came in heat 13.
Ryan Fisher, whose throttle excess caused him plenty of grief to begin with, steadied himself and took the chequered flag. But the huge bonus was William Lawson's last-bend spurt to beat Christian Henry for second place on the line. This priceless 5-1 advantage put Monarchs 42-36 in front with two races left.
Sensibly, Monarchs put Wethers out in heat 14 instead of keeping him for the top scorers' finale, and the gamble paid off as he clinched his maximum and the match for Monarchs by defeating Henry and Richard Juul.
Lawson's performance was also pivotal. After winning his first ride, he suffered engine failure in his next outing which handed the Diamonds a second successive 5-1 score in heat five. And at this point with the home team leading 17-13, Monarchs were on the ropes.
Skipper Derek Sneddon looked as though he was on rollerskates as he toiled to retain control round the troublesome corners. He scored just two points and blasted the state of the circuit. He said: "The track was atrocious. You had to dig deep to commit yourself to riding on it. I struggled badly, but the rest of the boys eventually got the job done.
"It was really a case of trying to get out of the start and stay on for four laps. The only person who was able to pass anybody safely was Matthew. He rode the line which caught the rest of us out. How he managed it I don't know. The bends were so deep on the inside, if you ran into it you were launched past the corner. In contrast, the outside was like ice. It was all or nothing. As a rider it was your worst nightmare.
"But we showed our determination to do just that. We all knew we needed a result and we simply were not prepared to lie down and accept defeat.
"This is a big win for us. The title isn't done and dusted, but it has made life a bit easier at the top."
This match looked the easiest on paper but turned out to be possibly Monarchs' toughest test of the campaign. If they do go on and claim the championship, they should strike an extra large winner's medal for Wethers. He saved the team and has piled all the pressure on Somerset.
Newcastle Diamonds: Henry 11, Franc 9, King 9, Juul 8, Stoddart 2, Hart 1.
Monarchs: Wethers 21, Lawson 12, Fisher 8, Tully 4, Summers 2, Sneddon 2.
The full article contains 759 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
