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Edinburgh Monarchs v Newcastle Diamonds
Premier Trophy (Group), 28 April 2006
Armadale Stadium, Edinburgh

Edinburgh 51
1Henrik Moller012*2. ..51
2Theo Pijper33333 ..150
3Matthew Wethers11*12. ..51
4William Lawson32321 ..110
5Rusty Harrison12F0. ..30
6Sean Stoddart31*1*.. ..52
7Derek Sneddon2*311Fx ..71
Newcastle 44
1George Stancl234^*32 ..141
2Christian Henry1*0233 ..91
4Josef Franc26^030 ..110
5James Grieves2221. ..70
6Adam McKinna10000 ..10
7Jamie Robertson00001 1.20

* = BP. ^ = TR . ! = TS (15m Handicap). # = TR (Points Not Doubled). & = TS (Points Not Doubled, 15m Handicap).

Edinburgh tracked the same team as usual following the on-off saga of the signing of John Oliver. Sean Stoddart continued at number 6. Newcastle were without Manuel Hauzinger who was riding on the continent so they used Rider Replacement at number 3..

This was an unexpectedly comfortable win for Edinburgh for whom Theo Pijper was head and shoulders above anyone else on track. All of the riders contributed to their win, especially Sean Stoddart who showed determination and style for his best points haul of the season. Only Rusty Harrison seemed to be off colour. Newcastle fought back well in the second half but left their recovery too late. However they played their part in a highly entertaining match but suffered badly at reserve where the only genuine point they took in 10 rides was from Derek Sneddon’s fall in heat 14.

George Stancl led from the tapes in the opening heat but Theo Pijper drove round the outside of him to win the race. At the back, Christian Henry held off the challenge of Henrik Moller, riding loaned equipment, to ensure a shared race. Heat 2 was something special. Sean Stoddart, the rider Monarchs were seeking to replace, produced a fast start to win the race with ease much to the joy of the Monarchs’ supporters while Derek Sneddon finished behind him for a 5-1 to Edinburgh. The third heat saw a typical jet-propelled start from Josef Franc but it wasn’t good enough to win the race. William Lawson reeled him in before passing him on the second lap for the race win recording a time just two fifths of a second outside the track record. Matthew Wethers finished third so the race produced another heat win for the Monarchs with the 4-2 putting them 6 ahead. Derek Sneddon and Rusty Harrison made the start in heat 4 but Grieves got past Harrison as Sneddon won with ease. Another 4-2 put the Monarchs eight points ahead with the heat 4 score standing at 16-8.

Heat 5 resulted in an excellent tussle at both ends. Up front George Stancl made a fast start and led from William Lawson. Several times Lawson looked as though he might catch the Newcastle number one but Stancl’s locker on the second bend of lap three caused Lawson to back off and he couldn’t make up the lost ground. Behind this pair Matthew Wethers took third place after a good race with Christian Henry so the race was shared. In heat 6 Edinburgh extended their lead to ten points with a 4-2. James Grieves was the early heat leader but Theo Pijper was not to be denied and drove under him on the second lap to pull away for the heat win. Grieves then had to turn his attention to fending off Henrik Moller who suddenly started to press him for second place. A ten point deficit usually means it’s TR time and so it turned out. Josef Franc took the TR in heat 7. Another lightening gate from Franc saw him hit the front from the tapes and, although Rusty Harrison challenged him, Franc never looked like surrendering his lead. At the back Sean Stoddart overcame a poor start by passing Adam McKinna to limit Newcastle’s heat advantage to 3-6. Edinburgh added another two points to their lead though with a 4-2 in heat 8. Christian Henry suddenly put on his gating boots to lead the race but again Theo Pijper was just too fast for the Diamonds’ man who rode a good race and he passed Henry at the end of the third lap. Derek Sneddon was third as Edinburgh moved nine points clear with the heat 8 score standing at 30-21.

In heat 9 James Grieves made a good start but, in a cracking race, William Lawson chased hard all race pulling up on Grieves to get the referee’s decision on the line. Although there were no protests at the decision from the Newcastle camp it looked from the terraces that Grieves should have got the verdict! Matthew Wethers third place meant that Edinburgh had taken another 4-2 and they now stood 11 points ahead. In heat 10 Josef Franc did not make a good start and finished a very poor last. Theo Pijper continued on his unbeaten way while Henrik Moller eventually got up to pass Jaimie Robertson for a home 5-1 and a 15 point lead to put the Monarchs in the comfort zone. Newcastle weren’t finished though and started a comeback in heat 11. George Stancl took a TR and Christian Henry and Stancl both made fast starts to leave Rusty Harrison chasing them. However Harrison fell on the second bend of the last lap and the race was stopped with the Diamonds heading for a maximum. The referee awarded the race but, unfortunately for the Diamonds, they hadn’t sorted themselves out for the 1-8 as Henry led Stancl when the race was stopped so the result was a 1-7 instead! Christian Henry took the Rider Replacement ride in heat 12 and another lightening gate took him clear of the field to head home Matthew Wethers and Sean Stoddart who passed Adam McKinna for third place and a shared heat which brought the score to 43-34 after 12 heats.

In heat 13, Rusty Harrison tried a practice start on the back straight before the race started and his bike packed up. Already on two minutes he walked slowly back to the pits as Theo Pijper produced his bike for him on track. Harrison seemed reluctant to accept the offer and when the race started was tailed off at the back. The race was another good one. It looked as though the experience of Stancl and Grieves would be too much for Henrik Moller but the young Dane was determined. He forced his way past Grieves and gave Stancl a hard time of it all the way to the line. This gave Newcastle a 2-4 and the gap was cut to 7 points with two to go. In heat 14 Derek Sneddon hit the fence on the fourth bend and fell causing the race to be rerun with three riders. Josef Franc made the gate then rode all over the track in an effort to keep the charging William Lawson at bay. He just managed it and with Jaimie Robertson picking up the gift third place it was another 2-4 to the Diamonds who were now only five down – too little, too late. Heat 15 was another excellent race. George Stancl led for two laps but he just couldn’t hold Theo Pijper whose inside drive off the second bend took him past the Newcastle man. Stancl spent the rest of the race fending off a strong challenge from William Lawson while at the back Josef Franc seemed strangely disinterested after making a poor gate. The final 4-2 gave Edinburgh a 7 point victory in an excellent match.

Match Report by Merlin