INSIDE TODAY
Monarchs still on top
Another away defeat and another home win for speedway stars
The Edinburgh Parsons Peebles Monarchs retained top spot in the SGB Championship table after a win and defeat in their two matches last week.
As has become common for the team, they suffered a loss away from home before sealing a comfortable victory at the Armadale Stadium.
On Thursday, the Monarchs were comprehensively beaten 52-40 at Redcar Bears only to reverse the score when they met Scunthorpe in West Lothian the following day.
That ensures their unbeaten home run extends to 11 matches and they boast a five-point lead atop the table.
The team travelled south in the hope of picking up some points but with only captain Sam Masters and Erik Riss providing any real resistance against a decent side, it wasn’t their night.
Masters opened the night with a win in heat one but that was the only time the visitors were in front as the Bears promptly scored a 5-1 in the next heat and took charge of the meeting.
The captain and his German team-mate combined for 26 points and six heat wins with the other five riders totalling 14 points and a solitary win in 20 rides.
But, they quickly turned that around 24 hours later with a 52-40 home win against the struggling Scunthorpe Scorpions.
The final margin could, and perhaps should, have been greater as the Scorpions won four of the final nine heats.
The Monarchs, though, had opened such a substantial gap that the visitors were unable to mount a serious challenge.
Sealing a pair of 5-1 victories in the opening two heats put Edinburgh in firm control, backed once again by the impressive Riss, and they held a 26-10 lead after six heats.
With the outcome already looking decided, the Scorpions refused to give up with Lewis Kerr and Carl Wilkinson taking the checkered flag in the next two heats.
In all, Scunthorpe would record four 4-2s and a 5-3 win from heat seven onwards but an Edinburgh 5-1, when Riss and Max Clegg combined for maximum points in heat nine, kept the hosts firmly in charge.
Riss and Masters again shared top spot with 12 points apiece, with the key difference from the night before being that they got plenty of assistance from their team-mates.
Ricky Wells impressed with 10 points from his four rides while Theo Pijper, on his return to the Armadale Stadium, showed no sign of rust with a couple of two-point rides.
With the race done and dusted heading into the final heat, there was still some drama and intrigue for the fans as Riss was looking for a 15-point maximum.
However, after making a good start from the inside, he swung wide and allowed visiting rider Michael Palm Toft to race up inside. Trying to get back in the race and chase his maximum, Riss became entangled in the air fence for a disappointing end to what had been a terrific night.
Co- promoter Alex Harkess commented: “We won comfortably enough after making a strong start but we still have some riders who are short of their best.
“Whatever the conditions it doesn’t seem to matter to Erik Riss who is getting better every week.”