Premier League Cup: First Round First Leg
Lothian Arena, Armadale
Friday 21st May 1999
By the time that a deluge of rain and hail brought this match to a premature halt after 14 heats, the Diamonds were deluged by the in-form Monarchs team. This match was unusual that the, normally dominant, home heat leader trio only won four heats between them. It was down to the Monarchs’ bottom end, led by Stewart McDonald and Ross Brady, to deliver the win.
Newcastle suffered the loss of Jesper Olsen, arguably the best and most entertaining visitor to Armadale over the years. He was obviously going to be hard to replace. Fortunately, for the Diamonds and the paying public, Olsen’s 10 point plus average enabled them to draft in Carl Stonehewer. With Anthony Barlow suffering from shingles, Jitendra Duffill came in to join his former ‘Dale Devils teammate Steven Jones at reserve.
Gate position B was in used with Newcastle off 1 and 3 for the first heat. The match started on the dot at 7.30 without a parade because of the threatening weather.
Heat 1: James Grieves, Robert Eriksson, Blair Scott, Derrol Keats [56.9]
James Grieves gated and beat Eriksson in the fastest time of the season. Blair Scott was last away from gate 4 but passed Derrol Keats to give Monarchs a heat advantage.
(4-2) (4-2)
Heat 2: Stewart McDonald, David McAllan, Steven Jones, Jitendra Duffill [58.8]
Stewart McDonald and David McAllan blasted ahead from the gate to win by a huge margin from Jones after Duffill fell and restarted.
(5-1) (9-3)
Heat 3: Ross Brady, Kevin Little, David Walsh, Paul Gould [59.1]
Ross Brady gated from David Walsh. Kevin Little held off Paul Gould and passed Walsh to secure another maximum.
(5-1) (14-4)
Heat 4: Peter Carr, Carl Stonehewer, Stewart McDonald, Steven Jones [59.1]
Stonehewer made a slow start and had to pass Stewart McDonald before he could chase after Carr. Steven Jones fell at the back but finished.
(4-2) (18-6)
Heat 5: Robert Eriksson, Kevin Little, Ross Brady [58.3]
Robert Eriksson was first away from Little with Brady stuck at the back. Derrol Keats stopped when third allowing Brady into the points. Kevin Little did manage to pass Eriksson but the Swede repassed to win.
(3-3) (21-9)
Heat 6: Carl Stonehewer, James Grieves, Blair Scott [57.7]
Grieves had problems before the start but Stewart McDonald’s bike was brought out in the nick of time. Stonehewer gated and Grieves could not get back. Duffill retired at the back.
(3-3) (24-12)
Heat 7: Peter Carr, Stewart McDonald, David Walsh, Paul Gould [60.1]
McAllan was attempting to round Walsh, when they both hit the first bend fence. The referee invited all four in but McAllan suffered a back injury and retired from the meeting. Stewart McDonald came in for McAllan and promptly missed the start as Carr swept ahead. McDonald passed first Gould and then Walsh on the, recently discovered, outside line.
(5-1) (29-13)
Heat 8: Stewart McDonald, Robert Eriksson, Blair Scott [58.9]
Newcastle put in Robert Eriksson as a tactical substitute for Steven Jones. In the first run of the heat Eriksson and Keats were first away but Keats spun on the second bend bringing down Blair Scott. The race was stopped and Derrol excluded. There was a delay at this point as driving rain hit the Arena. Eventually the wind brought some brighter weather and the meeting restarted with a wet track. Eriksson made the gate in the rerun but drifted a bit wide on the back straight of lap 1 leaving a gap which Stewart McDonald exploited.
(4-2) (33-15)
Heat 9: Carl Stonehewer, Ross Brady, Kevin Little [60.2]
Ross Brady was first out of the gate but Stonehewer had little problems in passing him to win.
Meanwhile Jitendra Duffill fell at the back and retired.(3-3) (36-18)
Heat 10: James Grieves, Blair Scott, David Walsh, Paul Gould [60.1]
David Walsh made a characteristic fast start but was picked off by first Grieves and then Scott for another home maximum.
(5-1) (41-19)
Heat 11: Carl Stonehewer, Peter Carr, Robert Eriksson [58.2]
Newcastle went for broke by putting Carl Stonehewer in for Derrol Keats to join Eriksson. Peter Carr made a poor start as Stonehewer and Eriksson sped away. Carr then tried an extravagant cut-in at the second bend and blasted inside Eriksson and very nearly beat Stonehewer to the third bend. Stonehewer hit the bend just ahead and controlled the race thereafter. He even had time to go wide on the back straight and beckoned Carr to have a go. Carr, possible mindful of Monarchs’ 20 point plus lead was in no mood for heroics on a wet track. Stewart McDonald in for the injured McAllan retired on the first lap.
(2-4) (43-23)
Heat 12: David Walsh, Stewart McDonald, Kevin Little, Paul Gould [60.4]
Diamonds played their last card bringing in David Walsh for Jitendra Duffill. The Newcastle tactical substitute made another start ahead of Little and McDonald with Gould trailing. McDonald took up the chase and pushed his former Glasgow teammate all the way in an enthralling battle. McDonald appeared to have got past on one occasion but Walsh held his line to win.
(3-3) (46-26)
Heat 13: Carl Stonehewer, James Grieves, Peter Carr, Robert Eriksson, [58.1]
Stonehewer blasted around the outside from gate four to record another win over Carr and Grieves with Eriksson trailing.
(3-3) (49-29)
Heat 14: Ross Brady, David Walsh, Stewart McDonald, Steven Jones, [60.6]
McDonald again replaced McAllan. Ross Brady edged ahead of Walsh from the start. Walsh tried to cut inside and nearly lost it causing McDonald to check and fall off. Walsh recovered and set off after Brady while McDonald restarted. Brady resisted severe pressure from Walsh to win. However most attention was being paid to McDonald who was reeling in Jones at a tremendous rate. McDonald caught Jones by the third bend of the penultimate lap and passed him entering the last lap.
(4-2) (53-31)
At this point the rain returned accompanied by a heavy hailstorm. After a delay the referee consulted the teams and abandoned the match with the scores to stand.
|
Edinburgh Monarchs |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
James Grieves |
3 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
|
|
10 |
|
|
Blair Scott |
1 |
1* |
1 |
2* |
|
|
|
5+2 |
|
Kevin Little |
2* |
2 |
1* |
1* |
|
|
6+3 |
|
|
Ross Brady |
3 |
1* |
2 |
3 |
|
|
|
9+1 |
|
Peter Carr |
3 |
3 |
2 |
1* |
|
|
|
9+1 |
|
David McAllan |
2* |
N |
N |
|
|
|
|
2+1 |
|
Stewart McDonald |
3 |
1 |
2* |
3 |
R |
2 |
1 |
12+1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Newcastle Diamonds |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Robert Eriksson |
2 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
|
8 |
|
Derrol Keats |
0 |
X |
R |
|
0 |
|||
|
Paul Gould |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
David Walsh |
1 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
|
|
8 |
|
Carl Stonehewer |
2 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
|
|
14 |
|
Jitendra Duffill |
0 |
R |
R |
|
|
|
|
0 |
|
Steven Jones |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
1 |
|||
The Monarchs’ heat leaders all started well but found Stonehewer too much of a handful after the rain fell during heat 8 Grieves and Carr were each beaten twice by Stonehewer and were denied a last crack at him by the hail that prevented heat 15 being run. Little did well team riding with Brady and McDonald but failed to win a race outright.
Stewart McDonald was against the star of the show. He had to take three of McAllan’s rides as well as his own. He only made a start in heat 2 but battled from behind passing Gould and Walsh on the outside in heat 7 and Eriksson on the inside in heat 8. His chase and pass of Steven Jones after falling in heat 14 was great to watch. If Stewart can maintain this form when he moves back up to second string, he may soon be challenging for a heat leader place.
Ross Brady looked more comfortable than of late and secured another paid ten points from four rides. Blair Scott was also good value for his paid seven score. Expect Blair to really fly when he drops to reserve next month. David McAllan after finishing second to McDonald in his first ride was injured in his second and could not take a place in the rerun. Does this count as a (one ride) paid maximum?
Robert Eriksson could not repeat his form of earlier in the season and won only one race. Walsh gated very well but was vulnerable from the back at times. It was guest Carl Stonehewer who saved Newcastle from total disaster with a superb demonstration of fast starting and control.
Derrol Keats was rather unlucky having made three good starts. He was passed by Scott in his first ride, suffered an engine failure when leading Brady in his second and excluded after falling then on a 5-1 in his third ride. Paul Gould was unable to repeat his previous exploits and scored a zero. Jones was a major disappointment taking only one point heat 2. Jones was always noted as a good rider in wet conditions but the rain did him no good. Duffill seemed overawed by the situation and fell in his first ride and retired in his others.
The dominance of the Monarchs bottom end was illustrated by the fact that the only time an Edinburgh rider failed to score was when Stewart McDonald lost a footrest at the start of heat 11 when facing Stonehewer and Eriksson.
Edinburgh will be full of confidence for the return leg on Sunday, especially after Grieves and Little beat all the home riders in the individual event last week at Brough Park. The lead of 22 points should be enough.
Man of the match: Stewart McDonald (I am not giving it to Stonehewer two weeks running!)
Most exciting rider: Stewart McDonald for passing on the inside and the outside throughout.
Next meeting: v Newcastle, Premier League Cup, Brough Park on Sunday 23rd May 1999
John Lowe