Edinburgh Monarchs 50: Berwick Bandits 40
Premier National Trophy
Lothian Arena, Armadale
Friday 28th April 2000
Edinburgh were made to work hard by Berwick to secure their first competitive win of the season. While Monarchs finally got a grip on the match in after heat eight they were taken to a last heat decider for the bonus point. Indeed Monarchs needed a 5-1 in that heat to take the bonus by a single point. This was secured after a controversial decision to exclude Alan Mogridge for putting Eriksson into the fence.
Monarchs toiled in the first half of the meeting despite winning virtually every heat with a succession of problems including an engine failure, a tape touching, and a two minute exclusion that kept the Bandits in touch.
Kevin Little made a dramatic return to form and like his fellow heat leaders was only troubled by Alan Mogridge. Christian Henry also had a great match winning his first two heats.
The weather was fine and the track appeared to have survived the torrential downpours of the previous week. The crowd was large with a sizeable representation of Berwick supporters.
Monarch's Captain Peter Carr won the toss and chose Gate position A with Monarchs on 1 and 3 for the first heat.
Heat 1: Alan Mogridge, Robert Eriksson, Scott Lamb, Blair Scott [58.1]
There was a false start after Scott Lamb broke the tapes. The referee judges Blair Scott to be the first on to move and excluded him. Monarchs decided to keep Blair in by putting him of the 15-metre line. This also meant the loss of gate position with Eriksson moving to gate 2 and Scott to gate 4. Eriksson missed the start and was squeezed between Lamb and Mogridge. Eriksson cut inside on Peter Carr's favourite line and edged past Lamb but could do little about the flying Mogridge.
(2-4) (2-4)
Heat 2: Christian Henry, Steven McAllister, Freddie Stephenson [61.3]
As the riders were being lined up, Brian Turner was surprisingly excluded, probably being adjudged guilty of time wasting. Christian Henry made a good start from gate 4 to lead. He gradually increased his lead lap by lap. However no-one was filling in their programme until he reached the finish line given the events of last week.
(3-3) (5-7)
Heat 3: Kevin Little, David Meldrum, Paul Bentley [59.8]
Meldrum and Bentley made the start with Brady dropping out on the first lap after snapping a throttle cable. Kevin Little commenced a charge from the back. He passed Bentley without trouble but took a couple of laps to subdue the fast gating Meldrum. It will go down as one of Kevin's best rides for Monarchs.
(3-3) (8-10)
Heat 4: Christian Henry, Scott Smith, Freddie Stephenson, Peter Carr [61.6]
Carr and Henry gated to lead into the back straight. Scott Smith had a couple of charges at Henry but the Australian held firm and gradually built up a big lead. Just when it seemed that a Monarchs' 5-1 was certain, Peter Carr slowed down going into the third bend of the last lap. He did his best to coast home but was passed by Smith and Stephenson just before crossing the line. Christian Henry was on hand to pick up his second heat win for Monarchs.
(3-3) (11-13)
Heat 5: Kevin Little, Scott Lamb, Alan Mogridge, Ross Brady [58.9]
Kevin Little won his second heat, this time from the gate, ahead of Lamb and Mogridge. Ross Brady missed the start once more but could make no impression on Mogridge.
(3-3) (14-16)
Heat 6: Robert Eriksson, Blair Scott, Scott Smith, Steven McAllister [58.2]
Robert Eriksson and Blair Scott gated to secure an easy 5-1 over the woeful Bandits pairing to give Monarchs the lead for the first time.
(5-1) (19-17)
Heat 7: Peter Carr, David Meldrum, Paul Bentley, Brian Turner [59.3]
Peter Carr missed the start but pulled off an outrageous second bend turn to skin both Meldrum and Bentley on the back straight.
(3-3) (22-20)
Heat 8: Alan Mogridge, Blair Scott, Christian Henry, Freddie Stephenson [58.5]
Alan Mogridge produced his (and Berwick's) second heat win from Blair Scott. Christian Henry seemed assured of third place until Stephenson started closing in. Freddie tried a big one on the outside of the third bend after drawing level on the back straight but fell and restarted.
(3-3) (25-23)
Heat 9: Ross Brady, Kevin Little, Scott Smith, Steven McAllister [60.1]
Scott Smith made a great start but produced a truly abysmal second bend as Brady and Little swept past. Smith tried to regain his lead but his third bend was even worse than his second bend as he slid all over the track.
(5-1) (30-24)
Heat 10: Robert Eriksson, David Meldrum, Blair Scott, Paul Bentley [59.2]
Eriksson had his work cut out to edge out the fast gating Meldrum. Blair Scott held off Bentley without difficulty but couldn't find a way past Meldrum.
(4-2) (34-26)
Heat 11: Peter Carr, Alan Mogridge, Scott Lamb, Brian Turner [58.2]
This was the best heat so far. Mogridge edged ahead of Carr on the back straight. Carr managed to come back after a hard fight to win.
(3-3) (37-29)
Heat 12: Alan Mogridge, Kevin Little, Paul Bentley, Christian Henry [59.4]
Alan Mogridge was brought in as a tactical substitute to replace McAllister. The heat proved to be even better than the previous one as Little made the start but chased all the way by Mogridge. Little withstood a number of surges by Mogridge. They went around side by side for the best part of a lap before Mogridge produced more speed on the back straight to pass.
(2-4) (39-33)
Heat 13: Robert Eriksson, Peter Carr, David Meldrum, Scott Lamb [58.6]
Berwick put Scott Smith out of his misery replacing him with tactical substitute David Meldrum. Neither Carr nor Eriksson made a particularly good start but gobbled up the opposition on the back straight to secure an easy maximum.
(5-1) (44-34)
Heat 14: Scott Lamb, David Meldrum, Ross Brady [60.4]
With the win now secure and Monarchs ahead by the required 10-point margin to secure the bonus point, changes were made. Edinburgh replaced Brian Turner with Christian Henry while Scott Lamb was brought in as a tactical substitute for Stephenson. Meldrum made the start but Scott Lamb fell on the first bend without anyone near him. The referee didn't endear himself to the crowd after declaring an unsatisfactory start and call all four back. In the re-run, Henry stopped on start line while Brady missed the start, gifting a maximum to Berwick.
(1-5) (45-99)
Heat 15: Robert Eriksson, Peter Carr, David Meldrum [58.6]
Carr was leading after an inside line surge and Eriksson seemed set to take Mogridge on the outside but was taken wide. Eriksson had another go on the third bend but hit the fence. The decision went to Monarchs as Mogridge was the rider excluded. Meldrum made the start in the re-run but Carr passed on the inside as Eriksson went by on the outside.
(5-1) (50-40)
|
Edinburgh Monarchs |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Robert Eriksson |
2 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
|
14 |
|
|
Blair Scott |
0 |
2* |
2 |
1 |
|
|
|
5+1 |
|
Kevin Little |
3 |
3 |
2* |
2 |
|
10+1 |
||
|
Ross Brady |
R |
0 |
3 |
1 |
|
|
|
4 |
|
Peter Carr |
0 |
3 |
3 |
2* |
2* |
|
|
10+2 |
|
Brian Turner |
M |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
0 |
|
Christian Henry |
3 |
3 |
1* |
0 |
R |
|
7+1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Berwick Bandits |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Scott Lamb |
1 |
2 |
1* |
0 |
3 |
|
|
7+1 |
|
Alan Mogridge |
3 |
1* |
3 |
2 |
3 |
X |
|
12+2 |
|
Paul Bentley |
1* |
1* |
0 |
1 |
|
|
3+2 |
|
|
David Meldrum |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
2* |
1 |
|
10+1 |
|
Scott Smith |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
|
4 |
|
|
Steven McAllister |
2 |
0 |
0 |
|
2 |
|||
|
Freddie Stephenson |
1* |
1* |
0 |
|
|
|
2+2 |
|
Monarchs three heat leaders dominated the meeting with only Alan Mogridge able to provide any resistance. Carr would have produced another paid maximum but for a late engine failure in heat 4. Mogridge inflicted the only defeats on Eriksson and Little.
Blair Scott started badly with a tape offence in heat 1 but recovered to post a respectable score. Ross Brady looked a little fragile after his return from injury and failed to make a start. His four point score was better than rider replacement delivered last week.
Brian Turner had little chance to make an impression. He was excluded in heat 2 and made no impression on Meldrum and Bentley and on Lamb and Mogridge in his other two rides. He was pulled out of heat 14. He is rapidly running out of time to retain his place. Christian Henry, by contrast can feel delighted with his display. His win, in heat two, was followed by another in heat 4. He was only beaten by Alan Mogridge and Paul Bentley prior to failing on the line in heat 14.
Berwick put up a good fight but only Alan Mogridge and David Meldrum can be happy with their contributions. Mogridge was a candidate for man of the match while Meldrum gated well and rode steadily. Scott Lamb had an average match and has never been an Armadale specialist. Paul Bentley is a shadow of the rider who scored so heavily for Glasgow this time last year. Scott Smith was as dreadful as usual. The Berwick reserves' scored a few gift points courtesy of a Brian Turner exclusion and a Peter Carr engine failure.
Man of the match: Christian Henry
Most exciting rider: Kevin Little
Next home meeting: v Glasgow, Premier National, Armadale on Friday 5th May 2000
John Lowe