EDINBURGH'S Scotwaste Monarchs today proudly lead the Premier League after easily defeating Birmingham Brummies 52-29 in last night's rain-hit speedway clash at Armadale, which was abandoned with two races left.
The decision to call a halt after heat 13 was prompted when Monarchs star Thomas Jonasson tumbled off in the penultimate race. A track inspection was then requested by Birmingham and match official Paul Carrington brought the meeting to a close after
examining the spot where Jonasson came down.
Yet conditions were far better than they were against Rye House Rockets a week ago.
Monarchs skipper Derek Sneddon said: "Some of the boys wanted to continue to get a few more points. But the referee got his decision spot on."
Teammate Andrew Tully added: "There was dirt in places and it was also greasy in places. I'm not really bothered myself so I just go by what the sensible people say. A lot of people seemed to think it was pretty bad and it was getting dangerous."
Importantly for Monarchs the result stands and they go top of the table and now lead Somerset Rebels by two points.
Even although Birmingham were back at full strength for the first time in weeks, they looked disjointed as a unit and never hinted that they possessed the firepower to run Monarchs close.
Certainly on this evidence Monarchs would appear to have little to worry about when they face the Perry Barr outfit in the Premier Trophy Final next month.
Jonasson was rather unlucky to come off and it ruined his chances of chalking up a paid maximum after he was unbeaten by an opponent in his previous three outings. But he was more than happy with his eight-point return and even survived a nasty-looking spill in heat 11 when his partner Matthew Wethers locked up in front of him.
"That sort of accident has happened to me before," said Jonasson.
"I was slightly petrified thinking that I was going to suffer again through no fault of my own. Luckily I got up and walked away unhurt.
"I was pleased with the way I rode. I decided to change my riding style before the match. I tried it in my first ride and almost crashed. I tried it again in my next outing and it was okay. I now feel a lot more comfortable on my bike."
Jonasson was on board an engine rented from former Monarchs legend Peter Carr but desperately needs sponsorship to purchase it outright.
After stringing together five 5-1 advantages on the trot, Monarchs were well on the road to victory when they led 40-14 after nine heats.
Tully picked up seven points, which included one race victory, but dismissed suggestions that he is struggling to hit the heights since moving into the team proper from reserve.
"Not at all," he said. "It's mid-season and I was unwell a few weeks ago. I've also had some problems with my bikes. The races I'm getting as a second string are not that different or harder from the ones I was doing at reserve.
I just wish I could make a good gate. It's annoying that I can't At least I scored a few points and I feel a lot better."
Asked how felt about Monarchs now leading the championship, Tully replied: "I personally have never thought about going top of the league. If you think about such things it tends to stick in the mind."
Jason Lyons was Brummies' top scorer with 12 from four rides and this included a double-point tactical win over Monarchs guest Carl Stonehewer in heat ten.
Kyle Legault, who won the opening race in fine style, was the only Brummie to give Lyons any decent support, collecting eight points from four rides.
The luckiest Brummie star was young Jack Roberts who sailed over the safety fence along with his bike after clipping partner Craig Watson's back wheel on the second bend in the ninth race.
Incredibly he escaped unscathed and finished third in the restart behind Tully and Ryan Fisher. Stonehewer picked up four second places for his eight-point score but underlined, as Mark Lemon discovered a week ago, just how hard it is to replicate the points of the man he was replacing, William Lawson, who is sidelined with a collarbone injury.
Monarchs: Stonehewer 8, Sneddon 8, Jonasson 8, Summers 8, Tully 7, Fisher 7,Wethers 6.
Birmingham: Lyons 12, Legault 8, Roberts 3, Hargreaves 3, Watson 2, Smart 1, Birkinshaw 0.
The full article contains 765 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
