Newcastle Diamonds stutter to bad defeat
Apr 11 2009 by Lawrence Heppell, The Journal
NEWCASTLE Diamonds literally hit the skids from the off at Edinburgh Monarchs last night, taking only two heat wins all night in a generally sorry display.
As last season’s reigning league champions, the Monarchs hit hard from the front with some fierce gating, Newcastle’s weakness so far this year, and rattled in two 5-1s in the opening two heats to lead 10-2.
Dane Kenni Larsen got the better of Thomas H. Jonasson in the third to break the run of home maximums, but with Trent Leverington stuck at the rear it was still advantage Monarchs.
Edinburgh took full advantage of the off-the-pace Diamonds in the sixth race with another 5-1 with Aaron Summners and Ryan Fisher taking the points from skipper Jason King and reserve Casper Wortmann to progress the score to 25-11, which allowed team manager Richard Juul to nominate Larsen as a tactical ride for double points in heat seven. Larsen finished third behind both Michal Rajkowski and Matthew Wethers, meaning his single point remained one in another 5-1.
Three more Monarch maximums scorched past Newcastle in the next three races, not helped by a Larsen tape offence in the 10th, taking the score to 45-15 when out of nowhere, Diamonds’ Steve Boxall hit the front and held on for a win, to the relief of the travelling support.
Leverington led heat 12 right up until Jonasson squeezed round him on the very last bend of the race to share the heat.
But Wethers and Fisher hit home another max in the 13th as King and Boxall had no answers despite one big effort from the latter, with the score lurching to 56-22.
The final score gave an overwhelming 38-point win for the home side.
Newcastle director George English said: “There were occasional sparks of great racing, from Kenni, Steve and Jason, but overall that was an appalling display and one that we have got to bounce back from immediately at Glasgow on Sunday.
“This terrible result must be superceded by much better to come this weekend – there is no option!”
EDINBURGH MONARCHS: Ryan Fisher 12+3, Aaron Summers 13+2, Thomas H. Jonasson 7, Andrew Tully 10+1, Matthew Wethers 10+1, Michal Rajkowski 9+4, Sean Stoddart 3.
NEWCASTLE DIAMONDS: Steve Boxall 4+1, Derek Sneddon 3, Trent Leverington 3, Kenni Larsen 7, Jason King 5, Casper Wortmann 1, Craig Branney 3+2.
