SGB Championship: Edinburgh Monarchs 45, Leicester Lions 44; Glasgow Tigers 56, Eastbourne Eagles 33
Edinburgh Monarchs held on to take a valuable one-point victory over Leicester Lions, a team tipped for top honours this season.
That’s despite losing the last race 5-1 and former Grand Prix star Scott Nicholls claiming 15 points from six rides for the visitors, including four heat wins.
Monarchs looked to be easing their way to victory when they led 40-31 with three heats remaining.
But they lost the next race 4-2, heat 14 by the same score and ex-Monarchs star Richie Worrall and Nicholls powered to first and second in the final heat for a 5-1.
Worrall was also key with 13 points from four wins and a third while best for Monarchs were Josh Pickering and Cameron Heeps who both scored nine points.
Along the M8, former Edinburgh skipper Craig Cook powered to another 15-point maximum as Glasgow Tigers last night shot down Eastbourne Eagles to make a powerful start to their SGB Championship bid.
And guest Aaron Summers (Berwick Bandits) chipped in with 13 valuable points in the runaway 56-33 victory.
The Scots were ten points ahead at 32-22 after Heat Nine.
Tigers roared to a 50-27 lead after Heat 13 following two 5-1 scorelines and a 5-0 as Eagles had their wings clipped.
A 5-1 to Eagles in the second last race, with ex-Glasgow riders Richard Lawson and Lewis Kerr coming first and second, helped reduce the deficit to 51-32.
But this was a comprehensive win and underlined by a 5-1 for Tigers in the final race with Cook taking the tape followed by guest Summers.
Lawson was best for the visitors with ten points and Kerr claimed nine.
Experienced news, business, arts, sport and travel journalist. Food critic and managing editor of a well-established food and travel website. Also a magazine editor of publications with circulations of up to 200,000 and managing director of a long-established PR/marketing company with a string of blue-chip clients in its CV. Former communications lecturer at a Scottish university and social media specialist for a string of successful and busy SMEs.
