Gladiators back to winning ways

PLYMOUTH ATKINS FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT GLADIATORS 50

EDINBURGH MONARCHS  40

Gladiators’ fans and a band of travelling Monarchs’ supporters were treated to another superb meeting at the Coliseum which saw the home side notch their second home win of the season against title chasing Edinburgh.

Edinburgh began the meeting in style with skipper Sam Masters and William Lawson gaining a 5-1 in the first race over Dillon Ruml and the returning Jason Crump.

After a series of shared heats, a Plymouth 4-2 in heat seven saw the Gladiators close the gap and a superb 5-1 in heat eight from the impressive reserve duo of Alfie Bowtell and Jason Edwards saw the home side take the lead.

Despite light rain beginning to fall, the meeting really burst into life. Edinburgh gained a 4-2 in the twelfth race to level the scores again and another familiar nail-biting finish looked on the cards.

A heat 13 4-2 by Bjarne Pedersen and Crump saw Plymouth edge ahead again before heat 14 produced what was the race of the season and probably one of the best ever seen at the Coliseum.

The Monarchs duo of the all-action Josh Pickering and Nathan Greaves made the gate and a Monarchs 5-1 looked likely, but Zane Keleher made an incredible swoop from last to first in one move and was closely followed by Bowtell which quite literally brought the fans to their feet as they crossed the line for a 5-1 and ensure a home win.

The Monarchs were still in the hunt for a losing bonus point, but Pedersen and Crump were having none of that as they sealed another 5-1 and a ten-point winning margin for the Gladiators which suggested a more comfortable victory than it actually was.

New Gladiators signing Jason Edwards was delighted with the win and his own performance.

‘I’m really pleased to be at Plymouth. It’s a track I’ve ridden quite a lot and I just need to be getting as many meetings as possible. Just to be next to Jason (Crump) in the pits and picking up little tips from him is invaluable and builds on the work I’ve been doing with the GB Academy. And I will definitely be watching that heat 14 again!’ he enthused.

Scorers:

Plymouth Atkins Financial Management Gladiators 50

Jason Crump                    6 pts (4 rides)

Dillon Ruml                       2 + 1 (3)

Zach Cook                         4 + 2 (4)

Zane Keleher                    10 + 2 (5)

Bjarne Pedersen              13 + 1 (5)

Alfie Bowtell                    11 + 2 (6)

Jason Edwards                 4 + 1 (3)

Edinburgh Monarchs 40

Sam Masters                    9 (5)

William Lawson               3 + 1 (4)

Kye Thomson                   7 (4)

Josh Pickering                  5 + 1 (4)

Richie Worrall                  10 + 1 (5)

Luke Crang                       0 (3)

Nathan Greaves               6 (5)

Image Credit: Dan Westlake