Edinburgh Monarchs have one wheel in semi-finals after glorious super heat victory over Glasgow Tigers

It was a real team effort from the Edinburgh Monarchs against Glasgow. Picture: Jack Cupido.It was a real team effort from the Edinburgh Monarchs against Glasgow. Picture: Jack Cupido.
It was a real team effort from the Edinburgh Monarchs against Glasgow. Picture: Jack Cupido.
Edinburgh Monarchs' Paco Castagna admits he was very proud to lead his side to a superb super heat victory over arch-rivals the Glasgow Tigers.

A sun-kissed Ashfield witnessed some of the finest racing British speedway has served up in many a year as the Capital outfit not only took home a precious bonus point but the bragging rights too.

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This exhilirating spectacle finished all square at 45-45 after 15 heats but Monarchs duo Josh Pickering and Justin Sedgmen did the damage over Chris Harris and Steve Worrall in the final heat of the evening to put the Armadale men on the brink of a place in the BSN Series semi-finals.

Victory in the return leg in West Lothian later this month will ensure a passage into the last four.

"All we've talked about during the last month was shown last night," skipper Castagna said. "I was impressed by our performance, not shocked but finally we showed what we're capable of. It was a high-pressure meeting but we just went out and did it. I was pissed off about my own performance.

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"I tried different things in the first heat and I burnt the clutch and had bike problems. I tried to finish on a high and was much better but I've had one of my worst meetings of the year and we still won - the boys were fantastic overall so I'm very confident about the return match at home. We are capable of doing good things and there's a good feeling. I'm very proud to be captaining this team."

Monarchs No.1 Pickering was quite sensational as he stormed to a 15-point maximum while there was adequate back-up from Sedgmen, Lasse Fredriksen, Kye Thomson, Connor Coles and Castagna with only teenage reserve Max James failing to score.

Tigers No.1 Harris threw everything he had at Pickering in a bid to get the better of him in heats 13 and 15, but the 27-year-old Aussie's guts and guile saw the Monarchs over the line.

Tigers: Harris 11, Worrall 9+1, Pearson 8, Flint 6+1, Smith 5+1, Pijper 4+1, Starke 2+1.

Monarchs: Pickering 15, Sedgmen 9, Thomson 7+1, Fredriksen 6+1, Castagna 5+1, Coles 3+1, James 0.

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