Edinburgh Monarchs move into Championship play-off berths with battling victory over Oxford Cheetahs

It had been billed as a potential play-off decider despite the big prizes not being handed out until October.

But speedway is decided on such fine margins. And just as though the Oxford Cheetahs looked on course to inflict a third Championship home defeat for the Edinburgh Monarchs in 2022, the Capital outfit found their rhythm in the nick of time to take a precious three points and 48-42 victory.

The warning signs were there as early as heat five with the Cheetahs sprinting six points clear 18-12.

The hosts picked up their first advantage in the next race, Sam Masters leading home his fellow Australian Troy Batchelor with Jacob Hook picking up a valuable third to reduce the arrears to four.

Monarchs skipper Sam Masters (red) is first away from the tapes against the Oxford Cheetahs. Picture: Jack Cupido.

The meeting appeared to be getting away from the Monarchs as the visitors increased their advantage to six once more despite the efforts of Italian Paco Castagna, who was within inches of snatching a precious win from under the nose of ex-Monarch Cameron Heeps.

Skipper Masters admitted the circuit was somewhat different to what and he and his team-mates are used to, the track staff deliberately limiting the amount of water they'd put into the surface due to heavy rain which was forecast, but never arrived.

However, a timely 5-1 from Castagna and Kye Thomson proved to be turning point, Cheetahs heat leader Batchelor giving himself a mountain to climb after he was penalised for a second time for jumping the start and had to go off 15 metres. He was unable to reel in the Monarchs duo as the visitors' lead was slashed to two.

It was finely poised at 33-33 apiece with just four races remaining, but a quite sublime ride from top duo Masters and Josh Pickering in heat 13 swung the momentum in the home side's favour 42-36.

Oxford did hit back with a 5-1 of their own in the penultimate race of the evening, but Masters and Pickering are in a class of their own and the duo returned the compliment to seal a six-point win that sees the Monarchs up to sixth.

Monarchs: Masters 14, Pickering 14, Castagna 7, Hook 6, Thomson 6, Complin 1.

Cheetahs: Ruml 13, Summers 8, Flint 7, Heeps 7, Batchelor 6, Kileen 1.