Edinburgh Monarchs blast Workington Comets into oblivion
The Edinburgh Monarchs have one wheel in the Championship play-offs after a comprehensive 55-35 victory over the Workington Comets.
The Capital side will all but confirm their spot later today should they emerge victorious in Cumbria in the return fixture at the GT Tyres Arena.
However, picking up the aggregate bonus point on their travels could also be enough to secure a top-four finish. Either way, the Monarchs are in a very handsome position ending into the final weeks of the 2025 season. Reigning champions the Poole Pirates and arch-rivals the Glasgow Tigers have already secured their berths.
Victory over the Comets was the perfect response to Wednesday's heavy KO Cup defeat to Glasgow at Ashfield.
The hosts scored well throughout with Kye Thomson and Justin Sedgmen both amassing 11, while Victor Palovaara, who returned following a spell on the sidelines with pneumonia, was well worth his nine points.
However, 16-year-old Australian Jordy Loftus stole the headlines with an impressive four, paid six, from his four outings, earning him the Monarch-of the-match accolade.
The Comets showed little resistance with Troy Batchelor and Jacob Hook scoring 28 points between them. Jye Etheridge also withdrew after coming to grief in his first race citing a leg injury. It's unlikely he will be fit to race this evening so the home side may elect to operate rider replacement.
Teenager Loftus said afterwards: "I'm really happy to be voted. I hope this is the first of many (Monarch-of-the match) and a big thanks to the crowd for voting and coming out to support us. It's great to have you all here supporting the club and the team. I didn't expect to get the award so it was a big surprise."
Team-mate Sedgmen added: "All the boys did their bit which is nice. 20 points is great to take down there so it's ours to lose. We want to hit them hard from the start. The team we've got, we're all good. It's nice to rock up when everyone's there too. When we're all together it's very beneficial. Everyone is really enjoying riding for Edinburgh and it's a great club to ride for."