Edinburgh Monarchs woes mount up

Edinburgh Monarchs are facing a possible heat leader selection problem in a couple of weeks depending on how well Victor Palovaara does in his role as an injury replacement for Justin Sedgmen who broke two bones in his hand when he crashed at home against Glasgow Tigers.

Victor Palovaara

Palovaara’s first big test will come for Monarchs when they travel to Berwick Bandits on Saturday in a Championship League match at Shielfield Park.

Monarchs director Mike Hunter revealed: “Justin’s hand is getting better but he will still be out of action for a fortnight at least and we’ll then have to look at our options.

“Obviously if Victor does brilliantly for us in the meetings he has coming up, we’ll look at things in two weeks.”

Monarchs are not going to appeal the British Speedway Promoters Association ruling to bar former captain Sam Masters from competing in the Scottish Open Championship, which is restaged at Armadale on Friday after being rained off last week, because he rides in the Premiership with Wolverhampton Wolves.

Hunter said: “The rules have been loosely applied in the past and Sam rode in the Open last season and no -ne batted an eyelid.

“And this season Sedgmen and Sheffield’s Broc Nicol, who are both Championship rders, rode in a meeting at Belle Vue, who are in the Premiership, and nothing was said about that.

“I think it’s an over enthusiastic application of the rules by the BSPA. And we don’t think it’s worth bothering about to appeal.”

There will be one or two changes to Friday’s Open field. Apart from Masters’ replacement, a stand-in will have to be found for Redcar’s Jordan Stewart, whose side have a league fixture at Eastbourne on the same evening.

Monarchs’ Championship match at leaders Leicester Lions was washed out on Saturday and no restaging date has been announced. The meeting should have marked the return to action of reserve Luke Ruddick, who suffered concussion after tumbling heavily in the same home match as Sedgmen.

Ruddick rides for Leicester’s National League side and was keen to do well for Monarchs.