Scottish Open 2014 (edinburgh) 1/8/14 @ 7.15pm

[Dekker 239]

Just heard it is Ryan MacDonald at 1.

No disrespect to the lad, but this is getting silly

 

Been a regular thing last at any open meeting, someone decides they cant be assed and blows it off

[mervjankefanclub 48]

I don't know what people were expecting it's pretty simple we can't afford to pay top dollar for the bigger names who have no interest in travelling this far north for pennies.

 

As a wee aside to that, I remember Alun Rossiter recounting the time when he travelled up for the 1984 Open with Weymouth team-mate Martin Yeates. Roscoe won a place on the podium and Yeates finished down the field, although he went back home with much more money than Rossiter because he had already agreed on guaranteed appearance money. The young Rossiter said he learned a valuable lesson that night ...........the Scottish Open was one of the highlights of the season for me when I was a youngster, it's obviously lost it's shine over the years, but every other domestic individual meeting has too, just a sign of the times

Edited August 1, 2014 by mervjankefanclub

[Shadders 4,135]

Can't wait for Garrity vs Sneddon part 2

Sneddon turned up at the Grove pub in Berwick after last weeks rain off vs Rye House. With Garrity already inside there were a few who thought there'd be trouble, but Garrity emerged from the pub and greeted Sneddon like a long lost friend. No bad blood there then.

I see you point , but you canny beat a 15 heat league match for proper speedway . These type of meeting just don't excite me

Same here Paul. Individual meetings just don't do it for me. Can't beat a proper team meeting.

[Cj69 333]

Well Done to Sam Masters, best rider on show with some great gating and some great passing deserved winner. Might have been a poor field but some great races in there not least the final with everyone giving it their all.

 

Very poor crowd for this meeting tho.

[spt82 86]

Typically what on paper didn't look a particularly inspiring line up ended up producing a decent meeting with some good heats, the final looked like being a classic until Max and Craig's nasty looking crash, hopefully no lasting damage to either. Well done to Sam, thoroughly deserved winner on the night.

 

Crowd did look poor.

[Mr Blobby 2,662]

For the people who decided to give the meeting a miss a feel sorry for you as you missed a cracker.

 

The first running of the final summed up the night perfectly masters and fricke passes and re-passed each other 3 times in the space of 2 laps with cook and ostergaard buzzing around their back wheels trying to find a way past also. Shame it ended in the way it did though but thankfully Max and Cookie both walked away with nothing broken apart from their bikes. Max looks in a bit of pain and is doubt for Sunday now with a sore collar bone and a cut on his left wrist.

 

Well done to sam though he was trapping well all night and was super fast also well deserved.

[eide67 199]

Like many, I don't get too excited these days about the Scottish Open and really only go along to support my club. This year's line-up was not particularly inspiring with only Ulrich Ostergaard as something a bit different in the list of Monarchs, ex-Monarchs & usual visitors. The crowd, while not exactly poor, did look down on recent weeks on what should have been one of the biggest nights of the year.

 

However, I was very glad I made the effort as we were treated to an excellent hard-fought meeting with probably the best racing of the year. Stand-out for me was heat 19 with Cookie, after 2 second places and a tapes exclusion, looking like he might not even make the semi when he was stone last going into bend 3 on lap 1 against Grajczonek, Ostergaard & Summers. But with some brilliant round-the-air fence riding he stormed to the front to book his place in the semi-final. He then did something similar in the first lap of the semi to book his place in the final - special mention to Justin Sedgmen who was unlucky here and had a great night.

 

The first running of the final, as described by Mr B above, was epic. I was sure Max was going to win as he swapped the lead with Sam over the first 2 laps, then, as he tried to recover from a mistake after a hard corner by Sam, I feared the worst as he ploughed into Craig's back wheel and the two came down spectacularly. The re-run was a bit of an anti-climax with Ulrich coming down on bend 2 and then Cookie getting too close to the air fence as he chased the dirt to try to pass Sam.

 

Congratulations to Sam on a very well-deserved win and thanks to all the riders for a very entertaining night.

[Al Stewart 398]

I respect your opinion if you think it is a decent line up, but IMHO I think it is poor, certainly in relation to the sponsorship the meeting has, and the line ups it used to attract. The meeting preview is making out almost every rider has a chance to win, when the reality is far from that.

I think we got the point a while back that you didn't fancy the meeting.

 

If you are going to go on and on about it, it would be nice if you were better informed, and fairer.

 

For a start you don't know what sponsorship the meeting has. It is substantially more expensive than a league match, and quite a few of the sponsors named in the programme are not cash but in recognition of some service. What the sponsorship does do is give us a chance of possibly breaking even, a rare enough occurrence.

 

As for the strength of the meeting, well the best seven visitors were Ostergaard, Grajczonek, Summers, Robson, Wolbert, Pijper, Tabaka which is stronger than any visiting league team. Pretty well every other available rider in the country was asked. There are 22 heats as against the usual 15 which surely makes the slight price increase pretty reasonable.

 

It even turned out on the night that Rafal Konopka rode very well, even though he wouldn't be rated a strong challenger. It's not all about who is going to win, it's about the standard of entertainment, and we were seeing the top home men going head to head which proved well worth seeing.

 

You will presumably have gathered by now that fans who attended enjoyed a good meeting. There are certainly those who don't like individuals as opposed to team matches and that's fair enough, but the rest of your criticisms are in my opinion, not fair.

[SCOTLAND1314 121]

Congratulations to Sam Masters on a deserved win.

 

I really enjoyed the night's racing.

 

Heat 1 saw a pass by Max Fricke on Josh Grajcznonek that must have had Josh wondering how on earth his fellow Aussie found a way through with a near impossible inside pass.

 

Final heat saw drama and racing that would be welcomed by any track in the world. In my opinion if the original running of this heat had gone the distance we'd have probably witnessed one of the best races anywhere never mind Armadale. Sadly we could only enjoy 2 laps of the original running... but what a two laps..simply magnificent speedway. Hopefully young Max and Cookie aren't too sore this morning

 

Interspersed between these heats were more heats that would have sent the crowd home happy, heat 10 a clinical pass on Ostergaard by Masters, heat 11 a neat pass by Stevie Worrall on Josh Grajczonek, heat 12 a ding dong battle between Summers and Segmen with the home man winning the tussle for 2nd... and then a stunning ride by Cookie in heat 19... last to first with as brave and skillful a ride as you're likely to see.... and many other heats had interesting cameos.

 

Thoroughly enjoyable evening well done to all involved.

 

It was really pleasing to hear Stuart Robson and Ulrich Ostergaard talking very positively about the Armadale track and the Scottish Open Experience.

[Jonas Sturebrand 2]

No detailed results from the meeting?

[Blacksmith 53]

I think we got the point a while back that you didn't fancy the meeting.

 

If you are going to go on and on about it, it would be nice if you were better informed, and fairer.

 

For a start you don't know what sponsorship the meeting has. It is substantially more expensive than a league match, and quite a few of the sponsors named in the programme are not cash but in recognition of some service. What the sponsorship does do is give us a chance of possibly breaking even, a rare enough occurrence.

 

As for the strength of the meeting, well the best seven visitors were Ostergaard, Grajczonek, Summers, Robson, Wolbert, Pijper, Tabaka which is stronger than any visiting league team. Pretty well every other available rider in the country was asked. There are 22 heats as against the usual 15 which surely makes the slight price increase pretty reasonable.

 

It even turned out on the night that Rafal Konopka rode very well, even though he wouldn't be rated a strong challenger. It's not all about who is going to win, it's about the standard of entertainment, and we were seeing the top home men going head to head which proved well worth seeing.

 

You will presumably have gathered by now that fans who attended enjoyed a good meeting. There are certainly those who don't like individuals as opposed to team matches and that's fair enough, but the rest of your criticisms are in my opinion, not fair.

Obviously I was not aware that not all the sponsors listed were not cash, as I am but a lowly fan, and not one of the "in the know" variety.

Of course I want the club to at least break even, and not make losses, and I fully understand this years team will be costing a lot more than could reasonably be expected before a wheel was turned. but on to the Scottish Open.

The 7 Monarchs riders out scored the 9 visitors, which says more than enough for me.

I received updates from my friend after every race, so I know there was some good racing.

As for seeing the Monarchs going head to head, I hope Craig, and Max are both ok after their coming together.

With League Cup Final, KO Cup Semi, and possibly Final, 2 Play Off matches, and hopefully a 3rd, and still 6 League matches to race,

I feel that it would have been better to stage a team match, than have an Individual meeting that could not attract a field worthy of the event.

We have between. 10, and 12 fixtures to come,(potentially 13 if we stage the Scottish Cup) so not a lot of leeway for the good old British weather.

Edited August 2, 2014 by Blacksmith

[cyclone 943]

No detailed results from the meeting?

 

Go to post @ 1.26am on 2/8/14 on this link:-

 

http://www.monarchs-chatzone.co.uk/forums/viewthread.php?tid=5588#pid114923

 

Prefer official team matches, but must admit this was a cracking meeting, with the action coming thick and fast for the minor placings also.

 

Couple observations :-

 

Kevin Wolbert looked poor to start with and then gets a class heat win over Craig, confirming his enigma status with the Tigeratti.

 

Given what I've previously read on here about Rafal Konopka having difficulty staying on his bike in most of his races, he impressed with a smooth display on his maiden appearance at the Dale.

 

Kind of disproves the trick track theory that some of our near neighbours go on about

[Blacksmith 53]

Just read that despite being a bit sore Max Fricke is on his way to Peterborough, so great news on the injury front. :-)

[freddyfivetoes 157]

John Campbell's column in the Edinburgh programme tonight (Aug 8th, v Newcastle)should make a few on here have a good look in the mirror.

[DSC67 1,465]

John Campbell's column in the Edinburgh programme tonight (Aug 8th, v Newcastle)should make a few on here have a good look in the mirror.

Please enlighten those of us who haven't read the column