MATCH REPORT: REDCAR AGILIA BEARS 51–39 EDINBURGH MONARCHS KNOCK-OUT CUP | ECCO ARENA

The Agilia Bears made it three wins in a row with a hard-earned 51–39 victory over Edinburgh Monarchs on a rain-affected track at the ECCO Arena.

It looked like it might be one of those nights from the very start when No.1 Nicolai Klindt ground to a halt with engine trouble on the first bend of Heat 1, leaving young Ace Pijper to battle it out alone. Showing great composure in tricky conditions, Pijper held off Monarchs star Dan Thompson to secure a vital second place and limit the early damage.

That proved to be the start of an excellent night for Pijper, who attacked the conditions from the outset and finished with 8 points, including an impressive Heat 8 victory.

Edinburgh’s main resistance came from captain Paco Castagna and the highly impressive Kye Thomson, both of whom relished the difficult conditions and kept the visitors in contention.

The Bears, however, were solid throughout, with all seven riders contributing at least one race win. The standout performer was Jody Scott, who was unbeaten by an opponent in his programmed rides, eventually finishing with 10+4. His Heat 11 ride was the moment of the night — storming from last to second with two superb overtakes to secure a paid win.

Promoter Jamie Swales said:
“It was a great result and the lads kept positive heads and attacked a track that was far from ideal. After the issues we had at the last home meeting, a lot of work went in from the track staff to get things right.

We held a full practice day with no problems and even had a senior rider test the track on Friday morning. Unfortunately, a huge downpour around 4pm undid a lot of that work and made conditions very difficult.

Full credit to the track staff for working with both teams to keep the meeting going, and to all 14 riders for getting on with it. As tough as it looked, we completed 15 races and six junior races afterwards without a single faller.”

Despite the challenging conditions, Redcar built a 12-point advantage heading into the second leg — putting themselves in a strong position ahead of next Friday’s trip to Edinburgh.

Encouragingly, the Bears have a strong record at Armadale, and with the tie now firmly in their hands, progression to the Knock-Out Cup semi-finals is within reach.

SCORES

Redcar Agilia Bears 51
Nicolai Klindt 4+1 (R, 1′, 3, 0)
Ace Pijper 8 (2, 2, 3, 1)
Jordan Jenkins 7 (R, 2, 2, 3)
Jason Edwards 8+3 (3, 1′, 1′, 2, 1′)
Jake Allen 11 (1, 2, 3, 3, 2)
Jake Mulford 3 (3, 0, 0)
Jody Scott 10+4 (2′, 3, 2′, 2′, 1′)

Edinburgh Monarchs 39
Dan Thompson 5 (1, 0, 2, 2)
Jonatan Grahn 8+1 (3, 3, 1, 1′)
Justin Sedgmen 4 (2, 1, 0, 1)
Paco Castagna 9+1 (1′, 3, 2, 3, 0)
Kye Thomson 12+1 (2, 3, 3, 1′, 3)
Mitchell Cluff 0 (0, 0, 0, 0)
Jordy Loftus 1 (1, 0, 0, 0)