| Stellar Monarchs bosses claimed their squad “put in an abject display” when they skidded to a 59-31 defeat at Scunthorpe Scorpions in their opening Cab Direct Championship, Group A, clash. And they need to up their game considerably. Monarchs were due to travel to Poole Pirates on Wednesday (7.30pm) in a match the Dorset team’s promoter, Danny Ford, has stressed is a must-win for his men, but the event has been postponed and will be re-staged on Wednesday, September 27. No time has been given yet. Only skipper Josh Pickering (pictured) mounted any consistent challenge to Scorpions on Sunday and the popular Aussie said: “It was a quick run meeting, as always, at Scunthorpe and I didn’t really know what the score was early on as I was changing things, but it wasn’t good enough. “We got going a little in the last few heats but, as I said, it wasn’t good enough.” The home men dominated from the off, taking heat advantages in each of the first six heats, and Monarchs can’t allow a repeat at Poole who drew 45-45 with Scorpions in Dorset and need a win as Scunthorpe now find themselves in pole position to progress. Despite Pickering’s brilliance at Scorpions – he top scored with 15 points – the back-up was, according to a Moanrchs spokesman, “sporadic at best, non-existent at worst”. For the record, guest Sedgmen scored four, Fredriksen 1, Thomson 2, Castagne 5, Wood zero and Borke four. A bad day at the office was how it was described and after Poole come Scunthorpe who visit Armadale on Friday. In Pool B, Glasgow’s scheduled home play-off clash with Redcar on Tuesday night was postponed. It is now due on Saturday, September 23 (2pm) |
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