Josh Pickering provided Stellar Monarchs with a parting gift to remember by powering to a 15-point maximum as the Armadale men bowed out of the BSN Series at the semi-final stage.
The Armadale men went down 48-42 at Scunthorpe Scorpions, losing by 15 points overall on aggregate and the popular Aussie was in outrageous form, coming from the back in four of his five rides with passes both inside and out.
Pickering (pictured) said: “My goal was to go out making a statement. Everyone knows I am dropping this league to progress even more so to end on a full 15 and go out on a good note I can’t be unhappy.”
He added: “There have been a lot of what ifs this season and, unfortunately, there were too many nights we haven’t performed as a full 1-7 and the damage was done (against Scunthorpe in the semi-final) in the first-leg at home.”
Monarchs came into the second-leg with a thin chance as Scorpions took a nine point advantage from the first-leg in West Lothian, but a decent start saw Monarchs two ahead after three heats before the home men took control.
They reeled off four maximums in five heats and, by Heat 15, all that was left was to see if Pickering could complete his maximum. He delivered.
Scunthorpe now face Poole Pirates in the final.
Scunthorpe 48: Kemp 2+1, Mountain 8+1, Lambert 6+2, Allen 10+1, Howarth 8, Ablitt 3+2, Harrison 11+2
Stellar Monarchs: Pickering 15, J Thompson 1, Fredriksen 7, Castagna 8+1, D Thompson 5, James 1+1, Coles 5
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