EDINBURGH MONARCHS 45 SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 45 (Cab Direct Championship)
ELLIE ROSE TRAVEL Scunthorpe Scorpions moved joint top of the Cab Direct Championship standings after an entertaining 45-45 away draw at third-placed Edinburgh Monarchs last night (Friday).
On a cold and windy evening in Scotland, the rain threatened to ruin proceedings, arriving at the start-time of the meeting. Conditions were tricky early on, but improved to produce a thrilling contest. The rain re-appeared just as Heat 15 was taking place and continued for the rest of the night.
Scorpions were so close to taking victory. With the scores level at 42-42 entering the decisive Heat 15, Scunthorpe skipper Josh Pickering pushed under Edinburgh guest Nick Morris on the second bend and Michael Palm Toft threatened to join him at the front. The race was then a 4-2 to Scorpions, but Morris started to slow down Palm Toft, with the result that Kye Thomson eventually found a route under the Dane at the start of the final lap, as Monarchs salvaged a draw.
Earlier on, Scorpions had taken a 10-2 lead, after 5-1s in the opening two races, from Pickering and Connor Mountain in Heat 1 and reserves Nathan Ablitt and guest Dayle Wood in Heat 2 when conditions were at their trickiest.
Monarchs eked back into the meeting. Even a strange exclusion for Dan Thompson in Heat 6 worked in their favour, since it allowed Morris into Heat 7 as a tactical substitute. Morris’ performance probably exceeded what injured Monarchs’ regular Paco Castagna could have produced.
Meanwhile, Palm Toft showed he had learnt the best lines around Armadale from spending the second half of the 2025 season with Edinburgh, and won both Heats 6 and 9.
Edinburgh took the lead at 31-29, but Scorpions were far from finished, as Pickering and Mountain levelled the scores with a 4-2 in Heat 11. Three shared races followed. Every Scorpion contributed, with Luke Harrison putting a tough night behind him to take second place in Heat 12.
Scorpions had a chance to re-take the lead when Mountain and Ablitt trapped in Heat 14, but that man Morris produced a sublime move on the fourth bend to slice between them.
Pickering put in another classy performance, scored 14, and dropped his only point to Morris in Heat 5. Ablitt showed he will a trump card at reserve with 9+2 – Scorpions were the more balanced team and outscored top-heavy Monarchs by 14 to 1 at reserve.
Team manager David Howe said: “A point is a point and I’ll be happy with an away draw when I have more time to reflect on the result. It was another good away performance from the boys and we could have won the match.
“In the last race, Picko (Josh Pickering) said he wanted the outside gate and he showed it was the right decision. It also gave Totfy (Michael Palm Toft) a decent gate and he got into the position we needed him in. But Nick Morris is an experienced campaigner and he slowed Tofty down, which allowed Kye Thomson back into it.
“I’m a little disappointed that we didn’t win, but that shows how well the team is now working together, because a few weeks ago we would have seen this is a very positive result. Everyone contributed tonight – it was a team performance. The team wants to win meetings – it’s a very positive atmosphere around the pits.
“It’s another point from this run of away matches, and we’ll see what next weekend brings at Glasgow and Berwick. We’re setting ourselves up very nicely for when we return to action to Scunthorpe to push towards the play-offs.”
Scorpions are back in action twice next weekend, with trips to Glasgow (June 19) and Berwick (June 20).
EDINBURGH 45: Nick Morris 14+2, Kye Thomson 11+1, Jonatan Grahn 8, Justin Sedgmen 7+1, Dan Thompson 4+2, Mitchell Cluff 1, Jordy Loftus 0.
SCUNTHORPE 45: Josh Pickering 14, Nathan Ablitt 9+2, Michael Palm Toft 8, Connor Mountain 7+3, Dayle Wood 5+2, Luke Harrison 2, Dan Gilkes r/r.
* ELLIE ROSE TRAVEL Scunthorpe Scorpions are next in action at Scunthorpe’s Eddie Wright Raceway, when they host Plymouth Gladiators in the Cab Direct Championship on Friday, July 3 at 7.30pm.
