Edinburgh Monarchs | |||||||||||||||||||
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Club information | |||||||||||||||||||
Track address | Armadale Stadium Bathgate Road Armadale West Lothian | ||||||||||||||||||
Country | Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||
Founded | 1928 | ||||||||||||||||||
Promoter | Alex Harkess & John Campbell | ||||||||||||||||||
Team manager | Alex Harkess & John Campbell | ||||||||||||||||||
League | SGB Championship National Development League | ||||||||||||||||||
Website | official website | ||||||||||||||||||
Club facts | |||||||||||||||||||
Colours | Blue and gold | ||||||||||||||||||
Track size | 260 metres (280 yd) | ||||||||||||||||||
Track record time | 54.0 seconds | ||||||||||||||||||
Track record date | 30 May 2014 | ||||||||||||||||||
Track record holder | Craig Cook | ||||||||||||||||||
Current senior team | |||||||||||||||||||
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The Edinburgh Monarchs are a Scottish Speedway team, currently based in Armadale. They compete in the SGB Championship, racing on Friday nights during the speedway season. The club is run by a board of directors, chaired by Alex Harkess. The club also runs a National Development League team called the Monarchs Academy (formerly the Armadale Devils). [1] [2]
The club was founded in 1928 and operated at Marine Gardens, Portobello in 1929, 1930, 1931, 1938 and 1939. A few team matches were staged in 1929 and an Edinburgh team competed in the Northern League in 1930. The Edinburgh team of 1938 and 1939 was known as the Edinburgh Thistles and they staged a number of challenge matches.
After the Second World War, Marine Gardens was not available and the potential of Old Meadowbank, then the home of Leith Athletic F.C., was said to have been spotted by Ian Hoskins. The Monarchs (Meadowbank Monarchs) were re-established in 1948 by a consortium including Frank Varey, ex-rider and Sheffield promoter, and R.L.Rae, a local Edinburgh businessman.
The team operated at Old Meadowbank 1948 in the National League Second Division until midway through 1954. The team finished at the bottom of the league in 1948 but improved to a best place of third before closure in 1954. Under its promoter Ian Hoskins from 1960 until 1964 the Monarchs raced in the Provincial League and were founder members of the British League that ran from 1965 to 1967. The track was used for practice sessions between 1957 and 1959. [3]
Old Meadowbank Stadium had been purchased by the City of Edinburgh Council from Leith Athletic in 1956. Following their successful bid to host the 1970 Commonwealth Games they decided to redevelop the site of the stadium and surrounding area. The Monarchs were evicted as Speedway was not incorporated into the new Meadowbank Stadium plans due to the government of the day refusing to fund stadia which would be used by professional sports. The new stadium sits immediately west of Old Meadowbank essentially on the site of the old running track known as New Meadowbank. The team moved en bloc to a new track at Cliftonhill, Coatbridge (nearer to Glasgow than Edinburgh) and operated as the Coatbridge Monarchs for the 1968 and 1969 seasons before the track licence was sold to Wembley.
Speedway returned to Edinburgh in 1977, with the Monarchs racing at Powderhall Stadium from 1977 until 1995. During the 1995 season, the company operating Powderhall ran into financial difficulty, and the stadium was sold to a housing company for redevelopment. This meant the Monarchs were again evicted.
In 1996, the Monarchs' rivals Glasgow Tigers closed down, so with a stadium not in use in Glasgow, and the Monarchs without a home in Edinburgh, the Monarchs' moved to Shawfield Stadium, Glasgow to form the Scottish Monarchs. Many Tigers fans refused to support what they saw as a team of old rivals, and although Monarchs fans initially travelled through to Glasgow, crowd numbers soon fell, despite the draw of Stefano Alfonso, the first rider to compete in the Speedway Grand Prix while a member of a Scottish team.
In 1997, the Monarchs left Glasgow after gaining permission to operate at Armadale Stadium, where they continue to operate to this day. [3]
The Monarchs have won the Premier League championship five times in their history, in 2003 [4] again in 2008 [5] in 2010, in 2014, and once more in 2015.
Edinburgh took part in the first Premier League Promotion Play-off in 2008 when they faced Wolverhampton. Although they put up a valiant fight, they lost the tie on aggregate. [6] Despite finishing runners up in 2009 they faced Belle Vue in the Premier League Promotion Play-off losing both legs.
Recent plans of the supermarket chain Sainsburys to redevelop Armadale Stadium fell through after the planning application was rejected. [7]
Edinburgh secured another Premier League title in the 2010 season, their third in seven years. The Championship was secured by winning away at Stoke's Loomer Road track, with Edinburgh riders Ryan Fisher and Kevin Wölbert going through the card unbeaten. [8]
The Monarchs lost out on another League Championship in 2013 losing narrowly to winners Somerset, though took some consolation by securing the Premier League Fours.
The 2014 Monarchs had a very successful season winning the Premier League Cup, the Knock Out Cup and the Premier League, while going on a 27 match unbeaten run. With Sam Masters and Max Fricke representing Edinburgh in the Premier Pairs while Craig Cook was at practice for the British GP. Edinburgh won in a last heat decider against Somerset in a re-match from the season before, Sam Masters and Craig Cook had to get a 5–1 in heat 15 against Nick Morris and Pontus Aspregen. Edinburgh were on a 5–1 until Aspegren put the bike down to try to get a rerun. But there was no chance Morris would catch the home pair, with the title heading back to Scotland.
The 2015 Monarchs topped their qualifying section in the League Cup before seeing off Ipswich in the semi-finals to progress on to defeat Glasgow on aggregate in the Final. They just missed out on the KO Cup to Somerset, however made up for this by securing the Premier League Fours. The Monarchs topped the Premier League after the regular season and went on to retain their title with another aggregate victory over Glasgow in the Premier League Championship Final.
Since then it hasn't been as easy going for the Monarchs. In 2016 team building saw Edinburgh keep Masters, Erik Riss, Clegg and Wölbert from the 2015 league winners. With Craig Cook and Justin Sedgmen both going Elite League only. Rob Branford also moving on. With Edinburgh signing newcomer Jye Etheridge (replaced by Erik's brother Mark) and Dan Bewley. Along with the return of club legend Ryan Fisher. Edinburgh exited the League Cup in group stage with a home defeat to Berwick being the killer for the Monarchs. They exited the KO Cup in the quarter-final to the hands of bitter rivals Glasgow. Edinburgh qualified for the Playoffs. They faced Ipswich in the quarter-finals, but made the task as tough as they could really after a 26-point deficit ahead of the second leg at Armadale but with only 16 points pulled back it was the end of the season for the Monarchs. In the Premier League 4's Edinburgh got knocked out in the semi-finals by 1 point. In the Pairs Edinburgh represented by Masters and Fisher, were runners up to hosts Somerset. Edinburgh in the Premier League Riders Championship were represented by Sam Masters, who came second.
In 2017 again it was a season of change for Edinburgh Ryan Fisher retired from British racing, Dan Bewley moving on due to Belle Vue riding a Friday and Kevin Wölbert all moving on. Masters, Erik and Mark Riss and Max Clegg re-signing. Mitchell Davey returned to Edinburgh for the first time since a horrible injury in 2013 at Sheffield. Newcomer Josh Pickering and Armadale specialist Ricky swells completed the team. Edinburgh exited the KO Cup to Sheffield at the earliest opportunity to Sheffield. Edinburgh came close to a semi-final in the Pairs but missed out by a point. In the Championship Riders Individual. Sam Masters won his first ride but had machinery issues after that, Ricky Wells made the semi-final but came at the back in the semi-final. In the 4s Edinburgh faced a tough task without Sam Masters who got a broken collarbone the night before, and were eliminated early on. Edinburgh again qualified for the playoffs, again faced Ipswich and again came up short.
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Extended content |
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2006 team
2007 team
Also Rode 2008 team
2009 team
Also rode: 2010 team Also Rode: 2011 team Also rode 2012 team Also Rode 2013 team Also rode Signed but failed to obtain necessary paperwork 2014 team 2015 team 2016 team Also rode 2017 team 2018 team Also Rode 2019 team Also Rode 2021 team 2022 team |
Championships won while an Edinburgh Monarchs rider.
Premier League Riders' Championship
Scottish Championship
Australian Solo Championship
Australian Under-21 Championship
South Australian Championship
Victorian Championship
Victorian Champion 1967/68 Bert Harkins.Scotland
Victorian Under-21 Championship
Craig William Cook is a motorcycle speedway rider from England.
The Somerset Rebels were a British speedway team based in Highbridge, Somerset. Founded in 2000, the club competed in the British SGB Championship until 2019. Their home track was located at the Oak Tree Arena.
The sport of speedway in the United Kingdom has changed little since the first meetings in the 1920s. It has three domestic leagues, its own Speedway Grand Prix, and an annual entry into the Speedway World Cup / Speedway of Nations.
The 2006 Premier League speedway season was the second division of speedway in the United Kingdom and governed by the Speedway Control Bureau (SCB), in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA).
The 1999 Premier League speedway season was the second division of speedway in the United Kingdom and governed by the Speedway Control Board (SCB), in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA).
The 1997 Premier League speedway season was the second division of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom and governed by the Speedway Control Board (SCB), in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA).
The 2009 Premier League season was the second division of motorcycle speedway racing in the United Kingdom and the 15th season since its creation in 1995. The league is governed by the Speedway Control Board (SCB), in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA).
The 2010 Premier League Season was the second division of British speedway. The regular season league was won by the Edinburgh Monarchs but Newcastle Diamonds won the playoffs. The first fixtures of the season took place on 5 April, and the season ended on 31 October 2010. The King's Lynn Stars were the defending champions from 2009. The Newcastle Diamonds won most of the other awards.
The 2011 Premier League season was the second division of British speedway. Glasgow Tigers won the league after winning both matches of a double-header on 9 October.
Samuel Peter Masters is an Australian motorcycle speedway rider who won the Premier League Riders' Championship in 2011. Masters is an Australian Champion having won the Championship in January 2017.
Old Meadowbank was a multi-purpose sports facility located in the Meadowbank area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was mainly used as a football stadium by Leith Athletic between the 1930s and 1950s and as a motorcycle speedway track. The stadium was demolished in the late 1960s and provided part of the site for Meadowbank Sports Centre, which was used for the Commonwealth Games in 1970 and 1986.
The 2014 Premier League was the second division of British speedway.
The 2013 Premier League season was the second division of British speedway.
The 2012 Premier League season was the second tier/division of British speedway.
The 2015 Premier League season was the second division of British speedway.
The Speedway Great Britain Championship 2017 was the second division of British speedway. It was the first time that it was known as the SGB Championship after changing its name from the Premier League.
The 2016 Premier League season was the second division of British speedway. The title was won by Somerset Rebels who defeated Sheffield Tigers in the Grand Final.
The SGB Championship 2019 is the second division of Great British speedway. The season runs between March and October 2019 and consisted of 12 participating teams. The current league champions are the Workington Comets who completed an excellent 2018 season winning three major trophies. Four new teams joined the SGB Championship in 2019 with two of them dropping down from the 2018 SGB Premiership league season these teams were Leicester Lions and Somerset Rebels with Ipswich Witches and Peterborough Panthers moving in the opposite direction. Two teams from the third tier of British speedway the National League Birmingham Brummies and Eastbourne Eagles moved up into this season's league while the Lakeside Hammers did not compete.
The 2022 SGB Championship season is the 75th season of the second tier of British Speedway and the 5th known as the SGB Championship.
The 2023 SGB Championship season was the 76th season of the second tier of British Speedway and the 6th known as the SGB Championship. The British Speedway Network (BSN) streamed 35 matches live for the second year running.