It had been a long wait. For the first time since October 2019, the Edinburgh Monarchs were finally back on track as they grabbed a 45-45 SGB Championship home draw against Redcar Bears on Friday night.
It had been a long wait for the spectators, too, as they were welcomed into Armadale Stadium - West Lothian's first sporting event with paid spectators since the start of lockdown. It all felt, well, normal.
That the two sides served up a thrilling back-and-forth encounter was merely a bonus. Most folk were just glad to be there.
Nerves and rustiness was apparent with the riders but the first heat gave everyone a taste of what was to follow. Monarchs no.1 Sam Masters battled Anders Rowe for four laps, eventually pipping him at the final turn to take the win.
The two sides were neck-and-neck after three heats before Richie Worrall led home a 4-2 in heat four with a fine overtake of Jake Allen on the second lap. In the following heat, Aussie debutant Kye Thomson showed tremendous determination in battling Charles Wright, fending off the former British champion to take his maiden win.
The scores were back on level terms, 24-24, after heat eight in which Monarchs duo William Lawson and Nathan Greaves missed the start, handing a comfortable 5-1 to Rowe and Jordan Jenkins.
Three shared heats - all won by Monarchs riders - made for a thrilling finish as the teams were tied 33-33 heading into the final four heats. Josh Pickering, Masters and Worrall had continued their impressive form with wins, but there would be no support.
Redcar looked to have struck a decisive blow in heat 12 as Michael Palm Toft led home James Sarjeant for a 5-1 to the Bears for their first lead of the night while the imperious Allen was able to fend off a challenge from Masters, who was thwarted on several occasions as he tried to cut inside in the following heat.
Pickering and Lawson were able to cut the arrears in half in the penultimate heat. Requiring in heat 15 to take the win, the hosts looked well placed only for Palm Toft to round Worrall and ensure the contest ended in a draw.
The two sides meet again tomorrow in Redcar.
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