REACTION: “I’m over the moon to score 11 points and I can’t wait for the meeting against Glasgow here next week.”

SKIPPER Scott Nicholls weaved more magic, as league leaders Monarch Oxford Cheetahs made it nine wins out of nine in the Cab Direct Championship with a 54-36 victory over the Edinburgh Monarchs on another enthralling night of action at Oxford Stadium last night (Wednesday).

The victory means that Cheetahs keep a six-point lead in the Championship table over Glasgow. The two unbeaten sides meet at Sandy Lane next Wednesday (July 19) in what looks like a mouth-watering clash.

Oxford went into the meeting last night without third heat-leader Lewis Kerr, who picked up a collarbone injury at Sheffield on Monday, and they used the rider replacement facility in his absence.

Any fears that it could have weakened Oxford were soon dispelled when the home side moved 16-8 early on. Sam Masters and Henry Atkins got Cheetahs to the perfect start with a 5-1 in Heat 1, with Atkins fending off Monarchs’ No 1 Josh Pickering for four laps after riding the perfect line.

With the scores having moved to 21-15, Monarchs introduced Pickering into Heat 7 as a tactical substitute. But Cameron Heeps and Nicholls were quickest from the tapes and then the Oxford skipper produced a wonderful team-ride to block out the efforts of Pickering and ensure a 5-1, as Cheetahs took a 10-point lead.

Edinburgh were not yet beaten and closed the gap back to eight points. Masters and Jordan Jenkins took a 4-2 from Heat 10, despite Monarchs’ recent signing Bastian Borke battling into second place. A similar heat advantage followed in Heat 11, courtesy of Nicholls and Heeps, with Pickering fighting his way into second in this race, following a 15-metre penalty for hitting the tapes.

With Cheetahs 12 points to the good, No 8 Jody Scott was given an outing in Heat 12 for his first-ever outing at Championship level. The 16-year-old Oxford Charger missed the start, but then looked on the pace. Meanwhile, a race-win for fellow Charger Henry Atkins saw Cheetahs close in victory on the night.

The meeting was secured with a 3-3 in Heat 13, although – after an enthralling three-way battle – Craig Cook lowered the colours of both Nicholls and Masters, after the riders passed and re-passed. During the course of the four laps, Cook went from fourth to first to third and back to first! It was the only point dropped by Nicholls all evening. Cook was lively all night, and he had earlier burst past Masters in the early stages of Heat 6.

After Lasse Fredriksen was excluded from Heat 14 for causing Heeps to come crashing down, Jenkins and Heeps took a 5-1 in the re-run.

Another cracking battle with Nicholls and Masters pitted against Cook followed in Heat 15, and this time it was Nicholls who emerged on top, as Cheetahs took a concluding 4-2 to leave them in a commanding position for the aggregate bonus point when the top clubs meet at Armadale on August 18.

Nicholls top-scored with 16+1, while Jenkins (11), Heeps (10+2) and Masters (10+1) were also all in double-figures. Atkins (6+1) enjoyed his best evening since moving up from the reserve berths, while Ryan Kinsley fought hard for his single point over Fredriksen in Heat 4. For Monarchs, the classy Cook scored 13 and only lost twice to Nicholls.

Jordan Jenkins said: “It was another great performance from the whole team tonight. All the boys came good, while the track was similar to last week and it’s always nice to have a bit of consistency. We’re keeping a healthy lead at the top of the table, and we are where we want to be, before it starts all over again in the play-offs.

“I was making the starts tonight which helped me out and I scored good points. But I actually felt that it was lacking a bit of speed. Every race, I was changing the set-up, and I felt I had something that worked by my final ride. I’ve got strong engines and it’s hard to tone them down, but I made it work.

“A lot of the time I’m not the best starter, but tonight I made four good starts out of five. I’m over the moon to score 11 points and I can’t wait for the meeting against Glasgow here next week.”

Monarch Oxford Cheetahs 54: Sam Masters 10+1, Lewis Kerr R/R, Henry Atkins 6+1, Jordan Jenkins 11, Scott Nicholls 16+1, Cameron Heeps 10+2, Ryan Kinsley 1, Jody Scott (No 8) 0.

Edinburgh Monarchs 36: Josh Pickering 7, Bastian Borke 4+1, Kye Thomson 5, Paco Castagna R/R, Craig Cook 13, Dayle Wood 1+1, Lasse Fredriksen 6+1.

PHOTO: Scott Nicholls leads Craig Cook and Sam Masters in Heat 15 (PIC: STEVE EDMUNDS)