RESULT: Monarch Cheetahs 42 Birmingham Brummies 48

Monarch Oxford Cheetahs captain Scott Nicholls said heavy rain throughout the opening half of Wednesday’s Championship tie against Birmingham Brummies acted as a “leveller” and made it hard for home riders to race to their true potential.

After a dry day, rain poured between heats one and seven – changing track conditions drastically. The visiting Brummies proved quicker out of the gate and confirmed a six-point win when registering a 2-4 in a last heat decider.

Despite the result, Nicholls said there is no reason why the Monarch Cheetahs can’t target points on the road for the return fixture at Perry Barr tomorrow.

“The rain was a massive leveller,” said Nicholls. “It made it very tricky to pass and I’m very confident we would’ve won under normal conditions. But it wasn’t, and we’re disappointed with the result.

“We shouldn’t have lost and we’ve got to target a win on the road tomorrow. People might think we’re not capable of going there and pulling off a result, but we are. We’re a capable team and we need to show that.

“Speedway is about consistency. I’ve had my tough times, but hopefully we can pick up our form and start to get some race wins under our belt.”

The Monarch Cheetahs return to Championship action tomorrow night (Wednesday) against the Birmingham Brummies. Tapes-up at Perry Barr is at 7.30pm.

Oxford = 42

1. Scott Nicholls 3, 3, 1′, 3, 2 = 12+1
2. Kyle Newman 2′, 2′, 0, 2 = 6+2
3. Jack Thomas 1′, 1, 2′, 1 = 5+2
4. Cameron Heeps 2, 0, 3, Fx = 5
5. Nick Morris (G) 2, 3, 2, 1, R = 8
6. Dillon Ruml 2, 0, 1, 1′, 2 = 6+1
7. Nathan Stoneman 0, 0, 0 = 0

Birmingham = 48

1. Claus Vissing 1, 2′, 3, 0 = 6+1
2. Stefan Nielsen 0, 3, 3, 0 = 6
3. Justin Sedgmen 3, 2, 3, 3, 3 = 14
4. Ashley Morris F, 1′, Fx = 1+1
5. Tom Brennan (G) 3, 1, 1, 2, 1 = 8
6. James Shanes 3, 0, 0, 2′, 3 = 8+1
7. James Pearson 1, 1, 2′, 1 = 5+1