FORMER Berwick favourite Kevin Doolan – now skipper of Ipswich Witches -- has been drafted in by Newport Wasps to ride in their No 1 race-jacket in tonight’s big farewell match at Shielfield Park.
“This is a bit of a surprise, but a welcome one,” said Bandits’ director John Anderson last night.
“We are always pleased to see Kevin racing here at Berwick.”
Children go free tonight as Berwick bring down the curtain on their 2011 season with a match against this season’s Cup winners – and very much the form team of the month – the Wasps. The invitation is both an incentive for, and recognition of, the club’s many young supporters during their October school holidays.
All under-16s will be admitted free, as long as they are accompanied by an adult.
The Bandits had expected to have Swedish star Sebastian Aldén back in their line-up for this fixture, after being declared unfit for the three away meetings last weekend, but it was not to be.
Aldén broke his left toe in an accident at work in Sweden last week and, although he had hoped to resume against the Wasps, he has advised the club he cannot get the injured foot into his boot and steel shoe and therefore won’t make the fixture.
Team manager Ian Rae has quickly invited Scunthorpe’s David Howe – “our new best friend” as he called him – to act as his guest rider in place of Aldén.
Howe led the Bandits in their last three away meetings, scoring more than 40 points in the process.
There will be no long-awaited return to the Shielfield track for the popular Alex Edberg, who had hoped to return to action following a horrific accident in early July when, after clipping the rear wheel of an opponent, he was sent through the safety fence. Edberg sustained a broken back, punctured lung, broken collarbone and broken ribs in the crash, but defied the doctors to recuperate and – after just one practice session in Sweden – turned out for his beloved Bandits again last weekend.
However, he has since suffered a reaction and will not ride this week.
“That’s such a pity, he seemed to be improving with every race at the weekend,” added Rae.
“We will use the rider-replacement regulation to cover his heats against the Wasps. For once the rulebook seems to be in our favour!”
LAWRENCE HEPPELL
