BERWICK Bandits got their three-day southern tour under way last night at bottom-of-the-table Plymouth Devils, but they lost a tough Premier League match.
Scunthorpe’s top man David Howe deputised for injured Bandit number one Sebastian Alden and proved his worth by beating Devil Ben Barker in heat one.
But freshly back from serious injury, Alex Edberg pulled up and slowed at the rear in a great deal of pain in the 3-3.
Devil’s reserves relegated Jade Mudgway and Mitch Davey into a 4-2 position in the second to give the home side a two-point advantage, but Josef Franc made the best start of his season in heat three to win well with Linus Eklof securing an easy maximum for Berwick, who led 8-10.
Complin made mincemeat of heat four with Ricky Wells helping extend the lead to four. Howe destroyed heat but Edberg retired as the tapes went up in a 3-3.
Davey rescued a share of the spoils in the sixth race by shooting up the inside of Jamie Courtney on the final bend of the race, preserving his side’s four-point lead, but the score was 21-21 after the seventh before a Devils 4-2 put them in the lead 25-23 by the end of heat eight before they took a maximum 5-1 in the ninth.
A fiercely-fought heat ten 3-3 was followed by the third win off the belt for guest-man Howe, Franchetti dropping a chain on the opening lap leaving the way free for a Berwick 2-4, reducing the visitors’ deficit to four again.
Howe went into his fourth ride for the Bandits, but against Barker it was never going to be easy, and so it proved with the pair battling tooth and nail throughout before the Berwick guest suffered his first defeat of the night in a Devils 4-2.
A Berwick 2-4 in the penultimate race left the Bandits with a simple task – take a maximum 1-5 to draw the meeting and claim two league points.
But it had to be run twice with Barker ending up in the fence on bend one. Despite his crash, he rode like there was no tomorrow in the second attempt as he and Wells battled to the front to score a well-earned 5-1 for a final score of 49-41.
Team manager Ian Rae said: “This was an excellent performance for the Bandits, with all putting in some great moves and taking some well earned points, and it was great to see Alex Edberg back.”
l BANDITS roll into South Wales tonight (7pm) for another league match at the Newport Wasps, followed up tomorrow (2pm) at the Rye House Rockets.
Newcastle Diamonds sign off their disastrous 2011 season tomorrow at Brough Park in a Premier League meeting against the Plymouth Devils (6.30pm).
PLYMOUTH DEVILS: Ben Barker (Captain) 14, Jamie Courtney (Guest) 1+1, Tyson Nelson (Guest) 10, Jesper Kristiansen – Rider replacement, Ricky Wells 12+2, Gino Franchetti 7+1, James Cockle 5+1
BERWICK BANDITS: David Howe 12, Alex Edberg 1, Linus Eklof 5+3, Josef Franc 8, Lee Complin (Captain) 6, Mitch Davey 3+1, Jade Mudgway 6
WEEKEND’S LINE-UPS
BERWICK BANDITS: David Howe, Alex Edberg, Linus Eklof, Josef Franc, Lee Complin (Captain), Mitch Davey, Jade Mudgway
NEWPORT WASPS: Charlie Gjedde, Jason Doyle – Rider replacement, Robin Aspegren, Anders Mellgren, Leigh Lanham (Captain), Mark Jones, Todd Kurtz
RYE HOUSE ROCKETS: Chris Neath (Captain), Richie Hawkins, Luke Bowen (if fit), Steve Boxall, Jordan Frampton, Tyson Nelson, James Brundle
NEWCASTLE DIAMONDS: Derek Sneddon, Richie Worrall, Mark Lemon, Kyle Newman – Rider replacement, Claes Nedermark, Stuart Robson, guest for Joe Haines
PLYMOUTH DEVILS: Gino Franchetti, Ricky Wells, Ben Barker (Captain), Jesper Kristiansen – Rider replacement, James Cockle, Plus two guests to be confirmed