Bandits pip Panthers by a point

Berwick Bandits: 47 Peterborough Panthers: 46 SGB Championship

BACK on May 20 this year, the Berwick Bandits finally defeated the Peterborough Panthers for the first time in more than 18 years and welcomed the Panthers back to Shielfield Park.

Both teams operated rider-replacement, Berwick for Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen and Bradley Wilson-Dean for Peterborough due to injury.

And it was the home side who took the early lead after a superb gate from Nick Morris to roar away for the win in a home 4-2, while Jye Etheridge led Heat Two well from the off but hit a rut on the first bend of the second lap and faulted, letting Simon Lambert through to win in a shared 3-3.

Kevin Doolan took a fine win in the third having battled well with Ulrich Ostergaard hitting hard from behind, but hit a loose bit of track and allowed Doolan to take an easier win in a 3-3, and with a third share in the fourth the score moved on to 13-11.

Dany Gappmaier made another gate in Heat Five and rode a great four laps to hold out Worrall who put in a huge effort off the last bend.

But with Doolan in third, Berwick took another 4-2 extending their lead to 17-13, which progressed to 22-14 after Doolan and Morris relegated to third after a brilliant second bend for a solid Berwick maximum.

There was an untroubled win for Ostergaard in the sixth over a fast-looking Howe, before Morris took a 5-1 with a magnificent pass from Jack Parkinson-Blackburn, who forced his way round Lambert in a thrilling move off bend four.

But with the score now 29-19, Holder was named as a tactical ride in the ninth race and won well for six points as Lambert held out Doolan well for a Panthers’ 1-8 narrowing the gap to 30-27.

Ostergaard and Morris went down hard on the first bend of Heat 10, with Morris quickly getting up. Morris shot back to the pits but Ostergaard had twisted a knee and had to take an ambulance trip to the fourth bend base, but made it out for the eventual re-run, in which Paul Starke soared away to win ahead of Etheridge as Ostergaard battled hard for third over Morris who retired when at the back.

That 2-4 narrowed the score to 32-31 with five races left.

Worrall tangled with Ostergaard on the third bend of Heat 11, as Worrall spun and ended up facing the traffic.

Both fell but Worrall was the guilty party and subsequently excluded from the re-run, won by Ostergaard – a Bandits’ 4-2 taking the score to 36-33. Parkinson-Blackburn executed another brilliant pass in Heat 12 round Lambert off bend four, and squeezed down an ever narrowing gap on the home straight, but slowed into bend one and fell awkwardly into the foam fence to be excluded from the re-run which resulted in a good win for Gappmaier in a 3-3 after ParkinsonBlackburn had been cautiously taken into the ambulance complaining of upper back pain.

Doolan was taking a comfortable second place in an away 2-4 in Heat 14, but coming down the home straight lifted violently when is throttle jammed open and fell at high speed, his bike and himself hammering into the first bend fence and while the rider was fine, the result was awarded a Peterborough 1-5 and with one to go the score was now 43-44.

In a brilliant Heat 15 Morris was out in front but Howe eased his way into a match-winning second place round Holder and held it well behind Ostergaard. Howe recorded a 4-2 finalising the match at 47-46.