Derby revenge for Diamonds over Bandits
Newcastle Advance Fire and Security Diamonds in association with SecuriCorp................................... 47 Berwick FTS Bandits Powered by Keenwood Karpets......................42
FOLLOWING the 54-36 defeat at the hands of the Berwick Bandits the night before, the Newcastle Diamonds welcomed the Bandits to Brough Park yesterday afternoon in the Championship looking for local derby revenge.
Berwick’s Leon Flint was covered by rider replacement after falling the night before when celebrating with team mate Theo Pijper, while Bradley Wilson-Dean was covered by Newcastle by guest replacement, Kyle Howarth.
Heat One was a straight 3-3 won well by Chris Harris ahead of Matthew Wethers and guest Kyle Howarth.
However Heat Two came to an unscheduled halt on the fourth bend when Ty Proctor got well out of shape and clattered into the airfence and took George Congreve down as well, with the Bandit excluded from the re-run once the fence had been repaired.
Further delay came when it was discovered that to get a county ambulance in would take a huge about of time, so the track ambulance took Proctor to the RVI, returning once his transfer had taken place in the city.
The re-run started at 5.30pm, 90 minutes after start time, but Kyle Bickley hit the deck on the first bend, necessitating a second re-run of the most extended heat in decades. George Congreve straightened up at speed on the fourth bend and t-boned Bickley bringing both down. Congreve was excluded and the race awarded a 3-2 to the Diamonds, but thankfully both riders were fit and well, the score now 6-5.
James Wright and Max Clegg made light work of Jye Etheridge and Theo Pijper in Heat Three’s home 5-1, while Berwick pulled two back in Heat Five with a 2-4 won well by Harris over Wright as Clegg fell when well to the rear on the last lap to be excluded with the result awarded score now 16-13.
Heat Seven saw Wells in as the R/R ride for Flint having just won Heat Six, but found himself in third place behind his partner Pijper as Starke went away to win well in the shared 3-3, taking the score to 22-19.
Wethers motored hard behind Etheridge in Heat Eight, getting right up with the Bandit on the third lap and just missing the win, well deserved by the Bandit in another 3-3, maintaining Newcastle’s threepoint lead, 25-22 before Wells gated hard in Heat Nine to lead well on the first bend chased well by Clegg who was right alongside him off the second bend of the second lap.
Wells hung on and shared the race again.
Wells came in as a tactical substitute in the 11th for Etheridge but ended up at the back, hitting the gas hard to chase Complin and passing him on the second lap, but had to defend hard to keep his point as Harris took the win over Starke in a Bandits 2-4, the score now 35-30.
Bickley shocked the stadium by gating hard and leading Heat 12, chased by Complin who was then passed by Pijper to form an unexpected Bandits 1-5, Wright at the back which brought the teams to within one point, 36-35.
Harris ended Heat 13 at the back as Howarth took the win in a home 4-2, to now put Newcastle three up with two heats to go, but Bickley took a third over Complin in the 14th as Pijper chased hard behind the leading Clegg in a 3-3, and with one heat to go, the score was 43-40, leaving Berwick the task to get a 1-5 to steal victory from the Diamonds.
Starke and Howarth led in the last heat but Harris hit the gas and raced wide and hard to take second and almost take the win but with Starke’s win the home 4-2 gave the win to Newcastle 47-42.
Individual Riders’ Score
Newcastle Kyle Howarth (guest) 10+1, Matthew Wethers 7+2, James Wright 6+1, Max Clegg 7+1, Paul Starke 12, Lee Complin 5+1, George Congreve 0
Berwick Chris Harris 11, Jye Etheridge 5, Rider Replacement (Leon Flint), Theo Pijper 7+1, Ricky Wells 12+1, Ty Proctor 0, Kyle Bickley 7+2, Luke Crang 0