crescent girl

Your guys are next ---- Berwick haven't beaten Peterborough, home or away, since September of 1998. But this season, you're toast!

Getting back to the subject of the thread, this from today's Banditmail e-newsletter: We have many younger supporters who weren't born when your Bandits last beat the Monarchs at Armadale! The West Lothian arena had become a haunted house, a real bogey track for Berwick, with many border folk despairing of ever seeing another win there after that single triumph away back in 1998. In the last century. All this changed last Friday however, as the Olympus Marquees Bandits dug deep to defeat the reigning Premier League champions and League Cup-holders 46-44 in a nerve-tingler of a League Cup match. It was cold and it was damp, but with conditions the same for both teams, your bold Bandits held their nerve in the closing sequences of a contest in which they were never actually trailing their hosts. A win in Heat 14 for Matty Wethers after he smoothly cut back inside Erick Riss ensured at least a draw, but this was just a scene-setter for the last race, which saw Kevin Doolan splitting Sam Masters and Kevin Wolbert to grab second place and cue frantic celebrations! Although we didn't have a huge travelling support (we bet a few of you wish now that you'd gone) you can watch it happen -- we will have copies of the match DVD on sale in our Track Shop this Saturday at just £7. Something to think about, by the way is that Sam Masters scored a faultless 15-point maximum for the home side, but still ended up on the losing team. So, next time you hear someone sounding off that a club "must have an out-and-out Number One" to succeed, just have a quiet smile to yourself and think of Friday..........

No prizes for guessing that all Banditos will be hoping for a home win.

Well, The Fish collected his paid 14 as a guest for Newcastle at Berwick last week, and if he only scores (say) 13 for his own club at the same track, against the same opposition, this Saturday is Lewy going to be jumping up and down screaming "I told you so"?

Ryan was flyin' at Berwick on Saturday night. He had one not-so-good ride at Armadale against Berwick's match-winning Jorgensen/Pijper pairing, but otherwise did a fair job. Doubtless he'll do the business again this weekend, both against Glasgow on Friday and again at Berwick on Saturday. He's also box-office, and speedway needs every personality it can get.

A change in Newcastle's team. Tero Aarnio has withdrawn (that pesky knee again) and will be rider-replaced at No 3. Ryan Fisher will now guest at No 2.

Dan Bewley has the great (no other word applies) Steve Lawson in his pit this term, so expect the lad to get sound racing advice and be shown a great example on how to conduct himself.

Agree on your first point absolutely. On the second, how do we know they aren't?

Obviously!

Glad to sift these words out of a series of very scornful posts aboutt Dan Bewley. As a matter of interest, who would you prefer Edinburgh had chosen as their No 7?

Ah. To quote Joe E Brown..... Nobody's perfectt!

More details on Ladies Night in today's e-newsletter: LADIES NIGHT IN HOSPITALITY! Well, it hasn't taken long for this bright idea to catch public interest! Last Saturday night, everyone was talking about the concept of a ladies-only evening in hospitality, and a few groups and pairs of girls were already laying plans and discussing their wardrobes. It also hasn't taken long for the bookings to start coming in! Which brings us to the point that, although our Hospitality Suite is large and roomy, numbers will be limited -- so make your enquiries, and your reservations, earlier rather than later. After all, by this Saturday the big night will only be four weeks away...... It's all just another first for Berwick, we think! On Saturday night, May 7th (when Newcastle are back in town) we have a very special evening planned for the Hospitality Suite -- and gentlemen need not apply! We will be having a full-blown Ladies Night -- with bubbly on arrival, the famous Bandits Buffet, a fully-stocked bar and -- after racing is over, a Ladies Night Disco in the Suite until 11pm! Girls, this is your big night! Dump the guys for this one, leave them out in the stand or on the terraces and book your girlie-group in for the real deal. Ladies will pay just £35, receiving in return -- in addition to the welcoming bubbly and later disco -- entry to the meeting, souvenir programme, pre-match photo with one of the Olympus Marquees Bandits, exclusive use of the suite, the magnificent hot and cold buffet and drinks vouchers, which are redeemable at the exclusive private bar area within our Suite.. Ladies will also be acknowledged in our match programme and by centre-green 'plugs' from the announcer's box and centre-green on the night. Any lady, or group of girls wishing to book themselves in for this exclusive and entertaining evening on May 7th, should phone or text Vicky on her New Hospitality Line (07793-004552) or e-mail bbschospitality2016@icloud.com.

The second leg, which was set for April 30th, will now take place later in the year, per Berwick's e-newsletter this afternoon: SCUNNY BACK ON! It gets more and more complicated! Following difficulties emerging from Scunthorpe being unable to come to Shielfield Park with a full team on any date other than the originally-fixtured April 30th, our first Premier League match of 2016 will (once again) be against the Scorpions on that night. This means the visit of Workington Comets for the second leg of the Border Trophy will now have to be carried forward until later in the season. We would acknowledge the assistance of Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey in trying very hard to make the planned changes come together before admitting defeat, and the co-operation of Workington's Tony Jackson and Laura Morgan in now stepping back from two different dates!

From the home team e-newsletter: With the Tweed-Tees Trophy already on the club's mantelpiece, this Saturday brings Newcastle's Diamonds to Shielfield Park, with another trophy up for grabs. This time it'll be for "the other TTT" -- the Tyne-Tweed Trophy -- and after last week's big win and big crowd, your Olympus Marquees Bandits are fully intending to repeat the process on all fronts. "We had a great turn-out of people last week on a pretty cold and dismal evening, so there has to be every prospect of even more folk coming along this week to find out more about the new 'Bandits' Buzz' they are hearing about around town" said Dennis McCleary. "Our boys rolled Redcar over, but Newcastle look pretty formidable this year and in Robert Lambert they have one of the brightest young British talents to emerge in years -- this will be a pretty stiff test. But with the level of support we've been experiencing at both home and away meetings so far, the Bandits will be encouraged by their fans, and we're looking at a really intense local derby!" The Brough Park 'Diamond Geezers' will arrive without Stevie Worrall, who will be riding at Leicester for Belle Vue (his Elite League team) and with Sheffield's Kyle Howarth coming in as a guest in place of our old friend Matej Kus, who has been recalled by his Czech federation for a continental event. Bandits: 1. Thomas, 2. Theo, 3. Kevin, 4. Anders, 5. Seb, 6. Matty, 7. Liam Diamonds: 1. Robert Lambert, 2. Stevie Worrall (r/r), 3. Tero Aarnio, 4. Ludvig Lindgren, 5. Kyle Howarth (guest), 6. Lewis Rose, 7. Danny Phillips.

What underlining? Anyway, as opinions are divided on whether Seb should've been excluded or not, why not rustle up a copy of the Tapes Up Productions DVD of the meeting -- available from their website, or from the Berwick Track Shop?

Berwick once again show the rest how to do it. Covers were a superb success, public thanks to Olympus Marquees for providing the materials, Ian Rae, Scott Courtney and the gallant track staff for their hard work, laying and lifting them.

I think Eddie, by providing the link direct into the club's website, did exactly so.

We can but hope.....

Exhaustively.

As at the time of writing, both teams should be as per programme.

Ooops! My mistake (how do you cancel a whole post?)

It does seem that Newcastle (and some other clubs) will face a significant number of this season's matches with riders missing. This is a result of these promotions choosing to staff the side with some riders who will have over-riding other-league commitments, and is perhaps likely to affect the overall performance of what are on paper very good-looking squads. The authorities' slipping-in of the regulation authorising guests instead of plain r/r for otherwise-engaged British riders has encouraged PL clubs to create a monster for themselves and their fans, with some looking as though their teams will be staffed by a revolving-door policy of guests. Too much priority has been given to EL clubs by these rulings, with the PL once again being totally-screwed by the 'big league'. Time now to step away, run their own affairs again, divorced from the EL overlords?

Getting back to the club...... Ladies' Night on May 7th should be a blast --- lock up your sons!

The rule is pretty clear. Crystal-clear compared to some amendments in the past! No T/R in League Cup. End of..... The normally-efficient referee Peter Clarke who allowed it, and Sheffield management who accepted it being used against them must have had red faces when they realised what had slipped through. BSPA/SCB should make a quiet amendment to result. No big deal. Although Auty's extra points haven't affected match result, if -- a big if, I agree -- the LC section came down to race points, and these three extra points made a difference.........

All season tickets, and any pre-dated tickets (for March 26th) are of course valid for this Saturday. Big foam fingers still available for the first 200 kids. All systems go (again)!