Back In The Hunt

Well well well once again it appears we have a team that do not know when they are meant to be out of it!

After last Friday’s defeat at the Dale to Berwick it seemed our chances of progression in the League Cup were almost nil and while we may not finish up at the top of the group we have given ourselves a fighting chance after a tremendous and hard fought 48-42 victory at a damp and freezing Shielfield on Saturday night.

I said in my preview that I was quietly confident we could take something if our top men were firing and boy were they firing. The Bandits had little answer for our top trio with Ryan going through the card and being ably backed up by Sam and Kevin who were both only headed home by an opposition rider once apiece. 36 paid for 38 between our top three gave us the building blocks required to race to victory but backup was needed and this was to come in the form of Erik Riss. Erik looked strong in his opening rides scoring 2 solid third places heading home Jorgensen and Wethers comfortably. As he done so many times when it mattered last year he came to the fore when the chips were down securing a tapes to flag victory in heat 8 in what looked a tricky heat and again in heat 11 when we swung the match back in our favour.

As is often the case at Shielfield gating was key. Although in this instance it has to be said that a heavy shower at 6pm which would have caused the abandonment of the fixture if it hadn’t abated was to blame. In fact we had to wait till heat 14 to see the first pass of the evening. With conditions as they were it was clear to see from early we were in with a shout Sam, Kevin and Ryan all firing from the tapes to victory in their opening heats. We got a pleasant surprise in heat 2 also when Dan jumped out the start in second and rode 4 solid laps to comfortably head Liam Carr and he was nipping at Matty Weathers for the 4 laps also. The match was all square after 4 heats with the teams trading 4-2’s in the first couple of heats then a couple of 3-3’s. The Monarchs then took control with back to back 4-2’s Sam and Ryan leading from the front being backed up by Erik and Max picking up the 3rd when Thomas Jorgensen’s bike gave up on him at the start. If there was any small negative to take out of the night it was Max’s performance as he failed to beat an opponent all night. However we win as a team and we lose as a team and on this night this was not to come back to haunt us. We were held to 3-3’s over the next 3 heats and were 4 up after heat 9. We had had a remarkable run of 7 consecutive heat wins at this point but were struggling to pick up the minor places needed to pad our lead.

This was to come back to haunt us in heat 10 when for the only time on the night Kevin missed the start and could not make an impact as Jorgensen and Pijper raced to a 5-1 to even the score. An immediate response was needed and as so often over the last couple of years we got exactly what we needed straight away. Heat 11 looked strong for us with Sam and Erik up against Wethers and an unimpressive Alden. Our boys flew from the gate with Sam holding the inside allowing Erik to swoop round in to the lead. We would have to do it all again though as Matty ran into bend 3 a little too hot and came down awkwardly. The ambulance came out to check over Matty but he appears to be ok and was able to take further part in the meeting. In the re-run our boys repeated the trick and once again we were 4 up. Kevin found his gating boots again in heat 12 as we shared the spoils. Kevin riding a determined first and second bend to swoop round Kevin Doolan who must be said left the racing room required as he invariably always does.

Heat 13 looked strong for us with Sam and Ryan unbeaten and they weren’t to disappoint firing from the gate. While it wasn’t the most comfortable 5-1 with Ryan clearly faster being held back slightly by Sam with Jorgensen nipping at their back wheels we did what was required and we were 8 up with 2 to go so were guaranteed at least a draw. Heat 14 went as expected with Jye and Max being headed home by Theo and Wethers. Jye actually made the start in this one, he was passed coming out the second bend by Theo and managed to hold Matty behind him till the 3rd bend of lap 2 although to be fair Matty appeared to just be biding his time and it never looked like our young Aussie was going to hang on. Nights like tonight will be a learning curve for Jye and I wouldn’t have thought he has seen tracks or conditions like tonight too often back home in Oz.

So into the last heat we went needing to avoid a 1-5 to secure the win and looking for a 5-1 to secure the full 4 points. Our previously unbeaten duo of Sam and Ryan were chosen and were up against home men Pijper and Doolan. At the first attempt the race had to be stopped when Ryan and Doolan clashed on the 2nd bend. It was hard riding by Ryan with no quarter given but all 4 back was the decision when to be fair either of the two riders perhaps could have been disqualified for the re-run. Ryan for riding Doolan out wide and Doolan for laying it down instead of shutting off. Doolan certainly wasn’t happy and had a word with Ryan prior to the re-run. In the rerun it was Pijper who made the start with the Monarchs men packing the minor places. The Fish was not to be denied though and on the 3rd lap he dived up the banking going into the 3rd bend before cutting back and flying past the Dutchman in a majestic move. A 4-2 meant a final score of 48-42 to the Blue and Gold and while this meant we come away with three rather the full four points available it puts us back into contention in the group and we will look on in interest to see how Berwick get on at Ashfield later today.

A Visit To Bandit Country

After their win at Armadale last Friday we travel to Shielfield this evening looking for revenge against the Olympus Marquees Bandits in a League Cup encounter.

Berwick have started the season well and already look dialled in round their home shale having completed home victories over Redcar and Newcastle so far.

The Bandits will know that there win at the dale last week means nothing if they allow for a reverse in this fixture and you would imagine this is a must win for both teams if they are to qualify for the semi finals of the competition.

Star man for the Bandits so far this season has been Kevin Doolan. The likeable Aussie has been rolling back the years and has been paid for at least 12 points in four out of the six matches the Bandits have ridden so far and in one of the matches he didn’t he had 7 from 3 rides before the match was curtailed due to weather at Workington.

Backing up Doolan has been ex-Monarch Matthew Wethers. Stormy as he is affectionately known is making a mockery of his 4.96 starting average so far and has a current cma of 7.39 from the 6 matches ridden and must be one off if not the most dangerous reserve in the league (Sorry Glasgow fans Danny Ayres isn’t quite there yet) and we all know what Matty is capable off on any given night.

The Bandits are a solid outfit throughout with no obvious weak links. The one man who has not been firing so far this season is Anders Mellgren. The Swede has been riding with a knee injury he sustained while practicing before the season. This has flared up and Anders will miss the match on Saturday and perhaps up to a month after being told to rest up, Rider replacement will be in operation for Anders and some could argue this strengthens the Bandits further as on current form the riders eligible to replace him Theo Pijper, Liam Carr and the previously mentioned Wethers are all a safer bet for points.

The Border Roofing Monarchs know that we need to take all 4 points from tonight if we are to have a chance of reaching the Semi final and defending the trophy we have taken home each of the last two years and while we are yet to record a victory this season there may just be a quiet confidence in the camp as we travel to a track we have had sustained success at over the last few years. Sam, Ryan and Kevin all have strong performances at Shielfield on their resume. Ryan being paid for 14 as little as 7 days ago while guesting for Newcastle. Sam scoring paid 14 on his visit last year and Kevin putting in a double figure performance as we won in the league last year also.

The key battle will be in the middle and lower orders. Erik showed his liking for the circuit on his second visit last season and as always will look to improve on further visits to the track. Max will look to continue his fine form from Armadale last week and as the senior reserve we will look to him to try and subdue the Bandits pair as much as possible. Little will be expected from Jye or Dan but as we all know anything can happen if you pop out the gate at Shielfield and Jye has shown glimpses he is more than capable of that so far.

All in all an interesting tussle lies ahead on what looks to be a night to be well wrapped up down in Berwick this evening.