Reid Battye cleans up at Berwick Bandits end-of-season awards

Australian Reid Battye capped a fine debut season with Berwick Bandits by clocking up the silverware at the Borderers’ end of season presentation evening over the weekend.

The 25-year-old missed nearly three months of the campaign after fracturing vertebrae and his sternum, but still ended his first term in British speedway with an average of over five points, and a Knockout Cup winners’ medal.

The New South Walian was named Rider of the Year by the Berwick Bandits’ Supporters’ Club, BanditsTV, and in an online vote organised by the club’s website.

Peter Kildemand whose final season before retirement ended prematurely after a crash in the second leg of the cup final, was voted Rider of the Year by his Bandits’ teammates.

Battye and Nick Morris had already agreed 2027 contracts with Berwick, but in an added end-of-season boost, Bandits owner Jamie Courtney told those attending the evening at a packed Black and Gold Club that captain Jye Etheridge and Jordan Jenkins would also be returning next term.

And there was a big cheer when it was announced that Drew Kemp - winner of that evening’s Silver Helmet event at Redcar - had also agreed to return to the club where he previously spent two seasons, ending the 2024 campaign as Berwick’s number one.

The Bandits were in a particularly celebratory mood having scooped a first KO Cup in almost four decades with an emphatic two-legged win over Plymouth Gladiators earlier this month. Their 26-point triumph saw the Borderers lift the trophy for the first time since 1989.