Berwick Bandits still have all to race for after mid-season break


A trip to Oxford on Wednesday, July 24, is followed by away and home (July 26 and 27) fixtures against Edinburgh, the one side currently below them in the nine-team Championship table.
With 15 points left to be won the Bandits could reach 22 points, which would theoretically be enough to qualify for the play-offs.
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Hide AdFourth-placed Workington are currently four points clear of Berwick having raced two meetings less, but with the Cumbrians still to face the Bandits twice, anything is possible.
But first Berwick have to halt a six-match losing streak made worse by the loss of their outstanding riders of the season – Bastian Borke and Rory Schlein.
They couldn’t face a tougher test than a trip to an Oxford side currently sitting on top of the table and unbeaten at home.
Berwick will be hoping that Lewis Kerr, who began the season in Oxford’s top flight team, The Spires, and the man who somewhat controversially replaced him in a mid-season personnel switch, Drew Kemp, can use their knowledge of the tight Sandy Lane track to cause an upset.
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Hide AdA more realistic target will be the five points on offer against Edinburgh later in the week.
Berwick have already beaten the Monarchs in the early season BSN Series and had travelled to Armadale hopeful of clocking up a double only to be robbed of the services of both Kemp and Jye Etheridge after the team-mates crashed in their second ride.
A light fixture list and the fact that Berwick are the only club not to have suffered a rained-off meeting this season means they have not raced as a team since the June 22 home defeat at the hands of Glasgow and have slid down the table as their opponents begin to race their meetings in hand.
“The break has allowed a few battered bodies the chance to work their way back to fitness. But now they have to come back strongly and fight for the points at stake,” team boss Stewart Dickson said.
“There is no reason to believe the season is over and I will be telling the riders to fight for every point and end the campaign strongly.”
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