Berwick Bullets angry as refereeing decisions go against them in run-off against Kent Royals

Danny Phillips of Berwick Bullets in action against Kent Royals. Picture: Nia Martin

Berwick’s boss Jamie Courtney was unhappy with a string of controversial refereeing decisions after his side lost out on an aggregate bonus point after a Superheat run-off against Kent Royals.

Royals’ number one Ben Morley strolled to a five-ride maximum and then lead home team-mate Nathan Ablitt in the Superheat, visitors Greg Blair and Connor Coles unable to land a blow on the home side on Sunday.

Two 0-5s and the exclusion of Blair were vital to Kent being able to pull back the 20 points they had lost by in a fog-shortened corresponding fixture at Shielfield Park eight days previously, all hinging on exclusion calls by referee Simon Humphrey Kennett.

All three went against Berwick, Blair being punished with a fine for an outburst over the pits’ telephone to the referee after he ended up in the fence following a racing clash with Royals’ Tom Woolley.

“That was probably the worst of a couple of shocking decisions that went against us,” Courtney said.

As early as heat two the visitors were aggrieved as guest Chris Watts looked to have nowhere to go in a typical domino-effect entry into bend one, but was excluded.

In the rerun Connor King and Berwick’s other guest Jason Garrad were battling until the final bend when the Royals’ reserve ended up in the fence and the yellow exclusion light came on after Garrad took the chequered flag, Sam Wooley – the length of a straight back when Garrad dived inside his team-mate – earning a fortuitous second place.

Garrad finished second in heat four and then linked with Coles for what was looking like a comfortable maximum heat win when Jack Kingston slid off on the second lap, Tom Woolley taking advantage to split the Berwick pairing in the rerun.

Bullets’ heat wins were at a premium but Blair obliged in eight and he was looking good again in the following heat until Tom Woolley steered him into the air fence.

Garrad fell in heat 11, but Coles won the rerun to leave Bullets trailing by 15 points with three heats to go.

Royals got their second 5-0 in heat 14 and Morley strolled to his maximum in the rerun heat 15, the heat and aggregate scores shared, setting up that heart-breaking Superheat.