New Berwick Bandit Nick Morris leads the charge in win against Scunthorpe
Nick Morris made a spectacular return to form as Berwick Bandits romped to their biggest win of the season.
The Australian, who joined last week after a two-year doping ban, dropped just one point to a Scunthorpe opponent, his 13-point haul laying the foundations for a fine performance from Berwick’s top four.
Captain Drew Kemp and Peter Kildemand added 10 apiece and there was an eight-point haul from Jonas Jeppesen as the Bandits also claimed the aggregate bonus point.
There was also drama as Sam Hagon was thrown violently into the fence after shedding a chain at high speed but picked himself off the deck to score two spectacular race wins on his way to seven points.
Steve Worrall, 16, and Simon Lambert, 12, scored all but six of their side’s points, taking seven rides apiece, Worrall spoiling the maximum hopes of Morris and Kemp in separate outings.
The three points and an aggregate point picked up the previous night in the 43-47 loss at Redcar made for a fruitful weekend for a Berwick side which now has just four meetings left to reach the post season knockouts.
Kemp and Jeppesen combined for two vital 5-1s in Cleveland but the pair could not repeat the feat in a spectacular last heat decider which saw all four riders lead the race at one point or another.
Jeppesen led the way with 13 points while Kemp and Kildemand – the impressive winner of his first two rides – again ended with 10 each.
Morris struggled to find the right set up on the Redcar track and with Hagon, Dayle Wood and Jack Smith managing just six points between them, the home side had enough in hand to take the win.
Redcar are one of a group of teams including Berwick and Scunthorpe involved in the battle for the two play-off places behind Poole and Glasgow who are well clear at the top of the Championship table.
Berwick must now wait until their trip to Plymouth on August 23 for their next team outing although Kemp, Jeppesen, Hagon and Morris are all involved in top flight action with their respective Premiership clubs.
Visiting teams always find Plymouth’s tiny Coliseum track a handful but Kemp has already scored a maximum there this season while guesting for Glasgow.