SGB Championship: Berwick Bandits 34, Redcar Bears 50 (meeting abandoned after 14 heats because of noise curfew but the result stands)
Berwick Bandits bosses claimed there were green shoots after their first win over Peterborough Panthers in the Borders in their last home meeting.
Last night, the Borders team skidded to a 50-34 defeat on their own track to Redcar Bears and remain at the bottom of the ten-strong Championship table with four points from 12 meetings. Redcar move into the top four with the four points they earned at Berwick.
Earlier, Bandits lost the first two heats 4-2 but a 5-1 in the third thanks to David Howe and Lewis Bridger levelled the score at 9-9.
However, a 5-1 against Bandits in the next race saw them fall four points adrift. The home side closed the gap to two points after Heat Six but another 5-1 against them two heats later saw Bandits 27-21 behind.
A long delay was caused by a nasty crash followed in Heat Nine when Howe came wide on the second bend and clipped a fence. Eye-witnesses said it flew up and hit opposition rider Danny Ayres on the head and it would not cut out.
A safety marshall was hit by the runaway bike and skipper Kevin Doolan and Redcar rider Ben Barker, a former Berwick racer, eventually stopped it.
Racing resumed with only 30 minutes left before the noise curfew and back-to-back 4-2 wins for Redcar took the visitors to a 38-28 lead after Heat 11.
Howe then withdrew from the meeting suffering after the earlier crash then Bandits were hit by a 5-1 in Heat 12 and then a 4-3 by red-hot Redcar who moved 47-31 ahead with two races left.
And the sides drew Heat 14 before the meeting was abandoned because of the noise curfew.
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