Berwick FTS Bandits, powered by Keenwood Karpets, ended a three-year away win drought and kept their outside chance of reaching the end-of-season play-off places alive by collecting four points at Oxford Cheetahs despite losing Jye Etheridge with a hand injury.
However, club bosses have confirmed that initial fears that Etheridge (pictured by Taz McDougall) had broken an index finger in an heat ten spill proved unfounded with X-Rays finding no permanent damage. The hand is still very swollen.
He misses the line-up when Berwick launch their Championship Jubilee League campaign at Glasgow Tigers on Friday (tapes-up 7.30pm).
Berwick will use rider-replacement to cover and the popular Aussie will undergo a fitness test on Saturday morning before a decision is made on whether he will face Redcar Bears in the Knockout Cup quarter-final second leg.
If he doesn’t pass then Aaron Summers – originally booked to guest for Leon Flint, representing Great Britain at the European Uncder-19 Pairs in Latvia – will instead cover for Etheridge in the No 5 berth with Flint’s rides and the rider-replacement facility switching to No 3 as Berwick look to maximise the impact of the facility.
Berwick riders are busy. Jonas Knudsen replaces Etheridge in the Belle Vue line-up at Ipswich on Thursday, Flint is in action for Wolverhampton at King’s Lynn and Chris Harris and Peterborough travel to Sheffield.
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