Kemp and Etheridge steer Bandits to victory over Bears

Drew Kemp and Jye Etheridge teamed up to steer Berwick Jewson Bandits to a 47-43 win, their first victory at Redcar in nine years.

Team manager Stewart Dickson demanded an action replay of that form in the Borders on Saturday (tapes-up 7pm).

Kemp (pictured) and Etheridge helped inflict the fifth defeat of the season on the Bears and support came from captain Rory Schlein’s ten-point haul and young Danish rider Bastian Borke.

Indeed, only a shed chain after he had worked his way into a 5-1 position behind Schlein, denied Borke the chance to join Kemp at the head of the visitors’ score charts.

Charles Wright again led the way with four emphatic race wins for Bears but, crucially, he ran a last in Heat 13 as Schlein and guest Tom Brennan kept their side on course for the victory.

Berwick had to work hard for the win at the Ecco Arena and Bandits go into Saturday’s return with a warning – ringing from team manager Stewart Dickson.

He said: “The boys responded well after we had an earnest conversation during the Poole meeting and I am delighted for them and for the team as a whole. We’ve immediately righted the Pirates’ blemish.

“But it is important that we get consistency of performance week-in, week-out and there is no point doing all the hard work at Redcar and then letting it slip again in the return fixture.

“I’ll be stressing that it’s back to a blank canvas on Saturday and everyone needs to be focussed and concentrated again from Heat One.”

Bears: Charles Wright 12, Jonas Knudsen 3, Connor Bailey 5+2, Jason Edwards 7, Ben Barker 9+1, Jake Mulford 5, Ben Trigger 3+1

Bandits: Tom Brennan 6+1, Danyon Hume 2+1, Jye Etheridge 8+3, Drew Kemp 11, Rory Schlein 10, Freddy Hodder 1+1, Bastian Borke 9+1