Berwick Bandits bounced back from their BSN Series semi-final defeat at Redcar Bears to record a 53-37 Cab Direct Championship victory over lowly Oxford Cheethas.
Reserve Jack Smith collected ten points and gave Danish rider Peter Kildemand, who scored 11 points, superb support with only former Edinburgh Monarchs skipper, Sam Masters, and Mitch McDiarmid the only Oxford racers to head him.
For much of the first half of the meeting it was Masters v the Bandits, his three race wins the only interruption to an avalanche of points which saw the home side leading by 18 after just seven heats.
Taking a tactical substitute ride, Masters then teamed up with Anders Rowe for a 5-1 in heat nine which kick-started an improved performance by the Cheetahs.
Kildemand beat Masters in the final race when, for most of the night, it had looked as if the Aussie visitor would complete his third maximum at the Borders circuit.
Sadly, Berwick have failed to reproduce the form they showed at Shielfield on the road and team manger Stewart Dickson admitted that the team “owed the fans one” after losing the first leg of the BSN semi-final at Redcar by 28 points.
The team boss said: “I demanded a response after Friday and got it, even though we allowed Oxford back into the meeting in the later stages.”
Bandits: Peter Kildemand 11+1, Jye Etheridge 5, Victor Palovaara 9, Joran Jenkins 4+2, Nick Morris 9+1, Jack Smith 10+3, Reid Battye 5
Cheetahs: Sam Masters 17, Luke Killeen 0, Edward Kennett 3, Mitch McDiarmid 8+1, Darryl Ritchings 5, Dayle Wood 1+1
ACTION: Photographer Keith Hamblin behind the lens at the Bandits v Cheetahs match
