Berwick’s hopes of reaching a second 2026 cup final hang by the slenderest of threads after a chastening evening in Cleveland. The second leg is on July 18.
Six days after a superb performance against Poole Pirates to book their first appearance in the Knockout Cup final for 37 years, Bandits chose the first leg of the BSN Series semi-final to produce a poor performance.
Holders Redcar Bears must be hugely confident of progress after rattling off nine successive heat advantages on their way to a 27-point lead.
A mini rally saw Peter Kildemand (pictured) and Victor Palovaara orchestrate back-to-back 4-2s leading up to the interval, but a fifth 5-1 in heat 14 underlined Redcar’s dominance.
Kildemand was head and shoulders the best visitor on show but even he could only manage a solitary race win as Berwick were given a gating lesson by a Redcar side once again well served by reserves Jody Scott and Ace Pijper.
Bears: Nikolai Klindt 14, Simon Lambert 2, Jake Mulford 4, Jason Edwards 12+1, Jake Allen 8+1, Ace Pijper 8+1, Jody Scott 10+2
Bandits: Peter Kildemand 10, Jye Etheridge 6, Victor Palovaara 6, Jordan Jenkins 3, Nick Morris 3, Jack Smith 2, Reid Battye 1
Elsewhere, Glasgow Allied Vehicles Tigers beat Oxford 43-23 at Ashfield to extend their lead at the top of the Cab Direct Championship table despite the absence of No1 Kyle Howarth and German star Mario Hausl.
The meeting was abandoned after Heat 11 due to heavy rain, but it was an impressive showing until that point with three successive 5-1s giving the home side complete control. Glasgow earn the aggregate bonus point.
Cami Brown, Glasgow’s team manager, said: “It was a huge blow to lose Kyle with an ankle injury after he crashed at Leicester on Thursday night.
“He’s hoping to be back fairly quickly for next week, but Dan Thompson came in and did a great job for us as did Vinnie Foord.”
He added: “It’s always a worry when you have to rely on guest riders, however all the boys got stuck in and delivered a really gutsy and gritty display in the heavy rain.
“Everyone had a good night apart from Freddy (Hodder). He was dogged with bike problems which is disappointing for him.
“A special mention for Sam (Hagon) who delivered another terrific performance. He seems to have turned a corner and looks full of confidence.
“Chris (Harris) was superb and unbeaten while Leon (Flint) is also looking very classy now.”
Brown said it is great to be top of the league and added: “The objective is to stay in the top four and reach the play-offs.”
Glasgow: Sam Hagon 10+1, Chris Harris 8+1, Dan Thompson 8, Leon Flint 7+1, Kevin Juhl Pedersen 6+1, Vinnie Foord 4+2, Freddy Hodder 0.
Oxford: Sam Masters 7, Dayle Wood 6, Edward Kennett 4+1, Luke Killeen 3+1, Anders Rowe 2, Darryl Ritchings 1, Max Perry 0.
