Peter Kildemand and Nick Morris delivered as Berwick Bandits maintained their 100 per cent home record with a 49-41 victory over Plymouth Gladiators, but the visitors still claimed the aggregate bonus point.
The dynamic duo combined to post a 5-1 over the previously unbeaten Danny King and veteran Scott Nicholls in Heat 13 and then repeated it in a thrilling final race.
Eight heat wins for the visitors – three apiece for King and Ben Barker, one for Nicholls and Daniel Klima – meant that the home side took until Heat 10 to get their noses in front, skipper Jye Etheridge and Kildemand inflicting the only loss of the night on Barker.
But the visitors, featuring three track rookies, proved difficult to dislodge and Berwick had reason to be grateful to reserve Reid Battye and a strong finish to the night by Etheridge.
Nicholls’ exclusion for tape-touching in a Heat 15 when he was surprisingly nominated rather than Barker, proved crucial, ending Plymouth’s hopes of a draw.
The Gladiators led for much of the first half of the meeting, inflicting two 5-1 reverses on the home pairing of Victor Palovaara and Jordan Jenkins, racing for the first time this week despite obviously still being in discomfort from back and shoulder injuries which had sidelined him throughout the week.
Former Grand Prix stars Kildemand and Nicholls rolled back the years with an epic heat six encounter, clashing at high speed and the seven times British champion eventually claiming the win by just two-thousandths of a second.
A team meeting called by Stewart Dickson after heat nine saw the home boss calling for a strong finish from his team and Palovaara was the first to respond as he beat Nicholls, Jenkins’ third place levelling the scores again.
Kildemand made a shocking start in ten but then produced a sublime cutback off the second bend to join Etheridge for a 5-1.
But any hope that the home side was about to sail off into the distance were abruptly ended by back-to-back Plymouth 4-2s which levelled the scores again.
It could have been worse as the fast-starting visitors were in 5-1 positions in both heats. Morris hauled in Joe Thompson but couldn’t catch King and then Battye took three laps to get past his team-mate before passing Grmek but didn’t have time to haul in Klima.
When it mattered most Morris and Kildemand came up with the goods despite the efforts of King and aided by Nicholls’ exclusion for tape-touching in heat 15.
Bandits: Peter Kildemand 12+1, Jye Etheridge 7+1, Victor Palovaara 3, Jordan Jenkins 5, Nick Morris 11+2, Jack Smith 2+1, Reid Battye 9+2
Gladiators: Danny King 11, Jack Thompson 6+1, Daniel Klima 6+1, Ben Barker 10, Scott Nicholls 7+1, Azne Grmek 3, Ben Whalley 0
SKID DUO: Kildemand and Morris deliver for Bandits. Picture Meg Shootz
