A WINNING BEGINNING?

Cinderella lost her slipper at midnight. .

Actually, she might have lost a bit more than that – no-one really knows what Cinders and the Prince got up to round the back of the Royal bike-sheds earlier on that evening – but we do know about the footwear.

However, for folks intending to check in to see how your new-look, unbeaten-at-home Jewson Bandits are going to get on against the mighty Pirates of Poole tomorrow, remember you’ll chuck away more than a sweaty slipper if you don’t pick up your e-ticket (from https://www.berwickspeedway.com/tickets/) before midnight.

Now don’t get me wrong, even if you choose to wait until tomorrow, passing up the 10% early-bird discount, you’ll still be getting the Championship’s best deal – an adult, parking for free right beside the stadium and bringing two or three under-15 teenagers in with them, can have seats under cover in the home straight grandstand for £20 all in on the night, or just £18 with the discount.

I feel our promotion aren’t praised enough for their pricing strategies, so I thought I might chuck in that tuppenceworth. So there.

Looking at tomorrow’s meeting, I’m truly hopeful the Jewson Bandits (and isn’t it grand to have such a nationally well-known company backing the boys?) will continue their run of home-track successes against Jack Sparrow’s lads, getting the Championship campaign off to a winning beginning.

It won’t be easy.

Last season, Poole ‘only’ won the BSN Trophy and were runners-up in both league and KO Cup finals – that was a record the rest of us could only dream of aspiring to, even if a few of their local forum fannies (yes, they’ve got their share, too) seemed to think it was a ‘disappointing’ season.

Aye, right. I’ll take that kind of disappointment every year or so………….

I can’t move on without mentioning 1989.

That was the first season I was honoured to have been invited by the Fairbairn family to join the Bandits as promoter.

It was one of the happiest seasons (so far) in my speedway life.

We were third in the National League, we were the only team to beat eventual (inevitable) champions Poole on their home circuit, David Blackburn was on the podium at the NLRC at Coventry and — oh yes — we raced the mighty Pirates again, in the KO Cup Final.

They had future GP stars such as Leigh Adams and Craig Boyce headlining their impressive attack, we were a bunch of boys who just loved racing as Bandits, carrying a team spirit I don’t think I’ve witnessed or experienced — anywhere — before or since.

You maybe know how it went.

Down at Poole, before TV cameras and their biggest crowd of the season, superbly-managed by Davie Fairbairn we went down by just four points, 50-46. David Backburn and Mark Courtney lifting 28 points between them.

Four nights later, before (again, and by far) our biggest attendance of that great year, the job was completed by 63-33. Blackie and Mark again leading from the front with a combined 27 points.

Happy, happy days.

It was a happy night for Freddy Hodder this past Tuesday, as he eased himself into the British U-21 Final with a handy podium place down at Plymouth in the eliminator.

We need to remember that young Fred (not to be confused with his grandfather, also Fred, who raced for Coventry Bees back in the day) has only just turned 18 and is probably the least-experienced 2-point reserve in our league.

Every point he scores this season probably means he has beaten a rider, or riders who are older and more-experienced.

Stewart Dickson constructed our squad carefully this year, and our youngest Bandit is ready to pick up on his Plymouth scoring tomorrow, I’m sure. Freddy is ready!

Finally, as some may know, former Berwick Bandit Ian Paterson, who over the years built up what I believe was the world’s best, most-comprehensive collection of classic speedway bikes, isn’t keeping the best of health.

Ian has been forced to close his world-famous “From Cinder To Shale” museum up at Loanhead, and all his bikes (over a hundred of them!) plus a huge array of race-jackets and other memorabilia, will go under the hammer of H.J.Pugh down at Ledbury, on July 5/6.

Two full days to dispose of an Aladdin’s Cave full of speedway history.

More details, plus an online and printed brochure – there will be worldwide interest — will be available shortly.

I’m not suggesting any of us can put our savings on the line to snap up a “bargain” Rudge, Indian or Vincent speedway bike, each of which is likely to go for well over £25K – but with so much memorabilia going under the hammer in July, there might just be a special race-jacket, or something else close to one’s heart, in there at a bargain price.

I’m just devastated that wee Ian isn’t well.

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Want to disagree with Dick (as so many do)? He is always happy to hear from interesting people on dick@crystalfm.co.uk