Another good man down

It appears that our 2022 injury jinx is not confined to the track.

Just as we were celebrating the return of Leon and Ty – even if Jye continues to be a one-armed Bandit for the foreseeable future, June 6 he tentatively currently predicts – the news filtered through that we had another man down.

Mr Berwick Speedway – Mr Berwick Sport for that matter – the man who can and often has and inevitably will; currently announcer, timekeeper, incident recorder, average calculator, programme columnist, general get-it-doner, formerly promoter, referee, team manager, track raker, fence painter was following a path well-worn by those in black and gold.

The one that wends 50-plus miles down the devil’s highway to Cramlington A&E.

In a classic case of first bend bunching Dennis found himself on the outside of a lunging border collie and fell heavily crossing the road near his Newfields home.

Result one broken, one dislocated finger, lots of shredded skin, a battered and bruised face and a prescription for rest and painkillers.

Which means announcer replacement operates in the short term with Steve Hayward and Dick Barrie eligible to take his lines and Lawrence Heppell a willing number eight.

Cue an ever-increasing list of well-wishers on social media just to underline how much of an footprint Dennis has left. In fact his has arguably been the greatest sporting life since Richard Harris – even if he’s currently more Del Henney’s Fallen Hero.

I can certainly vouch that hitting a pavement face-first is not to be recommended, especially as the decades pass.

All of which means that Wor Dennis will be missing when the Tigers roll into town for the Mc-Classico on Saturday night.

It has a lot to live up to after the drama and pantomime of 2019, draws, shenanigans, harsh words spoken, superb races run. Big crowds, happy Tiggers, sad Tiggers, delirious Bandits, downhearted Bandits over the past decade and beyond.

Neutrals left agog, aghast and generally pleading again, again.

But never before has Bomber v Cookie been on the menu.

Two of the fastest men ever around Shielfield. Two of the best executors of hunt-down and pass ever around Shielfield. Even if one says it’s impossible to pass here and the other that it’s easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

Bomber against his old employers. And Ricky against his old employers. And Theo against his old employers. And Kyle against his old employers.

Which leaves the two returnees – our local hero and the man who was making heat eight his own before tangling with Rough Park’s safety barrier.

On the other side is Tom Brennan – GB hero in the Speedway of Nations, Bandits hero against Poole – and Danyon Hume, who put in a monumental effort in a losing cause as a guest for us in the cup defeat against the Tiggs last season and then slept overnight in the pits in his rinky dinky campervan.

A meeting effectively settled when Cookie, Jye and Dani careered into the first bend funbags in one of the worst looking crashes seen in these parts for many a long day.

All three looked out for the count.

Jye was and hospital bound. Dani ducked out after a brave, excruciatingly painful rerun. And Mr C roared to a flawless five-ride maximum – have I mentioned before that he’s rather good around Shielfield. Result? A six point defeat for the men from God’s county.

Nicolaj Busk Jacobsen was the missing link when Glasgow took the league points – no last night miracle in 2021 – last September. A night when Aaron Summers bid an emotional farewell to the racing side of it all, even though he remains a familiar figure in the pits, especially when the Bullets are around.

Indeed bearing in mind the reputation of the two clubs in recent times: Berwick’s Dolly Parten approach – up front and ready to stand by their men – Glasgow: more frantic chopping than a Masterchef contestant on speed, looking back to that cup night only Kyle Bickley remains for the Bandits – although Jye is likely to be a motivating presence on the sidelines.

In contrast Glasgow 2021ers Cook, Broc Nichol, Connor Bailey and Ulrich Ostergaard (albeit in spirit only, Ben Barker actually physically guesting for the injured Dane) were here that night and went on to earn their 2022 stripes. And young Brenners had moved north after Eastbourne’s financial Armageddon by September.

So we’re the evolvers, Cami’s boys the steady eddies.

Now Bandits brethren let’s link hands and summon the spirit of three points, top drawer racing and maybe, just maybe, that if there’s any luck coming our way on Saturday it’s more Good than Graeme Garden, Bill Oddie and Tim Brooke-Taylor cycling their trandem through Tom and Barbara’s suburban market garden while their lawyer, Julianna Margulies, collects free range eggs on her way to visit Chris Noth in jail.

I’ve left the KO Cup alone as it has been pointed out in no uncertain terms that I jinxed the previous two campaigns after making what turned out to be wildly inaccurate predictions.

So for 2022 let’s leave it as the quarter-final will be raced over 30 heats and someone will win. (and I think that will be us – oops did I say that out loud?)

Tickets from berwickspeedway.com and if you usually have under-16s in tow add them onto your booking free, otherwise it’s a quid for under-11s and £5 for the bit between there and 16 if you’re paying cash.