Familiar look to Tigers

At the second time of asking all systems are go for the Bullets’ finest hour (and a bit) as they take centre stage at Shielfield for the visit of Mildenhall Tigers.

It’s been a tough start to the campaign for the Fen-men – the only standalone team in the 2021 National Development League – as rain and Covid has limited their track time in 2021.

A Championship call for Eastbourne’s Jason Edwards and Jordan Jenkins’ acceptance that attempting to ride with a fractured wrist is unfeasibly painful means that they had to think on their feet.

In the end they decided to shop local.

Luke Ruddick is a full-time Tiger, returning to West Row where he first made his name as a 17-year-old, after spells with Coventry and Leicester and a handful of Championship outings with Edinburgh. At 23 Luke will be one of their elder statesmen and most experienced riders on Saturday.

Of course Luke is a Bandits’ asset and made two memorable appearances for us in 2017 – the year the Bandits used every National League rider as number seven at one point or another … or so it seemed.

Including Danny Phillips, then of Cradley and Newcastle Diamonds, now of Armadale Devils and another Berwick speedway asset.

He also happens to be the NDL track record holder at Shielfield, 67.3 seconds in heat five of the season opener on May Day. The face that Leon Flint was behind him may have had something to do with the rapid lapping in Armadale Devils colours.

Since then he’s signed on the dotted line for Berwick, performed regular number eight duties for the Bandits, been given his official B&G senior debut against Newcastle and left all four Bullets trailing in his wake during the second-half challenge match which followed the Edinburgh Championship debacle.

Elliot Kelly, one of three teenagers in the Tigers’ side, was also in the NDL select and gave the distinct impression of a young man making a line-finding recce.

Sam Hagon will no doubt be mounted on impeccable machinery – dad Alf is a legendary frame and machinery innovator and founder of the world-renowned Hagon Shocks business. Just 16, Sam spent time during his formative years on the 250cc handicap circuit in America. He’s only raced twice in the National League in his fledgling career. 12+2 at Leicester, 7+3 at home to Kent. Promising indeed.

Sam Bebee skippers the side in Jenkins’ absence – the Tigers are running rider replacement – and although only 20, is looking to put a couple of major accidents behind him. The one where he was catapulted over the back straight fence at Coventry in 2016 made him a Youtube sensation overnight but he’d rather find fame for his scoring returns.

In Luke Muff the Tigers have one of those genuine never give up the dream types who, at just the wrong side of 30, has plied his trade for the likes of Carmarthen and Milton Keynes in the Midland Development League and Scunthorpe’s Amateur Series.

A guest appearance for Newcastle against Armadale back in June saw a 5+3 return which alerted Mildenhall who had just lost reserve Arran Butcher to injury after a grasstracking crash. For Luke the 300-mile round trip from his Halifax home was easily doable. He’s also appeared as Birmingham’s number eight this year.

All of which should serve to remind the table-topping – jointly with Leicester Cubs – that the league points are not the gimmee many Internet “experts” seem to think.

With Leon moving on up the captaincy transfers to a man who’s already been a Pirate and a Tiger or the Sheffield variety this week and, rumour has it, might have been rummaging in the new Kevlar box recently.

Kyle Bickley’s performances this season have been overshadowed by the phenomenal scoring of his Championship reserve partner and fellow Bullet big-hitter but now the young Cumbrian is leader of the Berwick gang.

And speaking of snazzy race-gear. Luke Crang celebrated being named as Leon’s replacement by inviting racesuit designers to produce a set based on the Bullets’ branding and unveiled them in the challenge match.

While Messrs Watson and Douglas have kept busy since the Bullets last raced, at Leicester on June 6, with Northern Junior League action, there is an element of starting over again for Ben Rathbone and Ryan McDonald who, having dropped to reserve, were just starting to get among the points when first the disappearance of the Newcastle Gems and then rain at Mildenhall robbed them of opportunities.

Greg Blair has taken every one handed to him – after-meeting, training track, challenge matches. If you didn’t know better you’d say that his mission in life was to climb aboard a speedway bike, shake a leg and entertain the adoring masses. Surely not.

This week’s ruling by Boris that Covid has been consigned to the naughty step means that for the first time in 2021 there will be a cash turnstile on the night, opening at 6pm.

And as it’s a tenner across the board – kids a quid – there’s no excuse for not having the right change (plus three shiny pound coins for a programme).

If you want to pay by card, or just prefer to arrange your tickets in advance, then E-tickets are available from elsewhere on this website berwickspeedway.com/tickets Now the sharper among our supporters have spotted that such an undertaking involves the paying of a booking fee to help cover the costs to the club of card payment processing and employing a suitably secure and reliable ticketing platform.

A whole pound. So why would anyone pay a pound more than those at the cash gate?

Well they may prefer the convenience of paying by card. They may even feel that scanning a downloaded QR code at a ticket-only entrance may ensure swift passage into the stadium while others wait for the group in front to rummage in pockets or the bottom of bags then coppering up from the kiddies moneybox to pay.

There’s also the reassurance of full and swift refunds in the event of a weather interruption.

But surely the biggest selling point has to be the threat of being trapped in a queue with some of Berwick speedway’s legendary message board Eeyore’s.

Imagine ten to 20 minutes of: “I don’t like this car park grass. It’s not green enough. Why isn’t it greener? Who decided to mow it left to right. Typical speedway cock-up. Should have mowed it right to left. Or in circles. Glasgow have three full-time lawn mowers. That’s how to do it. And they should have used better string on the queue barriers. Why use nylon. They should have used rope. It wouldn’t cost anything. Somebody would donate rope. And the string’s not straight. Surely there’s a university-educated engineer volunteer who could get it in a straight line. Rubbish. Spoiled my night already. And I bet they don’t apologise for it. And it’s going to rain … even though the Met Office issued a drought warning. I tell you the sky will fall in and we’ll never get it finished by half nine. And how could the promotion let Robert’s Chippy close? They never think of the fans. Rubbish.”

Avoiding that’s got to be worth a pound of anyone’s money.