Pirate Lawson sinks Bandits hopes

Jewson Bandits, powered by Keenwood Karpets          44

Poole Pirates        46

Even one of the best races from a Bandit for many a year – one with a legitimate claim to being the pass of the century – could not temper a disappointing start to the Cab Direct Championship campaign after they squandered a ten-point lead.

Briefly, when guest Josh Pickering and Rory Schlein hit the front in heat 15 they threatened to snatch a draw and send the meeting into a Superheat decider only for Richard Lawson to pick off the home skipper to ensure that the points went south.

Lawson has been instrumental in helping Berwick to wins against Edinburgh and Scunthorpe as a high-scoring guest this season but in his day job he broke Bandits’ fans hearts.

Poole managed to overcome the loss of Zach Cook after the Australian was pushed wide by team-mate Tom Brennan in his first ride and fell awkwardly, suffering a leg injury which ruled him out of the meeting and brought injured rider replacement into play.

Cook crashed with Jye Etheridge and Drew Kemp already crossing the line for the home side’s second 5-1 of the night – Pickering and Danyon Hume having left Lawson in their wake in the opening heat.

Sam Hagon gave notice that he was going to be a handful by winning the reserve race but when Bastian Borke produced another of his trademark stalk and pass manoeuvres to reel in Ben Cook and follow Schlein home the Bandits were cruising at 17-7 after four heats.

Unfortunately, the track grade gave a rattled Poole the chance to rally and when racing resumed they were a side transformed, especially from the gate.

With the threat of rain ever-present over the past two days the track was perhaps a little slicker than desired but their was still something there for those brave enough to ride the bags.

The Pirates’ fightback began when Tobias Thomsen drove under both Kemp and Etheridge to join Lawson for a heat five 5-1 before narrowing the gap to two points with back-to-back 4-2s, Pickering forcing his way past Ben Cook to limit the damage in six and Schlein having to move Hagon aside in the following heat as the visitors continually hit the first bend in first and second.

But the Bandits looked to have regained the initiative and, almost inevitably it came from Borke, the Dane producing what, even by his standards was one of the great rides around Shielfield Park.

Hume once again did his job in eight, riding the perfect opening two bends and heading off into the sunset. But all the action was behind where Perry and Thomsen filled the minor places, Borke’s determination to find a way past the pair hampered by his countryman’s lack of control which made overtaking hazardous to say the least.

But Borke stuck on their back wheels and when Thomsen almost wiped out his team-mate on the last bend the man from Silkeborg was silky smooth as he pounced and roared through the middle of the pair and won the for the line. He had the crowd roaring its approval and still had time to discuss the finer points of on-track etiquette with his countryman.

All that good work evaporated within 65 seconds as tactical substitute Lawson and Ben Cook left Etheridge and Kemp well adrift in nine, Brennan and Hagon doubling down the misery in ten to put Poole ahead for the first time.

Freddy Hodder produced a fine second place as Berwick at least managed to halt the momentum but the problem was there for all to see as the visitors provided five successive race winners, the most damaging coming in heat 13 when Cook followed Lawson home despite a gallant effort from Pickering to all but wrap up the points for the visitors.

Heat 14 saw both team managers busy as none of the four scheduled participants came to the tapes. Pickering was handed the tactical substitute ride and obliged for Berwick boss Stewart Dickson and must have had mixed feelings as Hagon – the teenager he has just signed as Leicester’s Rising Star – completed a paid twelve haul by keeping Borke at bay.

The unlikely suddenly seemed possible as Pickering and Schlein beat Lawson and Brennan to the first bend and held what would have been the levelling 5-1 for two laps only for Lawson to once again show that he is the master of Shielfield.

In the end Kemp’s two-point haul was too much for the rest of the side to carry along with a lack of home heat winners – six a poor return on him shale.

They must now bounce back with away and home fixtures against a  Redcar side which has lost four of its six meetings this season.

Bandits: Josh Pickering 12, Danyon Hume 6, Jye Etheridge 7, Drew Kemp 2+1, Rory Schlein 7+1, Freddy Hodder 2, Bastian Borke 8+3

Pirates: Richard Lawson 14+1, Tobias Thomsen 4, Tom Brennan 10, Zach Cook 0, Ben Cook 6+2, Sam Hagon 11+1, Max Perry 1

Pictures: Taz McDougall