All change for Tigers’ test

Boss Stewart Dickson shuffles the pack as your Jewson Bandits, powered by Keenwood Karpets look to cement their position at the top of the BSN Series Scottish section.

For the trip to Glasgow he has overhauled the riding order with Drew Kemp and Danyon Hume trading places while skipper Rory Schlein takes over at number three and Jye Etheridge is named at five.

Edinburgh’s Justin Sedgmen, a Tiger in 2021, guests in place of broken ankle victim Lewis Kerr. Glasgow also make two changes to the team beaten 48-42 at Shielfield with Claus Vissing, a member of last year’s Championship winning Tigers’ squad, guesting in place of ex-Bandit Leon Flint who represents Great Britain in the European Under-23 Team Cup in Pardubice on Saturday.

Poole’s Sam Hagon guests in place of Lee Complin who is suspended pending an SCB disciplinary hearing after laboratory tests confirmed he had tested positive for a banned substance prior to the meeting at Shielfield on April 13.

Bastian Borke declared himself fit to take his place as reserve for the Danish championship round at Vojens last night just three days after his heavy tumble in the victory over Edinburgh. He scored five points from five rides after taking over the rides of Nils Kristian Iversen after the veteran fell in his first ride and was ruled out of the meeting. He certainly looked fit enough and will now take his place at Ashfield, a track where he scored paid nine on his only previous visit as an Edinburgh Monarch in 2023.

But having halted the Tigers’ 13-match winning streak two weeks’ ago there is a confidence within the camp that, at the very least, the aggregate point is there for the taking. And Dickson’s revised riding order is designed to get the best out of his Bandits as they face their biggest test of a season which so far has seen them win four out of four matches.

“This is what I do,” he explained. “I put a lot of thought into my line-ups and position the riders where I think they can hurt the opposition most. Safe managers maybe let things run and hope for a bit of luck but I’m never afraid to back my instincts.

“I have spoken to the riders and explained my thinking behind the switches. As far as they are concerned it doesn’t matter what number they have on their back, they just need to do their jobs and leave the tactics to me.

“Justin Sedgmen was the obvious choice of guest for me. He goes well at Glasgow and got a couple of rides in last week with Edinburgh. Glasgow have booked two really good guests. Claus Vissing is very, very good around Ashfield while Sam Hagon is a top choice too.”

Indeed our chief revealed that he had been in touch with the 19-year-old Essex flier when it was feared that Bastian Borke could be sidelined by injury following his big crash at Shielfield on Saturday.

“I did touch base with Sam but he was already committed to Glasgow, Dickson explained. “When Bastian declared himself fit I was delighted not only for the lad but because there is simply no-one available on a four-point average as a replacement who is capable of doing what he has this season.

“We travel with six points to play with and it is up to us to make that enough. Our success so far this season has not come easy, we’ve had to find ways to win the meetings and it is to the credit of the riders that they have.

“Glasgow is the toughest test so far and I am sure some people will be looking to judge how good we are on our performance on Friday. That’s fine. The riders know what is expected from them and I think our fans are appreciating the effort they have put in so far. Friday night needs to be another of those big-hearted performances.”

Anyone not unable to make it trackside on Friday night will be delighted to know that BSN are streaming the meeting with their broadcast going on-air at 7pm. BSN

Glasgow: Chris Harris, James Pearson, Claus Vissing, Paul Starke, Steve Worrall, Sam Hagon, Ace Pijper

Berwick: Justin Sedgmen, Drew Kemp, Rory Schlein, Danyon Hume, Jye Etheridge, Freddy Hodder, Bastian Borke

Referee: Graeme Hunter