Bring on the Bears, family fallout, five-o, pairs, stats, sponsor picks

Saturday 5 September, 7pm: R.E.D Bandits, powered by STS v Redcar Bears. BSN Series semi-final, second leg. Buy tickets

The only way to follow a huge meeting with a lot riding on it … is to stage another one seven days later.

There’s been some biggies in 2026 but this one promises to be the evening to end all evenings at Shielfield Park.

Our last three outings have seen  the Bandits defy the odds, pivot the evening mid-meeting and storm home in style. Poole, Redcar, Edinburgh all ahead early but sent packing with the bitter taste of defeat in their mouths.

It’s probably a fair assumption that if we are to achieve our goal on Saturday then we need to be making a better start to proceedings.

Seven of our home wins this season has taken us into the 50s points-wise, just one has gone on to reach the 58 point mark needed to progress into the final of the BSN Series.

That came in the KO Cup tie against Workington, a night when we led 29-7 after six heats!

No question Redcar arrive as favourites to progress but also in the knowledge that two weeks ago they lost the league match against a Berwick side in which Nick Morris, Reid Battye and Jye Etheridge scored 39 of our 46 points between them.

With Peter Kildemand and Jordan Jenkins back in the fold, Victor Palovaara and Jack Smith hopeful of shaking off their injuries there is realistic hope of increased firepower for the trio who continue to score big.

The pressure will certainly be on the Bears to deliver with a large following from Cleveland expected to congregate on the back straight.

A reminder that Season Passes are not valid at any of our remaining fixtures. Pass holders can claim admission at £18 either by booking online and buying a concessionary ticket or by cash at the box office. Passes provide proof of eligibility.

Ω Just to underline the generosity of Bandits (along with Monarchs and neutrals) fans we can confirm that Saturday’s collection for the Speedway Riders’ Benevolent Fund was the largest ever at Shielfield Park.

The £2,200 outshone the previous best of £2,168 in 2024. It was also the third time in four years that your generosity has pushed the total past the £2,000 mark.

Ω Probably only one topic in the Morris/Thomson household this weekend.

Nick looked a good bet to become the first Bandit since Claus Vissing in 2014 to record maximums in consecutive home meetings until heat 13 when Kye, brother of the soon to be Mrs Morris, Stevi, left both him and Peter Kildemand in his wake.

Such has been his red-hot form at the end of the season Nick was also on track to match Seb Alden matched meetings with maximums in 2012 scoring 14+1 against Glasgow, 15 against Redcar and another 15 against Rye House, albeit the meetings covered 28 days.

Unfortunately the burst of scoring is not enough to push Nick into the running for the CLRC at Sheffield on 12 September.

Each club’s top riders and then the next seven in the August green sheets means that while Edinburgh have three representatives we have just one unless there are call-offs between now and tapes-up at Owlerton.

Ω Before the challenge of the BSN Series Peter and Nick bid for our first silverware of the campaign when they fly the Bandits’ flag in Wednesday’s Championship Pairs at Poole.

It’s a competition in which Berwick have virtually no recent success in.

First competed for in 1975, our only two appearances in the final came in 1984 (Bruce Cribb and Steve McDermott) and 1981 (McDermott and Wayne Brown) losing to Stoke and Canterbury, respectively.

Glasgow (Chris Harris and Leon Flint), Plymouth (Danny King and either Scott Nicholls or Ben Barker) and Edinburgh (Dan Thompson and Kye Thomson) form their opposition in the qualifying heats, the top four reaching the semi-finals on the night.

If you’re not heading down to Wimborne Road then the meeting, which starts at 7pm, will be livestreamed by PiratesTV which can be bought here

Ω Plenty of choice for the man of the match adjudicators among our sponsors in the hospitality suite.

But they followed a familiar path on Saturday, split between Reid Battye – the Black and Gold giving our reserve his fourth consecutive award – and Nick Morris courtesy of the Clappy Doo Ceilidh Band whose players Graeme Munro, Shona Flockhart and Johnny Bridges were enjoying the action.

Ω With the usual covering note that they are subject to confirmation by the BSPL office but Dennis McCleary has submitted what will be the final green sheet averages for the Bandits, the figures which will be used for winter team-building.

KO Cup ties and the knockout stages of the BSN Series do not count in the averages but these figures will form the basis of the GSA’s for October meaning that Reid Battye will replace Jordan Jenkins in the main body of the team for the second leg of the Knockout Cup Final at Plymouth.

Rolling averages

2026 only

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Ω Just two meetings left to complete the 2026 Cab Direct Championship. Scunthorpe visit Glasgow on Friday with the result to decide which of the teams have choice of leg when they meet in the play-offs.

As yet no restaging date for the Workington v Redcar meeting called off due to a poor weather forecast on Saturday.

Ω No huge surprise I guess bearing in mind he’s taking between six and seven rides in most meetings but our first 2027 signing, Reid Battye has been involved in 60 per cent of our 20 maximum heat wins in August.

Four times that has been in partnership with either Nick Morris or Jye Etheridge, twice with Jordan Jenkins, once with Jack Smith and once with Victor Palovaara.

Nick has another three 5-1s – all in partnership with Leon Flint to clinch that glorious comeback victory over Poole while Peter Kildemand has three with Jye and one apiece with Victor and Jordan.

Pictures: Keith Hamblin