Chain reaction costs Bandits the bonus

 R.E.D Bandits, powered by STS      56

Scunthorpe Scorpions   34

A broken chain link proved to be the difference between mission possible and mission achieved at Shielfield Park on Saturday night.

The £3 link which broke on Jye Etheridge’s rear chain sending him crunching into the third bend polyfoam instead of the chequered flag and the most comfortable 5-1 of the night in heat eight proved crucial in the final analysis.

That four point swing ultimately meant that the Bandits had to settle for two Championship points, the aggregate bonus sending the Scorpions a point clear at the head of the table.

Pre-match it looked like a case of the Bandits against Josh Pickering and so it proved on the night as, Nathan Ablitt and to a lesser extent Connor Mountain aside, the Aussie ploughed a lone furrow against a Berwick side oozing points in depth as they prepared for this week’s huge Knockout Cup semi-final against Poole.

Again the ultra-classy Peter Kildemand led the way, refusing to yield three times on the night to Pickering who manoeuvred his rocket ship of a machine to four of Scunthorpe’s five race wins on the night.

He yielded only to Victor Palovaara in heat five and Kildemand in a breathless heat 15, the Dane gaining revenge for a frustrating heat 13 which saw him gate on his opposite number only for Pickering to force his way through on the inside of the third bend.

There was another sensational contribution from Jordan Jenkins who after scoring 26 points in eight meetings for Redcar this season has managed 24 (paid 26) in just two outings for the R.E.D Bandits, powered by STS.

With Reid Battye successfully putting in some practice laps post-meeting and eyeing an early July return it leaves the Berwick management with some interesting decisions to make and a number of riders looking over their shoulders in the coming fixtures.

To be fair all seven paid their part to the full in another excellent night of racing on a track which fully rewarded those who dared attack the conditions and skim the polyfoam bags.

Pickering at times looked in a league of his own, roaring to the fastest time of the season – and also earning a warning from referee Michael Breckon in winning the opening heat.

Reserves Ablitt and Jenkins went shoulder to shoulder in a feisty heat five before the Bandits reserve stamped his authority on the race and joined Nick Morris for the first 5-1 of the night in heat four.

That was over Michael Palm Toft and the Dane – who really doesn’t like his trips to the Borders – was a distant third again as Kildemand and Etheridge, despite a hairy moment when he found unwelcome grip coming off bend three, extended the lead.

Pickering was half a lap ahead of the field after being thrown in as a tactical substitute in heat seven but with guest Alfie Bowtell off the pace it was another shared heat.

Etheridge’s heat eight crash threatened to derail Berwick’s charge but Palovaara, who had been the first to lower Pickering’s colours, teamed up with Lasse Fredriksen as Palm Toft conceded his third maximum heat of the night.

Kildemand recorded a typically smooth and classy win in ten but behind him there was pandemonium as everything, including the kitchen sink, was traded between Jenkins and Ablitt before the Bandits reserve pulled clear for another 5-1.

Drama before heat 11 saw Pickering leave the pits with the wrong helmet cover, beat the time clock and then stroll to victory in a race where Jack Smith’s forceful overtake of Mountain allowed the home side to share the heat.

Wide-riding Ablitt managed to keep Jenkins at bay and stop him joining the impressive Palovaara at the front of 12 before Pickering bested Kelderman in a mouthwatering 13.

There was nothing but personal glory to race for by the time heat 15 came around but that was enough for another classic race, the Bandits holding an early 5-1 through Kildemand and Palovaara, the sensational Pickering forcing his way past the Swede only to find the Danish roadblock in front of him impassible.

As a warm-up for the cup challenge against Poole this couldn’t have gone better, all seven Bandits producing at least one moment to savour.

Poole will have seen the result and heeded the warning that an in-form, aggressive and tight-knit Berwick side is setting sail for Dorset on Friday night.

They will miss the class and inspiration of Kildemand but the watching Leon Flint will be a capable and motivated replacement. He will take his place in a Berwick septet buoyed by their contribution to such a comprehensive win against a competitive Scunthorpe side.

Bandits: Peter Kildemand 13, Jye Etheridge 3+2, Victor Palovaara 12, Lasse Fredriksen 4+3, Nick Morris 8+1, Jack Smith 5+2, Jordan Jenkins 11+2

Scorpions: Josh Pickering 16, Connor Mountain, 6+1, Alfie Bowtell 0, Dan Gilkes R/R, Michael Palm Toft 2, Ryan Ingram 0, Nathan Ablitt 10+1

Pictures: Keith Hamblin