Late blitz ends aggregate hope

Plymouth Gladiators     53

Jewson Bandits, powered by Keenwood Karpets         37

A fourth successive defeat put a huge dent in the Bandits’ play-off hopes, a late push by the home side also putting paid to any hopes of a consolation aggregate point.

Guests Jason Edwards and Zach Cook supported skipper Lewis Kerr well, the trio accounting for all but nine of the team’s points. In contrast Plymouth were able to cover the loss of captain Ben Barker following an untidy spill after the red lights were put on by referee Wayne Jarvis.

Without ever really looking like winning on the night the Bandits chipped away at the aggregate score, trailing by just a single point after Kerr and the fast-starting Edwards recorded their second 5-1 and third race advantage of the night in heat 11.

But even they couldn’t hold up a strong Plymouth finish which saw them rattle in 17 points from the closing four races, despite guest Troy Batchelor ploughing through the tapes in heat 15.

Workington’s born-again ex-GP man had dropped just one point to a Bandit up to then, in the opening heat won by Kerr, Plymouth taking full advantage of an SCB ruling this week allowing them to use a guest for the suspended Nico Covatti.

Indeed Berwick were on for a 5-1 until Edwards was caught out by a tricky patch on the fourth bend allowing Batchelor through. Joe Thompson and former Bandit Jacob Hook wiped out the visitors’ advantage in the reserves’ race and the Gladiators followed it up with another maximum in three, Danyon Hume falling as he tried to pass Kyle Newman for the lead.

Cook won four and Edwards made another lightening start to five, Kerr finding a way past Dan Thompson down the back straight and holding on for second despite also hitting trouble on bend four.

Cook hit the front again in six but Alfie Bowtell produced a trademark swoop around him and then Batchelor used the outside line to catch his countryman right on the line.

Barker’s evening ended in untidy style as he jumped the start in seven but as the red lights came on down the back straight he slowed and Drew Kemp clattered into his back wheel, both riders being thrown into the third bend air fence.

The Berwick man was back on his feet immediately but Barker’s night ended in hospital with the Gladiators using IRR. Joe Thompson winning the rerun, brother Dan winning a good battle with Danyon for fourth place.

Two shared heats – Zach Cook winning his second race of the night – ended when Plymouth opened up a ten-point lead as Batchelor rounded the fast-starting Hume to set up another heat advantage.

After Kerr and Edwards cut the deficit to six on the night the stand-in Bandits’ captain was then thrown into heat 12 as a tactical substitute but he had to work hard to split the fast-starting Thompson twins.

He took his third ride in a row in 13 but with Batchelor controlling the first bend he baulked Berwick’s number one enough to open up a gap for Newman to join him for maximum points.

Hume again made a decent start in the penultimate race, although not as good as Joe Thompson, and Newman found the right line to haul him in for a second 5-1.

Berwick boss Stewart Dickson chose to give the heat 15 rides to his guests with Kerr still feeling some of the effects of his spell out injured.

With the evening lost the visitors got a huge stroke of luck as Batchelor ploughed through the tapes and was forced to start from 15 metres back. There was no way back, although he did get close to Cook in the run to the line, with Edwards trailing Dan Thompson home.

Berwick now have ten days to rally before facing Glasgow home and away with the need for an end to their losing streak growing stronger as the teams below them begin to pick up the points.

Plymouth: Troy Batchelor 10+1, Alfie Bowtell 7, Dan Thompson 12+1, Kyle Newman 8+3, Ben Barker 2, Joe Thompson 12, Jacob Hook 3+2

Berwick: Lewi Kerr 10+2, Jason Edwards 10+1, Drew Kemp 3, Danyon Hume 2, Zach Cook 8+1, Freddy Hodder 0, Paul Starke 4