Lewi’s a winner

He’s certainly caused us some grief over the years, so it is a relief to have Lewis Kerr in Bandits’ colours for the 2024 season rather than racking up the points against us, especially at Shielfield Park.

If you like a good stat, then ponder this. Our new number one has visited the Borders 17 times with a variety of teams and been on the winning side on eight occasions. Oh, and he also has a 100 per cent record as a Bandit!

That’s a pretty impressive haul which stretches back to his first visit in May 2013 – 10+3 from number seven, leading Newcastle Diamonds to a 49-41 victory in front of the Sky Sports’ cameras.

Five weeks later Lewi made his Bandits’ “debut,” guesting for the injured Nicki Barrett, and rattled off three race wins as we thumped Scunthorpe 54-36 before returning in Newcastle colours in August, another 13 points and another Newcastle victory, this time 46-44 in the Tyne/Tweed Trophy.

Those impressive scores all came from the reserves’ berth but by the time Lewi hit double figures again for the Diamonds in 2015 – 10 in a heavy defeat – he was established as Newcastle number one in a season which was to end horribly, the King’s Lynn-born flyer in an induced coma after suffering serious head injuries in a horror smash at Peterborough.

Thankfully, he recovered fully and two years later nine points – three race wins, a last and an exclusion when he fell trying to thwart a heat 13 5-1 from Kevin Doolan and Lewis Bridger – paved the way for Scunthorpe’s first victory at Shielfield.

He was even more potent in the B fixture in August of 2017 but that night his 11+2 couldn’t prevent the Bandits from avenging that A fixture by reversing the 48-42 scoreline on a night when Nick Morris completed a memorable six-ride paid maximum for Berwick.

Despite switching to Glasgow the following year Lewis was back in Newcastle colours in April, leading the Diamonds to yet another Shielfield victory with 8+2 as a guest for Stuart Robson.

Subsequent visits with Eastbourne and guesting for Plymouth – 9+2 – were in losing causes but 2022 saw him back to winning ways with Redcar in both cup and league fixtures.

It didn’t always go to plan of course, his last visit in Oxford colours last season ending with a spectacular first bend crash which ruled him out for the night although he was once again on the winning side as the Cheetahs held on to win by two points despite his absence.

For 2024 he’s our Lewi and plans to put all his experience of riding the Berwick victory truck to good use now he’s a Bandit, beginning with the visit of Workington … just 11 weeks’ away.

Season passes remain on sale berwickspeedway.com/store priced £199 (£189 concessions).