Monday briefing

Friday 7 June: Scunthorpe Scorpions v Jewson Bandits, 7.30pm. Watch on BSN

Saturday 8 June: Rory Schlein, Lewis Kerr, Drew Kemp, British Final, National Speedway Stadium, Manchester, 7,30pm.  Live on Eurosport and Discovery+

Drew Kemp must play a waiting game before discovering whether he is invited into the field for Saturday’s Attis Insurance British Final.

The 21-year-old has been wracking up the points for the Jewson Bandits – 47 at an CMA over seven – in the last five Championship outings.

He is one of the meeting reserves for the British Final and with fitness doubts surrounding Danny King, Adam Ellis and Berwick team-mate Lewis Kerr among others he will be hoping for a phone call this week.

His tapes to flag victory in heat four of Saturday’s 46-44 defeat by Scunthorpe was the fastest of the season around Shielfield. Previous fastest was Danyon Hume.

Kemp’s fine form is second only to that of skipper Rory Schlein who was denied his first maximum in Berwick colours by Michael Palm Toft on Saturday.

Roo Boy, who travels to Manchester looking for his second British title and first Cardiff GP wildcard spot, with 60 points in his last five outings, a CMA of just under nine.

Palm Toft suffered a broken collarbone and other shoulder damage in his alarming heat six spill, caused by the curse of 2024 a broken chain. He is now sidelined for both King’s Lynn and Scunthorpe.

Nathan Ablitt, who could not avoid hitting his team-mate in the incident, after referee Jim McGregor had put on the red lights following an unsatisfactory start, withdrew from the meeting due to a leg injury but was able to take his place in Sunday’s British under-21 final at Glasgow.

Berwick-born and Bandits’ asset Leon Flint finished second in the final at Ashfield, Poole’s Sam Hagon banishing his hopes of adding a second under-21 title to the one he won at Birmingham in 2022.

He graduates from the age group with a championship and two runners-up spots. Leon will be one of the British riders bidding to qualify for the SGP2 series this weekend.

Freddy Hodder also competed at Ashfield, suffering an exclusion when his bike stalled just prior to his second ride, losing a steel shoe in the process of unsuccessfully restarting it.

After switching to his second bike Freddy produced a smashing ride to catch Oxford’s Jody Scott on the line in his third ride.

Saturday was Scunthorpe’s second victory at Berwick, seven years after the first, 48-42 in 2017 – a night the Scorpions included Palm Toft and Lewis Kerr in their seven.

Referee Jim McGregor took advantage of digital technology, was replays in the BSN truck before excluding guest Connor Coles from heat four after an incident involving Luke Harrison brought the red lights on.

Jye Etheridge will miss the trip to the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday taking  a mandatory nine-day break from racing after suffering concussion in the second of his falls against the Scorpions.

Slightly better news for our injured Dane. Doctors gave the go ahead for Bastian to not only be released from Poole Hospital but also to fly back to Denmark having initially grounded him due to concerns about his damaged lung. He made the trip in some style, his social media channel showing him aboard a private ambulance jet! He is still awaiting an operation on his damaged knee. He is now settled in Viborg hospital where further investigation and a probable operation will take place.

Bastian has made a huge impact in a short space of time and the collection held for him at Saturday’s meeting raised £587. Than you for your generosity.

A timely reminder that the annual collection for the Speedway Riders’ Benevolent Fund will take place during our next home meeting, the visit of Glasgow on June 22.

Historians confirm that Saturday was the first occasion that a Berwick centre green presenter led the main stand in the Macarena before doubling up with the YMCA. Steve Heywood and Greg Blair are to tour their interactive show around arenas, pubs, cruise ships and prisons during the winter.

Fresh from his karaoke follies Jedburgh’s premier horticultural renovator and TV presenter joined Scott Frame for the hugely successful Total Access Live event in the Black and Gold where the talking couch was unveiled to a rapt public.

Plans are already in place to repeat the event where fans got the chance to meet with the Jewson Bandits and chat with the promotion and management.

Quote, unquote

Drew Kemp: It’s been a quite positive couple of matches where I’ve had some decent speed and tasted fresh air at last.

“There’s still a few mistakes to be ironed out but on the whole it’s close to where I want to be.”

Stewart Dickson: “It’s a very disappointing results and, despite losing Jye, I still felt we should have had enough to see the job through.

“I think IRR was less disruptive to Scunthorpe than us and in Luke Harrison they had a real matchwinner.”

Pictures: Keith Hamblin