Skippers’ fitness concerns

Both sides will make late fitness calls before the R.E.D Bandits, powered by STS travel to Plymouth in Saturday’s Knockout Cup Final dress rehearsal.

They have named their sevens for the clash at The Coliseum but there remain doubts over the fitness of both captains.

Ben Barker has not ridden for the Gladiators since suffering a fractured and dislocated shoulder in a crash at Redcar.

He has been named for Saturday but was withdrawn from tonight’s Plymouth fixture at Oxford which, he said “came too soon” in his recovery.

While not the number one of the past 38-year-old Barker is still a reliable scorer, especially around the tiny Plymouth track.

Likewise Berwick skipper Jye Etheridge suffered a suspected dislocated shoulder after being involved in first bend bunching in Berwick’s big win over Oxford on Saturday.

The shoulder relocated itself but the Aussie was in a lot of pain earlier in the week. He is scheduled to ride for Sheffield against Jordan Jenkins’ King’s Lynn on Thursday night.

If Etheridge is declared unfit then Berwick will operate rider-replacement to cover for him.

Both teams suffered at the hands of Redcar Bears last weekend but Berwick bounced back to hammer Oxford and begin to turn their meetings-in-hand into points in the Championship table.

Danny King, who sat out Ipswich’s heavy defeat at Leicester on Monday – Nick Morris scoring 7+1 – after damaging ribs in a crash at King’s Lynn, was in the Witches line-up for the reverse fixture at Foxhall on Thursday.

In his absence the Gladiators were thrashed at home by Redcar last weekend despite a 16-point haul from Scott Nicholls.

Azne Grmek was also missing, riding in the SGP2 qualifiers. The Slovenian has adapted well since signing as a replacement for Tobias Thomsen who was seriously hurt in Plymouth’s opening fixture of the season at Poole.

He has a huge amount of talent, although it would be fair to say his success so far this season has been on the larger away tracks – eight at Glasgow and nine at Workington.

With former New Zealand champion Ben Whalley still finding his feet after replacing Tom Spencer at number seven, Berwick may see the inexperienced reserves as an area to attack although, of course, it will be the first sight of the unique Devon track for Reid Battye.

Peter Kildemand and Jonas Jeppesen both hit double figures and Nick Morris seven in last year’s two-point defeat for the Bandits at Plymouth.

Poole (BSN) and Edinburgh have both won in Devon this season along with Redcar, with Glasgow, Scunthorpe and Oxford heavily defeated.

For those of you not travelling to Plymouth the meeting will be livestreamed by Gladiators TV.

Plymouth: Danny King, Joe Thompson, Daniel Klima, Ben Barker, Scott Nicholls, Azne Grmek, Ben Whalley

Berwick: Peter Kildemand, Jye Etheridge, Victor Palovaara, Jordan Jenkins Nick Morris, Jack Smith, Reid Battye