rgcumming

On either a 5 or a 7, Allen should line up as a Bandit come the start of the season. This is a man who is travelling across the world to join us and we should respect and support him regardless of his average. It is crucial we improve our asset base and this is a positive move. We are building our team differently this coming season by all accounts but the negativity is tangible, and I can't see why. We have secured one of the best riders in the league in Ben Barker. I'm sure the promotion will pull together a decent side in the end, they normally do! Dan Halsey on a 3.00 should be nailed on. Have I missed something on Matty Wethers? No mention of him in any lineups.

Did Sedgeman and Worrall not begin as the reserve pairing?

Probably Edinburgh in the past season?

Berwick announce Ben Barker, Thomas Jorgensen and Jake Allen

Great to see David Bellego qualify for the World U21 GP, would guest facilities be allowed in when he is racing away?

A close meeting populated by a number of 3-3s until the business end of the meeting which saw the match turn in Edinburgh's favour. Berwick... Doolan - as last week, struggled against top class opposition. Granted, Cook is the best rider in the league and no tougher test will come to Berwick all year. Where Kev needs to deliver wins are in Heat 6 and 10. If he can bag 2nds in 1 and 13, that's Ten points and we have to be happy if he achieves this. Bellego - Seemed to carry a bit more pace tonight, staying close to Cook in Heat 1 and a great cutback to pass Worrall in heat 8. Controversial incident with Sneddon in Heat 10 but from my vantage point in the main grandstand, it was a bit of elbows and bunching on both occasions. Kus - Showed good speed when gating in heat 3. Otherwise did not do much. Must be said he looks disinterested if he misses the start. Wethers - really impressed with Matty who has evolved into an ultra dependable racer for us. Scoring well above his average so far and a tremendous overtake in Ht 14 when we needed a win to keep us in with a chance of victory. Vissing - will end up as our number 1 before long, of that there can be no doubt. Couldn't quite match Cook, but delivered elsewhere apart from 15 where he went missing. Reserves - really struggled this week which is a real concern. Liam will take time to get going and may struggle to hit his average over the course of the season. The team would be reliant on Jensen stepping up and scoring good points over 5 rides if Carr were to struggle. Jensen has not shown anything so far that would indicate he is going to be the high scoring reserve we need. Of course for us fans, our expectations are raised massively when Dick Barrie cranks up the hype via the PA system. We do need Steen to really step up though and next week against Glasgow would be a good chance to make his mark. Edinburgh... Cook - Untouchable. Overheard some supporters saying Cook shouldn't be allowed in the PL as he is too good?! For me, its a pleasure to have top class riders in our league. Cookie was a class act and will be hard to beat home and away this year. Fox - First visit to Berwick for a competitive outing and looked nice and tidy throughout. Fricke - Paid 6 doesn't reflect his effort, much improved from last year and on the pace all night. Very smooth style, hugs the white line to great effect. Sneddon - capable of better round Berwick and will be disappointed not to score higher. Masters - solid from Sam, great gate under pressure in 15 to seal victory. Has scored well at Berwick in the past and did the same last night. Reserves - Sedgeman doesn't seem to like Berwick. Good victory in 2 but missing after. Worrall was the star man for me. Paid 14 from reserve was match winning, superb out the gate and quick around the track. Very impressive. Summary... Track was prepared similar to last week, though seemed to dry out a bit later on. Whatever was causing riders issues last week at the 3/4 bend had been rectified as there was no scary wobbles. A fair result if I am being honest. Glasgow should represent a good chance next week to make amends.

Decent meeting to start the season and a solid lead to take to STMP when the second leg takes place. The first test of the 'strength in depth" team build is passed with flying colours, and although we will face better teams over the course of the season, a twenty point victory is a good start to the year in front of a big crowd. Doolan - The consequence of strength in depth is you run the risk of your number 1 falling short against top class opposition. Kev did struggle against Richard Lawson with the Bear finishing ahead of him on all 3 occasions. However, he scorched to a sub 65 second win on his second ride and finished up on 10 points. Solid, if not spectacular. David Bellego - 7 paid 10, didn't have as much joy coming out of bends 1 and 2 as he did last year but packed the minor places in all races. Matej Kus - Two races down and Matej was well off the pace. Two wins in his final two rides and noticeably quicker to boot. Hopefully the start of a great year for Matej. Matt Wethers - Masterstroke naming Stormy as captain. Flew away from Richard Lawson in heat 5 and a solid 10 points from 4 with donuts to boot. Claus Vissing - Unbeatable tonight, flew from the gate in all 4 of his races. Will push Doolan hard for number 1. Liam Carr - Fantastic debut from Liam, on the pace all night and a great Heat 14 following Stormy home for a 5-1. Steen Jensen - Solid debut from Steen, 5+3. Looked a bit shy of power at points but clearly a talented rider. The track was dry tonight and many riders had big wobbles coming out of bend 4, but all in all a very promising start.

Premier Shield: Newcastle Premier League Play-Offs: Workington First Place (at end of regular season): Workington Premier League Cup: Ipswich Premier League KO Cup: Berwick Premier League Riders Championship: Ben Barker Premier League Pairs: Edinburgh Premier League Fours: Berwick Finally, The Wooden Spoon! Plymouth

Steen Jensen. Should he transfer his form from Denmark to Berwick, he could end up as our number 1. Outwith Berwick, Jason Garrity, Mason Campton and Adam Ellis should add significantly to their starting averages.

1. Kevin Doolan. - may come up short against the very top names but good for 8-10 points at home and 7 - 9 away. Brings a wealth of experience to the team which will be invaluable to David and Liam as they progress. 2. Matej Kus - The enigma of the team. Had a shocker last year at Redcar following the terrible events in Argentina. Hopefully now in a position to move on with his career. Remember seeing him a couple of seasons ago riding against us and looking like a world beater with three straight wins. Followed that up with two lasts. We all know how supportive our promotion can be and even if he struggles to start with, there is the very real prospect of a spell at reserve which would do wonders for his confidence. 3. David Bellego. - Should be aiming to challenge for the number 1 vest by the end of the season. Capable of beating anyone around Berwick on his day. Scored much better away from home last year. The one to watch for me. 4. Matty Wethers - Firstly, he is my choice as captain. Gave 100% last year every time he took to the track. Really got dialled in last year and is good for 8 - 10 points at home. Away from home is where Matty needs to find consistency. As captain is where he is at his best, as represented by his trophy laden spell with Edinburgh. 5. Claus Vissing - Delighted to sign Claus as he was brilliant as a visiting rider here last year. Should be looking for double figures at home weekly. Away from home, again may struggle against the very top guys but good for 7-9 points minimum at most tracks. 6. Steen Jensen - As far as his average goes, we have a point scoring reserve which is exactly what we needed. Come with good pedigree, averaging over 10 points for one of his clubs. Have we made the signing of the season? Time will tell. 7. Liam Carr - Delighted the local lad gets his chance and will now become our asset once completing the required matches. May struggle to start with, particularly away from home. On the other hand may surprise a few and hold his own. He will need support financially and would imagine the fans fundraising groups will be looking to support their hometown boy. Plus by having a local lad in the team, more fans may be encouraged through the gate. Summary. We have the potential to be unbeatable at home, and should be looking to create a fortress mentality. Away from home, plenty of experience throughout the team to ensure we aren't embarrassed. Should be looking to grind out results by taking it to opposing middle order riders whilst packing the minor places when up against the top boys. Roll on the start of the season!

Not bothered about the lack of an out and out number 1 as we are solid throughout the team with riders capable of scoring well home and away. Don't know too much about Steen Jensen but seems to have real pedigree from the newsletter. Delighted for young Liam. Hopefully he will kick on this year without pressure to score big.

I think that the signing of Kus could prove to be a masterstroke by the management team. He is on a bargain average, so should slot into 2 or 4 in our lineup. Here, he will not have the pressure of heat leader status so should certainly be looking to get a point on his average. He can ride the Berwick track well and with a point to prove to the doubters from the past season,motivation won't be a problem. However, it is his close relationship with Dick Barrie that could make the overall difference. My understanding is Barrie has supported Kus both at home and abroad over the course of his career, and by having him around the team to potentially keep his head straight is a good move. The next signing will provide further clues as to our overall direction this year. If we are going with Carr at reserve, we need a 5 point reserve to carry him, certainly in the early weeks and months of his Bandit career.

That's a brilliant looking team. Take out Skidmore and put in someone of a similar average (Tero?), and we are solid.

Delighted that David is returning, should be looking to build further this coming season and move into a heat leader role. Interesting statement around Paul Stark's and his move to Somerset. No doubt he will have a massive year this year and he will only benefit from being the no2 reserve and having Jason Doyle and Olly Allen in his team, combined with Elite league experience. Best of luck Paul. With teams now filling up in full, our team looks as though it is going to pick itself with names such as Doolan, Vissing, Wethers and Tully being thrown about. A solid Top 5 is what we need this year and I look forward to see what direction we move.

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