crescent girl

Why? Who'll be the reserves for these teams in May?

Liam is still crocked, but hoping to resume racing sometime later in the year. He is currently staying in touch with speedway, helping Robert Branford in the Edinburgh pits while on the mend.

Bandits' reserves are Alex Edberg and Luke Crang.

E-newsletter received tonight, with update on Matic Voldrih's injury, Saturday's teams and a whole lot more. Plus a weather briefing from the Prince of Wales, no less!

Teams now up on Berwick website.

I'm guessing everyone you've spoken to was aware Matic Voldrih was riding on Saturday with his shoulder strapped up and two ice-packs on it? This following an alarming spill at Armadale the previous evening.

Who are? The Supporters Club? VIP bus would be for VIP members -- if anyone in Edinburgh has joined VIP Club, then yes, they'd presumably get uplifted. Yes, it just depends on the degree of subsidy. Free really sounds a good deal.

As many as it takes!

Today's e-newsletter carries news of a free bus up to Glasgow for all VIP Club members!

How come? BSPA listings in last year's final green sheets have Lewis on 7.54, Stevie on 7.46......?

The only things we can be sure of in the Diamonds line-up is that Lewis Kerr will be at No 1, and the reserves will be Simon Nielsen and Lewis Rose.

Matic Voldrih has been invited to ride on Friday at Armadale in Theo Pijper's testimonial meeting. That makes FIVE of the Dixon Building Bandits in the meeting!

Ben Barker will be riding in all this weekend's requirements, at Ipswich, Edinburgh, and the Berwick practice. (Original post had referred to Newcastle, but that is the following weekend -- my ooops)

Club e-Newsletter this morning tells of closed-door practice at the weekend, some news of Bandits riders at other tracks and some new announcements for VIP Club members -- a meet'n'greet with the team this Saturday, and free admission deal at the speedway museum.

From club website: There will now be FOUR of our Dixon Building Bandits -- more riders than any other club will provide! -- racing in Theo Pijper's 'Night of Champions' at Armadale Raceway next Friday, March 20th. Ben Barker has volunteered his services to the popular Dutchman, joining Claus Vissing, Kevin Doolan and Thomas Jorgensen in honouring Theo's contribution to our sport. The meeting -- and the northern season -- begins at 7.30pm. In addition, Thomas Jorgensen will now join Ben Barker at Sheffield on Sunday 22nd for Ricky Ashworth's Big Day, which begins at 5pm that day.

You are correct in identifying the increase in lengthy delays in this 21st century. The old attitudes of "drag him to the side, put the rest on two minutes" are gone forever! This situation has been increasingly addressed by the promotion, and by last season (especially after the totally unpredictable situation of a paramedic disappearing mid-meeting on a night there wasn't another man available) the club had back-up medical cover at, I think, every meeting. Even then, on the Sky night, there was a very long delay after the crash in Heat 14, despite two ambulances being in situ, a doctor and a paramedic on duty and two more ambulances arriving within a few minutes! This despite every pressure (from the television aspect) for the match to continue as quickly as possible. Simply put, present-day attitudes require every possible precauction being taken before and after a rider is moved from the track (no-one can insist otherwise, surely?) and despite having a 'spare' ambulance and extra medic on hand, delays will occur more and more as every year H&S restrictions demand ever-greater care and attention. Berwick is not the worst example of medical demands delaying (and even bringing meetings to a premature end) is it?

Less than quoted above. Check with Lani Rae on 07779-227535

Another e-Newsletter has arrived, with plenty to read. Perhaps an item worth immediately highlighting is this one: SPRUCE UP THE STADIUM:This Sunday (March 15th) is going to be 'Spruce-Up The Speedway Day' at Shielfield, with staff (and possibly a rider or two) going hard at it to smarten up our speedway facilities in time to have everything ship-shape for our Press & Practice sessions on Saturday 21st. Any willing volunteers will be more than welcome to come along on Sunday and assist in getting things tidied up. We'll be getting going about 10am.

Posted in Berwick's e-Newsletter yesterday: FROM CINDER TO SHALE:The marvellous collection of old speedway bikes and equipment at Loanhead, Midlothian, owned by former Bandit Ian Paterson has announced the only five remaining Sundays on which the display will now be open to the public in 2015. The dates are April 12, May 10, July 12, August 30 and November 1st. All Sundays, and each time they are open from 10am until 4pm. We are detailing these days now, letting interested parties plan ahead as Ian tells us the collection will ONLY open on these five dates -- they no longer have a facility to open on any other days. Those who have been up there a number of times never fail to find something they previously missed! In the words of one multi-World Champion: "This is, for certain, the best, most absorbing exhibition of speedway stuff I have ever seen". High praise, but truly earned. If you like speedway, and can spare a Sunday, please indulge yourself. We know of no-one who has visited and then expressed disappointment. It is that good. The 'Cinder To Shale' exhibition is based at Edgefield Road, Loanhead -- just a minute or less from Straiton Junction on the Edinburgh City by-pass -- and the postcode for a sat-nav is EH20 9TB.

Czaja was in the World U-21 Final in 2013 (rode at Berwick) but surely wouldn't give up his PZM licence to ride PL in the UK.

Not now. He's back in Cornwall, living just a couple of miles from the old Moto Parc site, former home of the Trelawny Tigers. His postcode places him, erm, 500 miles from Tweedmouth!

Hmmmm, I wonder who'll end the year with the better average between BB and CC?

Another e-Newsletter out tonight.... Since people don't seem to want them replicated here, I'll just post the lead story and say they are further items tonight on Claus Vissing, Thomas Jorgensen, the Newcastle match, Gordon Inglis, Ian Paterson's superb museum, the press & practice, another rule change, Gordon Inglis, 2015 ticketing and hospitality bookings.. To read the whole e-Newsletters, all that's required is to go to the Bandits' website, enter your e-mail address in a box and click! BANDIT BEN There are some of us who can still hardly believe Ben Barker, fresh from the podium at last season’s British Championship, is a Bandit – but it’s true, it’s true! 26-year-old Ben (his birthday is next Tuesday, for anyone aiming to give him a card) has joined up as our new No 1 and is ready, willing and able to make his first Shielfield season a superb success. “I’m really looking forward to getting up there” he told Banditmail this morning. “It’s all so positive, my friends have got me very well-organised, there’s a place to stay and work on the bikes when I’m in the north, and when I get my motors back from service and my new kevlars delivered, I’m good to go!” Our cheerful Cornishman’s frank admission that things such as engines and racewear aren’t completely organised is refreshingly honest – and so much better that sky-high promises from others in the past which proved a little, shall we say, optimistic – boding well for Ben’s stature at our club. He will continue to live at home near Trelawney – exactly 500 miles from Shielfield Park – and if he has no other racing commitments (he’s signed up in Poland, has a number of German bookings and “as many Elite League guest opportunities as come my way” planned) intends to travel up on a Friday, to remain fresh for our home matches. “But the Bandits – beg your pardon, the Dixon Building Bandits – are top of the list at present” he assures us. “Berwick’s fixture list comes first, then I’ll look at other meetings”. Ben’s stature in the sport is perhaps a reason that we have no home meeting on June 13th – that’s the date set for the World Team Cup Final at Voyens in Denmark, and with his name surely an automatic choice for Alun Rossiter’s Team GB, why shouldn’t we be prepared to settle down in front of the telly that night and cheer on ‘one of our own’ as (provided they make the Final) the British boys go for gold? He will be arriving at Shielfield for our press’n’practice evening (less than three weeks away) in the middle of a busy spell of early-season skidding. Starting at Swindon this Sunday (8th) with the BenFund Bonanza – he is deservedly proud of being the only rider to have raced in every Bonanza to date – he’ll then drop in at Peterborough on March 15th where he’s in Rosco’s GB select squad, next to Ipswich for the Billy Sanders Memorial on Thursday 19th and, after checking in for our own photocall on the Saturday, there’s the little matter of Ricky Ashworth’s big day at Sheffield on Sunday 22nd. All of which will fine-tune Ben’s skills nicely for his first real test at the top of our team, when Newcastle’s Diamond geezers come calling on March 28th. Ben Barker’s a Bandit – we can STILL hardly believe it!

Not exactly! It was 1981. They were withdrawn from the league after 26 matches, but allowed to continue in the KO Cup, reaching the final, .

Yes they were. In 1994 they were in Division III. They were also in the lowest league in 1995/96, although a pedant (on this forum?) might say the amateur Academy/Conference competitions were technically the second tier, as the top two leagues had amalgamated. To answer your question, Berwick in effect were an amateur, third division, club for these three seasons.