screm

REDCAR Bears will have to overturn a yawning 20-point deficit if they are to get their hands on the Tees Tweed Trophy. They're also going to have to look a whole lot sharper if they are to open their League Cup account at Newcastle this evening. It's true that early season matches such as last night's at Shielfield Park, the Ecco Finishing Bears' first for the year which they lost 57-37, are primarily an exercise in blowing away the cobwebs. After all, many of the riders haven't raced since October. But it was Berwick's first match of the year too and they dealt out a lesson in gating, leading from the moment they clocked up a 5-1 in heat two and were never seriously under threat from their visitors. New Bears No 1 Richard Lawson won his first race as a Bear, as well as the last race of the evening and was never out of the top two all evening. If he can keep that up all year he'll be a cracking spearhead for the team. But Carl Wilkinson was their only other heat winner, swooping round Steen Jensen to take the chequered flag in heat eight. Hugh Skidmore did his job as a second string and would have increased his five-point return but for an uncharacteristic fall in heat seven while third with the Bears on course for a 3-3, while skipper Aaron Summers was hampered by clutch problems but always looked up for it and snatched a dramatic second place on the line while on a tactical double ride, inflicting Matthew Wethers' only defeat of the night. But Jan Graversen had a stinker of a meeting, falling in heat two and retiring with bike problems before he'd even reached the first bend next time out. That said he was all over the Berwick pair in his first race and fell looking for a last gasp way around them. One more lap and he'd have had them, for sure. Richard Hall will be disappointed with his debut for the club while Luke Crang managed only one point on his first appearance at Premier League level although the former spent some time out injured last term and the latter is still very much a newcomer to the sport and is still on a learning curve. Crang in fact was second in his second outing when he hit the deck. So while the Bears were very much second best on the night and, with their home leg of the TTT lost to the weather will have to get dialled in fast, a big defeat isn't the end of the world by a long stretch - the Bears were brushed aside by Newcastle in their first match last year, remember, but went on to reach the play-offs and the KO Cup semi-finals. "My main observation is that we weren't making starts," said team manager Jitendra Duffill. "Berwick showed us the way into the first corner in every heat, but after that we matched them for pace. "I think every rider showed some promise in at least one heat so we just need to take that and build on it. "Berwick are a strong side and I think a lot of people will be turned over there this year but all over our riders showed glimpses of promise. "A couple of daft engine failures cost us points to but that's what these meetings are all about - getting the gremlins out of the way. A lot of the lads were on new equipment. I'm not going to read to much into that. "Tonight at Newcastle is where it starts for real and that's when we have to get it right." For Berwick Claus Vissing scored a four-ride maximum while former Bear Matej Kus clicked into gear after a sluggish start and won his last two races.

A more than reasonable way to start the 2014 season, and on a bitterly cold night it was pleasing to see the meeting run at a good pace with all 15 heats done and dusted at 8-30.

No problem cuz, glad to have been of service.

Good grief. The season would've started for Berwick & Redcar last Thursday, had it not been for the weather. It would've started for both last night, again the weather intervened, so for anyone out there who is hard of understanding, the season starts tonight.

Did last nights commentary actually happen, there's a dvd in my dvd player, dare I press play to find out.

Bit of a murky start to the day, but it is just about dry. Forecast is decent for the rest of the day so the 2014 speedway season for Berwick & Redcar will start tonight.

Very interesting, but the big question is why you posted the other day about just arriving at Brandon for the ELRC when its quite clear you were not there. Answers please.

Giving the exploits of Burnicle & Ermolenko tonight, there should never ever be anymore complaints about Pearson & Tatum. Quite simply the worst speedway commentary ever, so bad that it became very entertaining in the end.

Gave up working out the points after the first few heats, as did the commentator, and just enjoyed one of the worst commentary's ever. Hope this pair wont be together when the SEC Pairs have their second round in a few weeks.

I'm recording this, it will never get recorded over, not for the racing but for the commentary, it is fantastic.

With that Danish 6-3, they move onto 200pts, according to hodit & dodit in the comms box.

As promised teams are now confirmed in post one. Weather forecast for Saturday, Saturday will be a generally dull day but thankfully it will stay dry for the most, any rain will be light and short lived. Winds will be easterly with temperatures at race time around 6-7 degrees.

Maybe its part of the sanctions from the UN over Ukraine.

See I'm not biased, unlike some.

Oh God this is embarrassing.

What is wrong with everybody, Holder caused Pedersen to crash and was rightly excluded.

Could it have something to do with Pedersen & NKI being better.

Gonna be a long night....but a very funny one.

Fantastic edition, congratulations to all at Speedway Star.

Gazettespeedway 12m @RedcarBears v Berwick has again been postponed tonight because of a waterlogged track. It will be restaged but no date yet #speedway

Mr H is at the end of a very long list of people I`m likely to upset. I was hoping to update the Redcar 1-7 this evening as the Bears took on the Bandits, but as the rain in Redcar fell mainly on the track it wasn't to be, hope for better luck tomorrow night.

Its only Thursday, you wait till some Speedway Star readers get their copies tomorrow. Are you doing signing sessions at Brough Park this Sunday.

Aren't we all.

In Lawsons case its quite understandable, there is no way Lakeside would've agreed to release him from their Elite League fixture with Swindon so he can race for Redcar in what's not much more than official practice.

No Lawson tomorrow night for Redcar, they will use a guest.