BANDITS ARE CUP KINGS

BERWICK clinched the MAXiCab Knockout Cup with a 45-45 draw at Plymouth for a 26-point aggregate victory.

The Bandits were roared on in Devon by over 300 travelling fans as they ended a 37-year wait to lift this item of silverware.

Both teams saw their No.1 riders ruled out of the meeting after a heavy Heat 1 crash saw Plymouth’s Scott Nicholls (shoulder) and Berwick’s Peter Kildemand (wrist) – who retires at the end of the season -withdrawn.

But the visitors’ healthy first leg advantage was never threatened and they officially sealed the trophy when Reid Battye and Victor Palovaara collected a 3-3 from Heat 10 to put the tie mathematically out of the Gladiators’ reach.

Nick Morris (13+1) and reserve Jordan Jenkins (11+1) were the Bandits’ top scorers on the night whilst the home side salvaged a draw on the night with a last-race 4-2 from Joe Thompson (10) and Ben Barker (12).

Berwick owner Jamie Courtney said: “I couldn’t be prouder of the boys, or more delighted for the fans who travelled in huge numbers and created a quite unbelievable atmosphere.

“Losing Peter was a huge blow, and I am so upset that his career has ended this way. But he remained in the pits and helped keep the boys focussed on the job in hand.

“We knew Plymouth would come hard early on, but we weathered that and in reality had the answer for everything they threw at us.

“37 years is a ridiculous wait to lift the trophy, and the task for everybody at Berwick is to ensure that this is the start of something and not just a one-off trophy.”

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Photo credit: TAYLOR LANNING