Berwick Bandits 53: Edinburgh Century Mortgages Monarchs 37
Premier League
Shielfield Park, Berwick
Saturday 14th August 1999
Edinburgh lost to Berwick in the Premier League having already won there on two occasions. While Monarchs did enough to collect the aggregate bonus point this appeared to be the limit of their ambitions. The match was strange in that it didn’t produce a single tied heat. Edinburgh started with two 4-2 heat advantages and then conceded four straight 5-1s. Monarchs secured the bonus point thanks to a partial recovery including three 5-1 heat advantages of their own. Monarchs did find the home heat leaders something of a handful.
Edinburgh were unchanged with rider replacement again operating for Stewart McDonald and Gary Flint drafted in at number 8. Berwick were had their new super-strong lineup for their second match. Since Edinburgh last visited Berwick for a 15-heat match, the Bandits have replaced Wesley Waite with Alan Mogridge and Dean Felton with Mick Powell! That allowed their two Danes Madsen and Kristensen to take the second string berths and David Meldrum to move to reserve.
The track appeared to have survived the heavy rain that had fallen in the area.
Gate position A was in used with Edinburgh off 2 and 4 for the first heat.
Heat 1: James Grieves, Scott Lamb, Blair Scott [67.1]
Grieves made a good start and held off Scott Lamb. Tom Madsen looked set for second place until he stopped allowing raider replacement Blair Scott to collect a gift point.
(2-4) (2-4)
Heat 2: Blair Scott, Freddie Stephenson, James Birkinshaw, David Meldrum [67.2]
Blair Scott made a great start and was followed by Stephenson and Meldrum with Birkinshaw well adrift. Then on the last bend Meldrum slowed down and seems to coast over the line with Birkinshaw just catching him to pinch a point.
(2-4) (4-8)
Heat 3: Mick Powell, Claus Kristensen, Kevin Little [67.7]
Ross Brady didn’t make the best start but put in a superb second band and came around Powell to take the lead by the third bend. He held the lead for three laps until he slowed and retired coming up to the start line. This gifted Berwick a 5-1 and also a point to Kevin Little who had dropped a long way behind.
(5-1) (9-9)
Heat 4: Alan Mogridge, David Meldrum, Peter Carr, Blair Scott [65.5]
Alan Mogridge and David Meldrum gated leaving Peter Carr for dead. Mogridge broke the track record, taking 0.2 seconds off Glenn Cunningham’s record dating back to one year ago.
(5-1) (14-10)
Heat 5: Claus Kristensen, Mick Powell, James Grieves, James Birkinshaw [67.5]
Bandits took a stranglehold on the match with a third successive maximum from Kristensen and Powell. Grieves and rider replacement Birkinshaw could make no impact.
(5-1) (19-11)
Heat 6: Scott Lamb, Tom Madsen, Ross Brady, Peter Carr [66.5]
Lamb and Madsen did the trick once more with tactical substitute Ross Brady being swept aside on the first lap and Carr struggling at the back.
(5-1) (24-12)
Heat 7: Alan Mogridge, Ross Brady, Freddie Stephenson [65.5]
Mogridge won a hard fought tussle with Brady on the first and second bend to win and equal his own track record. Kevin Little’s mechanical nightmare continued when he fell away and retired.
(4-2) (28-14)
Heat 8: James Grieves, Blair Scott, Tom Madsen, David Meldrum [67.8]
James Grieves came in as a tactical substitution as rider replacement. In the first attempt Grieves fell on the first bend but was invited back for the rerun. The second time, he made no mistake and swept ahead from the gate along with Blair Scott. David Meldrum fell at the back but restarted.
(1-5) (29-19)
Heat 9: Mick Powell, Peter Carr, Claus Kristensen, James Birkinshaw [67.9]
(4-2) (33-21)
Heat 10: Scott Lamb, Ross Brady, Tom Madsen [67.2]
Little and Brady were quick out of the gate but Lamb edged past Brady on the second bend as Little again dropped back and retired.
(4-2) (37-23)
Heat 11: James Grieves, Ross Brady, Freddie Stephenson [67.2]
James Grieves and rider replacement Ross Brady had the drop on Mogridge this time. Mogridge chased hard and fell on the third bend.
(1-5) (38-28)
Heat 12: Mick Powell, Peter Carr, David Meldrum [67.3]
Peter Carr came in as a tactical substitute for Birkinshaw. He was outgated by Mick Powell while Kevin Little retired once more after struggling at the back.
(4-2) (42-30)
Heat 13: Scott Lamb, Alan Mogridge, James Grieves, Peter Carr [66.6]
Scott Lamb led from the second bend with Grieves second but Mogridge produced a very impressive pass on the fourth bend to secure another maximum.
(5-1) (47-31)
Heat 14: Ross Brady, Blair Scott, Claus Kristensen, Freddie Stephenson [67.9]
With Monarchs having secured the bonus point, there were no changes in heat 14. Blair Scott produced a blistering start, as did Ross Brady. Kristensen was never able to get in touch and Stephenson fell at the back and restarted.
(1-5) (48-36)
Heat 15: Mick Powell, Scott Lamb, Ross Brady, James Grieves [67.4]
Berwick finished on a high note with another maximum from Powell and Lamb although Ross Brady was fighting all the way.
(5-1) (53-37)
|
Berwick Bandits |
||||||||||
|
Scott Lamb |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
|
13 |
|||
|
Tom Madsen |
R |
2* |
1 |
1 |
|
|
4+1 |
|||
|
Mick Powell |
3 |
2* |
3 |
3 |
3 |
|
14+1 |
|||
|
Claus Kristensen |
2* |
3 |
1 |
1 |
|
7+1 |
||||
|
Alan Mogridge |
3 |
3 |
F |
2* |
|
|
8+1 |
|||
|
Freddie Stephenson |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
|
4 |
|||
|
David Meldrum |
0 |
2* |
0 |
1 |
|
3+1 |
||||
|
Edinburgh Monarchs |
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
James Grieves |
3 |
1 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
|
11 |
||
|
Stewart McDonald |
Rider replacement |
(6+1) |
||||||||
|
Kevin Little |
1 |
R |
R |
R |
|
1 |
||||
|
Ross Brady |
R |
1 |
2 |
2 |
2* |
3 |
0 |
11+1 |
||
|
Peter Carr |
1 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
|
5 |
|||
|
James Birkinshaw |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
1 |
|||
|
Blair Scott |
1 |
3 |
0 |
2* |
2* |
|
8+2 |
|||
Only James Grieves of the Monarchs heat leaders made any impact. He was far from his best but secured three heat wins. Peter Carr was slow out of the gate and not really competitive with the home heat leaders. Kevin Little, who scored 13+1 from 5 rides in both his previous visits to Berwick, suffered mechanically and only scored one point. That one was gifted by a Ross Brady retirement in heat 3.
Ross Brady was in great form and really mixed it with the home heat leaders. He was a tad unlucky not to score more than 11+1 and seemed set to win heat 3 until he stopped. Blair Scott was impressive whenever he gated and secured three paid wins.
The whole Berwick team looked the part. Their three heat leaders only failed to win two heats, Lamb was outgated by Grieves in heat 1 and Mogridge fell in heat 11.
As was the case last year they have finally assembled a decent side now that it is too late to do anything save a very outside chance of making the play-offs. They do have a number of good riders on invitingly low averages who will provide a sound platform for team building next year.
Man of the match: Mick Powell.
Most exciting rider: Alan Mogridge.
Next meeting: v Sheffield, Premier League Cup, Armadale on Friday 20th August 1999
John Lowe