Berwick Bandits 44: Edinburgh Monarchs 45
Premier National Trophy
Shielfield Park, Berwick
Saturday 7th April 2001
Edinburgh made yet another late comeback to take the points from Berwick. Monarchs were three points down and seemingly drifting to defeat but heat wins by Christian Henry, Phil Morris and Jan Andersen maintained the margin and set things up for a last heat decider. Peter Carr and Phil Morris took a 5-1 to seal the win.
The match was tight throughout with the lead never more than three points to either team. Edinburgh were two points up going into heat 3 but lost a 5-1 and never regained the lead until the finale. Berwick took a two-point lead in heat seven that was reduced to one a heat later. This was increased to three in heat ten and so it remained until the last heat.
Berwick suffered heavy rain throughout the morning but it cleared up after lunch and the meeting started in bright sunshine. The track was in fair condition and produced some of the best racing seen at Shielfield for some time.
Berwick continued with Phil Pickering standing in at number seven. Edinburgh again had Phil Morris guesting for Robert Eriksson.
Gate position A was used with Berwick off 1 and 3 in heat one
Heat 1: Adrian Rymel, Phil Morris, Blair Scott, Will Beveridge [66.7]
Adrian Rymel won from the gate ahead of Phil Morris and Blair Scott.
(3-3) (3-3)
Heat 2: Derek Sneddon, David McAllan, Christian Henry [69.2]
Derek Sneddon made a lightning start from gate three and was joined up front by Christian Henry. It looked odds-on a Monarchs' 5-1 until McAllan closed in. Sneddon was leading but not going especially fast and Christian Henry seemed uncertain what to do and went rather too wide on the last bend allowing McAllan to come through on the inside. Phil Pickering fell.
(2-4) (5-7)
Heat 3: David Meldrum, Josef Franc, Jan Andersen, Ben Shields [67.5]
David Meldrum gated ahead of Jan Andersen and Josef Franc. Andersen looked very uncomfortable. Franc cut past Andersen on the second bend to secure a home maximum.
(5-1) (10-8)
Heat 4: Peter Carr, Michal Makovsky, Derek Sneddon [67.9]
Peter Carr blasted ahead to win from Makovsky. Derek Sneddon held a comfortable third place ahead of Pickering. The Berwick number seven fell but restarted although he subsequently retired as Monarchs squared the match.
(2-4) (12-12)
Heat 5: David Meldrum, Blair Scott, Phil Morris [Awarded]
Blair Scott was first away but David Meldrum produced a stunning second bend to take the lead. Josef Franc fell at the back and caused the race to be stopped and awarded.
(3-3) (15-15)
Heat 6: Peter Carr, Adrian Rymel, Will Beveridge, Christian Henry [67.1]
Peter Carr had another convincing win ahead of Rymel. Christian Henry left it late to mount a challenge on Beveridge and his surge off the last bend failed as he flashed past his former reserve partner a metre beyond the line.
(3-3) (18-18)
Heat 7: Michal Makovsky, Jan Andersen, David McAllan, Ben Shields [68.0]
Jan Andersen gated but was passed all too easily by Makovsky. Ben Shields was also passed early on by David McAllan. This regained the lead for the home side.
(4-2) (22-20)
Heat 8: Blair Scott, Will Beveridge [Awarded]
There were howls of disbelief from the visiting support when it was announced that Phil Pickering had withdrawn from the meeting after his two falls despite remounting in heat 4. This meant that his remaining two rides could be taken by the much stronger David McAllan. Derek Sneddon gated once more and it appeared that Monarchs were on a stonewall 5-1 as Blair Scott and Sneddon pulled ahead of Beveridge. Then McAllan fell on the second bend of the third lap and was clearly unable to get up. Referee Graham Reeve delayed stopping the race and Sneddon hit the fence on the dreaded pit turn. The race was then awarded as a 3-2 rather than a maximum.
(2-3) (24-23)
Heat 9: Peter Carr, David Meldrum, Josef Franc, Christian Henry [66.9]
Peter Carr inflicted the first defeat on David Meldrum but with Christian Henry at the back the Bandit's lead was intact.
(3-3) (27-26)
Heat 10: Adrian Rymel, Jan Andersen, Will Beveridge, Ben Shields [67.7]
Jan Andersen gated once more but was passed by Rymel. Beveridge took third ahead of Shields to extend the lead to three points.
(4-2) (31-28)
Heat 11: Michel Makovsky, Phil Morris, Blair Scott, David McAllan [67.9]
Michal Makovsky won ahead of Phil Morris and Blair Scott.
(3-3) (34-31)
Heat 12: Christian Henry, Josef Franc, David McAllan [70.9]
Christian Henry came in for Shields to join Derek Sneddon. This looked to be heading for a drawn heat with Franc ahead of Henry and Sneddon. Then the Monarchs' reserves collided on the pit turn. Derek Sneddon was excluded and Christian Henry's bike was badly bent. After a long delay while the fence was repaired, Christian came out on Ben Shields's bike. It looked ominous when Franc and reserve replacement McAllan were quickest away but Henry showed character to pass both Bandits on the outside and keep Edinburgh in contention.
(3-3) (37-34)
Heat 13: Phil Morris, Adrian Rymel, Michal Makovsky, Peter Carr [68.1]
Berwick seemed to have made the decisive break when Rymel and Makovsky gated leaving Phil Morris and Peter Carr well behind. Morris was not finished and in a sensational ride carved his way past first Makovsky and then Rymel using the inside line. Peter Carr was stuck at the back.
(3-3) (40-37)
Heat 14: Jan Andersen, David Meldrum, David McAllen [68.1]
Jan Andersen gated ahead of Meldrum and looked more comfortable on the track. He held on to keep Monarchs just about in contention. Christian Henry suffered bike problems and eventually retired.
(3-3) (43-40)
Heat 15: Peter Carr, Phil Morris, David Meldrum, Adrian Rymel [69.9]
Monarchs opted for Phil Morris to join Carr in this decisive heat. Jan Andersen was not eligible with eight points. Berwick opted by Rymel and Meldrum. Carr made no mistake from the gate but Meldrum was holding the second place Berwick needed to win the match. Phil Morris produced a sensational pass of Meldrum to secure Monarchs' win.
(1-5) (44-45)
|
Berwick Bandits |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Adrian Rymel |
3 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
|
|
10 |
|
Will Beveridge |
0 |
1* |
2 |
1 |
4+1 |
|||
|
Josef Franc |
2* |
X |
1* |
2 |
|
|
|
5+2 |
|
David Meldrum |
3 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
|
11 |
|
|
Michal Makovsky |
2 |
3 |
3 |
1* |
|
|
|
9+1 |
|
David McAllan |
2 |
1 |
X |
0 |
1* |
1* |
|
5+2 |
|
Phil Pickering |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Edinburgh Monarchs |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Phil Morris |
2 |
1* |
2 |
3 |
2* |
|
|
10+2 |
|
Blair Scott |
1* |
2 |
3 |
1 |
|
|
7+2 |
|
|
Ben Shields |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||||
|
Jan Andersen |
1 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
|
|
|
8 |
|
Peter Carr |
3 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
|
|
12 |
|
Christian Henry |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
R |
|
|
4 |
|
Derek Sneddon |
3 |
1 |
X |
X |
4 |
|||
For the second successive away match, Monarchs have come up trumps with a guest. Phil Morris took some time to settle and lost to the home top three in his first three rides. He redeemed this with a superb win from the back in heat 13 and an equally impressive paid win from behind in the last heat decider.
Peter Carr looked to be in a class of his own winning four of his heats. He missed the gate in heat 13 and made no impression. He had a section of the home crowd complaining that he moved at the start in one heat but the referee saw nothing wrong. Jan Andersen looked rather uncomfortable early on and was passed by the three Czech riders. He came good to win heat 14. Blair Scott was very impressive as his paid score of nine testifies.
Derek Sneddon produced some fast starting and had he come to terms with the fourth bend he could have been paid for nine or ten points rather than four. Once his track craft improves he could turn out to be a big scorer for Edinburgh. Christian Henry had a mixed meeting partially offset by his great heat 12 win.
Berwick have some way to go to produce a winning team. Of the Czechs, Rymel and Makovsky look to be decent signings but Franc has so far failed to adapt to conditions in Britain. Meldrum is as impressive as ever at Shielfield. Will Beveridge is still failing to produce the form that he showed two years ago with Glasgow. His score of 4 paid 5 includes the point gifted in heat 8. David McAllan had a fair meeting and was always battling from the back.
Man of the match: Peter Carr
Most exciting rider: Phil Morris
John Lowe