Berwick Bandits win sets up winner-takes-all clash against Tigers

Bandits skipper Leon Flint in action against Edinburgh Monarchs. Picture: Taz McDougall

From nowhere Berwick Bandits have drawn level with Glasgow at the top of the mini section, with the teams meeting in what has become a winner-takes-all clash at Ashfield on Friday (April 28).

And there is also the consolation prize of the “best second” place which will complete the semi-final line-up of the new competition.

It’s all very much a contrast from just seven days ago when the FTS Bandits, powered by Keenwood Karpets, were licking their wounds following a 13-point home defeat at the hands of the Tigers.

But they made amends by winning 49-41 at Edinburgh Monarchs on Friday (April 21) and 51-39 at Shielfield Park the following evening.

Skipper Leon Flint stormed to the second paid maximum of his fledgling career while Australian Rory Schlein dropped just one point to an opponent, Edinburgh’s top scorer Craig Cook.

The visitors’ cause was not helped by a heat one crash which ruled number one Josh Pickering out of the meeting.

Edinburgh still managed to keep the scores within two points only for the home side to pull clear in the second half of the meeting.

Flint and Jye Etheridge set the tone by subjecting the previously unbeaten Cook to a 5-1 and only a damaged fuel line for Thomas Jorgensen while well clear prevented him doubling that up with Jonas Knudsen in the next heat.

Paco Castagna and Lasse Fredriksen hit the front in 11, but Schlein then produced a delicious one-two, rounding the Norwegian before cutting inside the Italian and roaring off.

Fredriksen was in the thick of the action again in 13, leading the Berwick pair of Schlein and Jorgensen, only for Schlein to produce another sublime fourth bend cutback, Jorgensen making an almost identical move a lap later before having a heavy spill.

Schlein clinched the win in heat 15.

“It’s a massive turnaround from last week,” team manager and co-promoter Gary Flint admitted.

“It wasn’t a case of reading them the riot act. The riders knew that they had not performed well and took it upon themselves to put things right.

“Effectively we control our destiny at Ashfield on Friday and then against Redcar in the cup the following night.”