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Last Updated: Nov 28th, 2010 - 10:22:29 |
Speedway returns to Shielfield Park this Saturday with the A & J Scott-sponsored Bandits hoping to provide supporters with a big win over the visiting Rye House Rockets.
But Berwick’s team face a stiffer-than-expected test from the Rockets, who will deploy speedway’s rule-book to their advantage to bring in a guest rider as a reserve who is ultra-familiar with the Shielfield Park.
“We were expecting Rye House to turn up with their usual seven-man squad” confirmed a Bandits’ spokesman last night. “However, we are now informed that their German reserve Robbie Kessler – a rider with no great record of success in these parts – won’t be coming north.”
“Instead, they have recruited Josef “Pepe” Franc – one of our own club assets, currently on loan to Sheffield, and an absolute ace around this track – to ride for them as a reserve, with the possibility of having as many as seven races during the evening!”
The anomalies in speedway’s rules reveal themselves in the fact that the A & J Scott Bandits will also enter Saturday’s match one rider short – Craig Branney remains on the injured list – but the home side will not be allowed a guest and instead must deploy the rider-replacement regulation, with only team-mates able to fill in for their missing mate.
Club owner John Anderson is hopeful his Bandits – under the aegis of newly-appointed team manager Ian Rae – will still have the muscle to see off their high-flying visitors (Rye House are currently fourth in the Premier League table) despite Franc’s introduction to their squad.
“We sorted out Birmingham – currently second-top of the League – with just six riders here a fortnight ago”, he emphasised. “On Saturday, we’ll be aiming to do it again, to the Rockets!
“We are very much aware that, if Craig is to be sidelined for longer than we first expected we may need to pull in another rider” he stated. “But the good guys don’t grow on trees, especially at this point of the season.
“If we do recruit a rider, we need to be certain he will hit the track rolling and contribute more points that we would achieve with rider-replacement.
“He also needs to be available to us for every match between now and the end of term.
“Yes, we are always interested in bringing quality speedway riders to Berwick and always will be – but we won’t be making any change for changes’ sake, nor do we do knee-jerk reactions.
“I should also emphasise that we conduct negotiations with prospective riders privately, and will only announce a signing when the paperwork is signed, sealed and delivered.”
Directly following the match against Rye House, the Bandits Supporters’ Club are staging a free Hog Roast – for BSC members only – at the stadium. Guest of honour will be six times World Champion Ivan Mauger, OBE, MBE, who will be attending the entire evening’s entertainment.
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