The Berwick Bandits clawed their way back into fifth place in the Premier League last night with a simply superb and amazing win away at the Workington Comets.

Following a shared opening heat, Italian Guglielmo Franchetti clinched another three points in the second as fellow reserve Scott Smith crashed out of the match aggravating his knee once again leaving the Bandits to fight 13 races with only five men plus an extra number eight, but they all played their part terrifically well.

But the victory was won as a direct result of incredible team effort to cover the rides vacated by Smith’s injury AND the amazing sight of the injured Bandit remaining at the track instead of getting off home, keeping his bike warmed up, fuelled up and ready to race in case one of his team mates needed a substitute bike in a display of team loyalty the like of which few have ever seen before.

Number eight, John Macphail even donated his virtually brand new tyre to the remainder of the team to use in the very vital later races instead of keeping the tyre for himself to use for practice.

Whilst in the pits every Berwick rider was helping every other Bandit out by working on all the bikes in the very best of truly team efforts every conjured up by a Berwick team which was an amazing site to behold proving Berwick’s team spirit is second to none.

Come the third race Michal Makovsky and Paul Clews screamed out loud and clear Berwick’s intention with an easily taken 1-5 to go four up and holler that the Bandits were there to win and not just be bit-part players.

Guest Paul Cooper and Franchetti took another maximum in the fourth but with Workington 10 down after Heat Eight they nominated skipper Kauko Nieminen as a tactical ride for double points and he duly swept aside Cooper and Franchetti to pick up six points and haul the Comets three points closer once more in Heat Nine (25-32).

With a totally on-song Makovsky taking another huge win in Heat 10 ahead of former World Champion Gary Havelock with Clews in third, the 2-4 took the score to a tantalisingly 27-36 as tension at Derwent Park turned to fever pitch.

Bandits guaranteed the unexpected win in Heat 12 with a Makovsky / Franchetti 1-5 over John Branny and Nieminen who pulled out of the race with a sick machine taking the score to an unassailable 31-44 placing three valuable league points into the Bandits’ kitty as a play-off place became a virtual certainty.

“This was an awesome performance of almost biblical proportions!” raved Berwick Promoter Peter Waite, “They all made sure they could cover Scott’s injury and made a determined effort to make all the travelling fans very proud indeed, it was a great feeling to become the first team to win at Workington in the League this season.”

Thomas Armstrong Workington Comets 42
1. Gary Havelock (Guest) 2,2,2,3,1!,3 = 13
2. Tomi Reima 1*,0,1,N = 2+1
3. Kauko Nieminen © 0,3,6^,R,2* = 11+1
4. Joe Haines 1,1,0,F = 2
5. Carl Stonehewer R,0,3,2* = 5+1
6. Charles Wright ® 2,2,0,0 = 4
7. John Branney ® 1*,1,2,1 = 5+1

Anderson’s Quality Butchers Berwick Bandits 51
1. Adrian Rymel © 3,2,2,Fx = 7
2. Norbert Magosi - rider replacement
3. Michal Makovsky 3,3,3,3,3,1 = 16
4. Paul Clews 0,2*,1,1,2*,0 = 6+2
5. Paul Cooper (Guest) 3,1,2,1*,1 = 8+1
6. Guglielmo Franchetti ® 3,2*,3,0,1*,2*,3 = 14+3
7. Scott Smith ® F = 0 (injured and withdrawn)
8. John Macphail 0 = 0