Team Websites for News and More Detailed Match Reports:
Berwick Bandits Website (Official)
Berwick Bandits Website (Unofficial)

Live Updates for a Current or Recent match: Live Speedway Updates
Discussion on Matches and Other Speedway Issues: Speedway Forum

Berwick Bandits v Sheffield Tigers
Premier League, 24 June 2006
Shielfield Park, Berwick

Berwick 43
1Stanislaw Burza11*30. ..51
2Jamie BirkinshawFx.... ..00
3Lee Smethills301*3. ..71
4Michal Makovsky2*3232 ..121
5Andreas Bergstrom3221Fx ..80
6Danny Warwick321*11 0191
7(g)Jon Armstrong11R0. ..20
Sheffield 47
1Ricky Ashworth3232*1 ..111
2Ben Wilson2*1*31. ..72
3Kyle LegaultFR22. ..40
4Emiliano Sanchez13R2. ..60
5Andre Compton23333 ..140
6Paul Cooper2R2*01* ..52
7Benji Compton0R0.. ..00

* = BP. ^ = TR . ! = TS (15m Handicap). # = TR (Points Not Doubled). & = TS (Points Not Doubled, 15m Handicap).

Berwick had Lee Smethills back in the side at number 3 but were missing Craig Branney. They had Jon Armstrong from Mildenhall as a guest in his place at number 7. Sheffield were at full strength.

Berwick were dealt a bad blow in the opening heat when James Birkinshaw ploughed into the first bend fence and had to be taken to hospital with a suspected broken ankle. That was bad enough but when their guest reserve, Jon Armstrong, managed only two points and Stanislaw Burza at number 1 could only manage 5 points it was too much for the Bandits against a good Sheffield side who were well led by Andre Compton and Ricky Ashworth.

After James Birkinshaw had been safely settled in the ambulance and taken off to hospital Berwick started the match by conceding a 1-5 in the opening race to Ricky Ashworth and Ben Wilson. The Bandits pulled two points back with a 4-2 in the reserves race won by Daniel Warwick from Paul Cooper. They followed that by scoring a 5-1 in heat 3 from Lee Smethills and Michal Makovsky after Makovsky had passed Kyle Legault causing him to fall. Andreas Bergstrom produced a brilliant ride in heat 4 to pass Andre Compton round the outside for a comfortable win. With Jon Armstrong picking up the third place point Berwick added a 4-2 to take the score after four races to 14-10.

The next three heats were shared. Michal Makovsky won heat 5 from Ricky Ashworth. Andre Compton beat Daniel Warwick in heat 6 and Emiliano Sanchez won heat 7 from Andreas Bergstrom. In heat 8 though the scores were all square again. Ben Wilson and Paul Cooper led from the tapes and, although Daniel Warwick passed Paul Cooper he was repassed by the Sheffield man a lap later for a Sheffield 1-5 which took the score to 24-24.

In heat 9 Andre Compton gated to beat the Makovsky/Smethills pairing for a shared race then in heat 10 Stanislaw Burza had his one moment of glory on the night by winning the heat. Daniel Warwick had got himself into second place but was brilliantly passed by Kyle Legault then by Emiliano Sanchez. Sanchez then suffered an engine failure so the heat was eventually shared. In heat 11 the fast gating Ashworth and Wilson threatened a Sheffield 1-5 but Andreas Bergstrom got by Wilson and chased after Ashworth. He looked to be catching the Sheffield number 1 but Ashworth shut the door on him so Sheffield took a 2-4 to level the match again. Lee Smethills won heat 12 from Kyle Legault for another shared race which took the score after twelve heats to 36-36.

Not for the first time this season heat 13 turned out to be a disaster for Berwick. Andre Compton and Ricky Ashworth were fast away and might have been challenged by Andreas Bergstrom but for the fact that it took Bergstrom three laps to pass his partner, Stanislaw Burza, so the Sheffield big guns scored a 1-5 at a crucial time to take the lead at 37-41. Michal Makovsky produced a fine ride to beat Emiliano Sanchez in heat 14 and, with Daniel Warwick third, the Bandits pulled two points back with the 4-2 to trail 41-43 going into the last heat. It all went wrong for Berwick again in heat 15 when Andreas Bergstrom crashed into the fourth bend fence to be excluded from the rerun to guarantee a Sheffield win. In the rerun Andre Compton beat Michal Makovsky for a 2-4 which gave the visitors a four point win.

Match Report by Merlin