Big lead for Berwick Bandits in quarter-final after excellent home victory

And it was a former Scorpion, Drew Kemp, who moved the cup holders to the brink, part of a powerhouse display from the home side.

The 21-year-old had limped out of Berwick’s BSN Series defeat at Edinburgh the previous night but dismissed any fears about his fitness with a tapes to flag victory in heat three, going on to claim a further nine points in the 54-36 victory on the evening against Scunthorpe Scorpions.

Guest Richard Lawson produced another Shielfield masterclass – untroubled on the way to his third maximum around the Borders’ circuit, his 13th double figure score there.

Skipper Rory Schlein weighed in with 13+1 while Danyon Hume and reserve Bastian Borke were again in the thick of the action as Berwick shrugged off a meagre four points the rider replacement outings in place of the injured Jye Etheridge yielded.

Scunthorpe held their own in the early stages, 5-1s for reserves Jack Asmith and Luke Harrison and then Kyle Howarth and the impressive Connor Mountain kept the scores level after five heats.

A typically audacious move from Borke, powering off the second bend and roaring past Jake Allen on the run to the line in four to finish behind Schlein left no-one in any doubt about the determination of the home side.

Berwick began to quietly extend the gap with Danyon Hume joining Lawson for a 5-1 in six before winning heat eight, and then partnering the Cumbrian to the second of back-to-back 4-2s, including a tremendous scrap with visiting captain Simon Lambert.

Kemp’s second race win of the night set up the first in heat nine before a bizarre heat 12 which saw Smith fined for remonstrating with the start marshal. His clutch burnt-out as Scorpions captain Lambert incurred the wrath of the official which delayed the start.

Berwick took advantage of some Scunthorpe misfortune in heat 13, Kyle Howarth excluded after the peak of his helmet touched the tapes.

The home side were much sharper from the gate which helped their case, Kemp again popping from the tapes to secure victory in the penultimate heat.

Bandits’ fans were already happy with the night’s work, but Schlein produced the extra cherry on top of the icing with a brave first bend which allowed him to set up a breathtaking back straight drive past Howarth and Lambert to join Lawson at the front of 15.

After the meeting Kemp, still feeling the effects of his Armadale crash, said: “I felt that I pulled my finger out a little tonight. Despite winning it I was a bit slow in my first race but we made a couple of changes and they seemed to work.

“I enjoyed winning the cup with Scunthorpe but I’m a Berwick rider now and would love to be part of bringing some silverware here."

Manager Stewart Dickson remained level-headed saying: “All credit to the riders, an 18-point lead exceeded all my expectations, but Scunthorpe are a tough proposition on their home track.

“It was a good performance but the job is only halfway through. If the shoe was on the other foot I would be using the defeat as motivation and I’m sure that David Howe will be doing the same before the second leg.”

Berwick’s hopes of reaching the BSN Series knockout stages came crashing down on an eventful night at chilly Armadale.

Drew Kemp and Jye Etheridge crashed out after tangling in a high-speed heat seven crash which saw both visitors thundering into the air fence during the 53-37 win for Edinburgh Monarchs.

They both limped out of the meeting and despite the best efforts of the remaining riders, it was an away defeat for Berwick.

Bandits stats against Scunthorpe: Richard Lawson 15, Danyon Hume 8+1, Drew Kemp 12, Rory Schlein 13+1, Freddy Hodder 0, Bastian Borke 6+2.

Bandits stats against Edinburgh: Kyle Howarth 6+, Danyon Hume 6, Jye Etheridge 2, Drew Kemp 0, Rory Schlein 11, Freddy Hodder 3, Bastian Borke 9+2.