STOKE 48 BERWICK 42

Berwick win on aggregate 92-87 

STOKE Easy Rider Potters crashed out of the Premier League Knock Out Cup at the first hurdle despite winning the second leg 48-42 at Loomer Road last night.

 The Potters who were eleven points down after the first leg just fell short of their target and were only a point adrift on aggregate with three heat remaining but they fell away at the end as the Bandits managed to edge passed the finish line running out aggregate winners by 92-87. 

Stoke team manager “John Woolridge said “I’m bitterly disappointed to have gone out at the first hurdle not only for the club but more importantly the supporters. “All of the lads got stuck in but unfortunately Glen Phillips did not score in his three rides and when you have someone who is third the averages and not scoring on his home circuit then there is no hiding the fact as to why we lost. That’s two competitions we’re out of now with the cup having gone tonight and the Premier Trophy also having already gone there is only really the league left and we have to finish as high as we can.”  

The meeting started bizarrely when at the first time of asking both Berwick riders ended up on the floor as they collided with each other on the second turn, referee Barbara Horley put on the red light to stop the heat and to Stoke’s amazement called all four riders back for the restart.  In the rerun Tero Aarnio makes a good start but Lee Complin cuts back coming off the second turn to pass Aarnio with his partner Tom P Madsen passing the Bandits rider down the back straight to give the Potters the best possible start with a 5-1 heat win. 

Berwick strike back with a 4-2 in heat three as Josef Franc takes a comfortable victory from Jason Bunyan with Paul Clews passing Glen Phillips to leave the Bandits just two points down at 10-8. 

In heat four Phil Morris who had passed a fitness test in the morning ended up in the Loomer Road air fence as Michal Makovsky seemed to collect the Potters rider going into the first turn and take him into the fence, referee Horley deciding to bring all four riders back for a restart. Morris gated in the rerun holding Makovsky at bay with Craig Branney holding out Guglielmo Franchetti for third place to give the Potters a 4-2 heat win opening up a four point lead. 

The Bandits responded in heat five with a 4-2 of their own as William Lawson found his liking for the Stoke circuit to hold Bunyan at bay, Aarnio passing Phillips to bring the Bandits to within two points of the Potters with the scores at 16-14.

 There was drama in heat seven as the start marshal ordered Josef Franc to move over in his starting gate which he did, then as the start marshal moved away Franc threw his bike back into his previous starting position and referee Barbara Horley disqualified Franc. Franc then comes back onto the track as his disqualification was for a starting offence which allowed the Bandit to go off fifteen metres only for Franc to again be disqualified for then exceeding the two minutes time allowance. In the race Jesper Kristiansen and Morris make no mistake as they storm to a comfortable 5-1 with former Potter Paul Clews not looking as though he was going to pass the formidable pairing taking Stoke into a six point lead at the halfway stage with the score at 24-18 on the night and 63-68 in favour of the Bandits on aggregate.  

Tero Aarnio takes victory in heat eight with Madsen doing well to hold off Franchetti as the Bandits take a 4-2 heat advantage reducing Stoke’s lead to four points.

 In heat ten the Bandits were on a comfortable 5-1 when Paul Clews suddenly came down on his own causing the race to be stopped. In the rerun Tom P Madsen gates and Franc can’t find away passed Madsen, with Potters skipper Complin third as the Potters extend their lead to six points and close in on the Bandits aggregate lead. 

Berwick’s Danny Warwick and Clews gate in heat twelve but the Potters pairing of Kristiansen and Branney go either side of Warwick to leave him at the back of the field and set about catching Clews, Clews then lifts and loses momentum coming off turn four and it allows the Potters pairing to drive inside him to take a comfortable 5-1 leaving Stoke ten points in front with the scores at 41-31 and just one point adrift of Berwick on aggregate. 

The Bandits were not about to roll over and let the Potters railroad them and they gained a 4-2 as William Lawson and Makovsky gated ahead of the Stoke pairing Morris managing to overhaul Makovsky to split the Bandits pairing reducing the Potters lead to eight points.

 Berwick manager Dave Peat used the tactical gate rule in heat fourteen with the Bandits going off gates one and four and Franc delivered the goods as he took victory from Bunyan and Kristiansen.

Peat used his second tactical gate in heat fifteen as Berwick took gates two and three and the Bandits sealed the aggregate victory as Lawson stormed from the gate to take a comfortable victory from Bunyan with Franc in third to give Berwick a 4-2 heat win. The Potters took the victory on the night by 48-42 but the Bandits took the honours as they progressed to the second round on aggregate 92-87 and will now face King’s Lynn in the second round. 

Potters rider Phil Morris said “I’m pleased I’ve got back into the points but desperately disappointed that we fell short in the end and not gone through into the second round. “ Morris also confirmed that he had been advised to have his wrist checked after his first ride fall he said “The doc checked me out after the fall and has advised me to get the wrist x-rayed which I will do in the morning but I should be ok it’s just as a precaution.”

 Scorers:
Stoke 48: Jason Bunyan 11, Phil Morris 10+1, Jesper Kristiansen 9+1, Tom P Madsen 9+1, Lee Complin 5+1, Craig Branney 4+2, Glen Phillips 0

 Berwick 42: William Lawson 11, Josef Franc 9, Michal Makovsky 7+1, Tero Aarnio 6+1, Guglielmo Franchetti 4, Paul Clews 3, Danny Warwick 2