Report: Berwick Bandits v Poole Pirates (Championship)

17/05/25

Poole lost for the first time in their 2025 CAB Direct Championship league campaign, going down by just two points at Berwick

Richard Lawson showed his liking for the Shielfield circuit once again with a tapes to flag victory but Tobias Thomsen, who was also sharp out of the gate couldn't make the advantage stick as the meeting opened with a shared heat. A winning ride by Dayle Wood, not without its scary moments set up an early advantage for the Bandits, as Paul Starke couldn't land a blow in second. Skipper Zach Cook was dragged into the tapes through plenty of other movement along the grid. He was replaced by Paul Starke who found himself colliding with Danyon Hume at the first turn and it was difficult to determine whether it was rider or machine that came off worse. Nevertheless, Starke returned for the re-start on his second bike and then he was put through his paces with the race being incorrectly flagged and five laps covered! The verdict was correctly called after four laps, by which time Starke had just lost his third place to Hume whilst Rowe was ably defending the lead he had established but had Drew Kemp looking very fast behind him.

Both Pirates were trailing in heat four when leader Jack Smith picked up some unwanted drive around the first curve, saving Poole from slipping further behind, a situation that arose in heat five when Kemp's pace proved dividends as, in the fastest time of the night (64.3seconds) he sped away from Lawson and the Shielfield specialist just couldn't catch him. All the while Hume had the better of Thomsen and Poole were trailing 17-13. Offering Starke more recovery time, Darryl Ritchings replaced him in heat six but producing a splendid ride Sam Hagon stormed down the back straight leaving partner Craig Cook and Lewi Kerr in his wake. That move was the flagstone for a Bandit's maximum, establishing an eight point lead.

That might have immediately been extended had Wood not hit the fence on the back straight of heat seven, a move that knocked his rear chain off allowing Zach Cook the gift of third place, as Kildemand beat Rowe. Starke took Ritchings' place in heat eight but the whole of the stadium were astounded by the brilliance of Hagon who sped by Thomsen setting up another heat advantage for the Bandits (29-19). Needing to quickly eat into that ten point difference, Lawson came in to replace Starke's programmed ride as a tactical substitute. Kemp got away from the tapes where Kerr had been moving and the race was called back. Given a second chance, albeit with a warning to his name, Kerr made a much better gate and down the back straight was able to block Kemp allowing Lawson to ease his way through. Lawson then became the road block on Kemp as they came round the pit turn, Kerr just pulling away. The tactics were perfect and a 5-1 clocked up by the Pirates (30-24).

The hard work unravelled somewhat as Craig won the battle of the Cooks and Hagon again revelled in his new riding position of two, storming through from last to second to wipe out that previous heat loss. There was a clean pair of heels from Lawson, winner of heat eleven in an awarded race after Wood had slid off at the pit turn on lap three, Thomsen getting third place.
Ander Rowe in heat twelve was strong as he held out against the persistent Kemp whilst Starke won the battle of the bruised riders, beating Smith as Poole again brought the deficit to six points.

Craig Cook was moving at the tapes in heat thirteen but was deemed to have penalised himself (warned afterwards) although he arrived at the first turn ahead of Kerr, but the Poole man had the better line coming out of turn two and established third place whilst Lawson had the beating of Kildemand, as Poole 'celebrated' a third consecutive 4-2 heat gain. For a while in heat fourteen that looked as if it would be extended to a run of four but luckless Starke suffered a puncture, initially causing him to slow on lap three and then being thrown off as he tried to skid the bike round the third turn of the final lap. It allowed Smith into third place and with Hume, having taken advantage of Zach Cook not being able to block his move earlier in the race, the winner the Bandits were home and dry provided they had a heat fifteen finisher. Although Kerr and Lawson teamed up for a final 5-1, Lawson fortunate to get away with some twitching at the tapes, it only served to strengthen the Pirates' chances of the aggregate bonus point when the sides meet in the corresponding fixture at Wimborne Road.

BERWICK 46
Craig Cook 2,2',3,0=7+1 (4)
Sam Hagon 1',3,3,2',0=9+2 (5)
Drew Kemp 2,3,R,2=7 (4)
Danyon Hume 1',1,1,3=6+1 (4)
Peter Kildemand 3,3,2,2,1=11 (5)
Dayle Wood 3,R,FD,RS=3 (3)
Jack Smith 1,FD,1,0,1=3 (5)
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POOLE 44
Richard Lawson 3,2,2',3,3,2'=15+2 (6)
Tobias Thomsen 0,0,2,1=3 (4)
Anders Rowe 3,2,R,3=8 (4)
Zach Cook XE,1',1,2=4+1 (4)
Lewis Kerr 2,1,3,1,3=10 (5)
Paul Starke 2,0,RS,R,TS,1,F=3 (5)
Darryl Ritchings 0,1',0,RS,RS=1+1 (3)
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Ht 1: R.Lawson, C.Cook, S.Hagon, T.Thomsen 3-3 3-3 [65.2]
Ht 2: D.Wood, P.Starke, J.Smith, D.Ritchings 4-2 7-5 [67.8]
Ht 3: A.Rowe, D.Kemp, D.Hume, P.Starke, Z.Cook [tapes exc] 3-3 10-8 [65.6]
Ht 4: P.Kildemand, L.Kerr, D.Ritchings, J.Smith [fell exc] 3-3 13-11 [awd]
Ht 5: D.Kemp, R.Lawson, D.Hume, T.Thomsen 4-2 17-13 [64.3]
Ht 6: S.Hagon, C.Cook, L.Kerr, D.Ritchings 5-1 22-14 [65.6]
Ht 7: P.Kildemand, A.Rowe, Z.Cook, D.Wood [rtd] 3-3 25-17 [66]
Ht 8: S.Hagon, T.Thomsen, J.Smith, P.Starke [rtd] 4-2 29-19 [65.7]
Ht 9: L.Kerr, R.Lawson, D.Hume, D.Kemp [rtd], P.Starke [Tac Subbed] 1-5 30-24 [65.7]
Ht 10: C.Cook, S.Hagon, Z.Cook, A.Rowe [rtd] 5-1 35-25 [66.7]
Ht 11: R.Lawson, P.Kildemand, T.Thomsen, D.Wood [fell exc] 2-4 37-29 [awd]
Ht 12: A.Rowe, D.Kemp, P.Starke, J.Smith 2-4 39-33 [65.6]
Ht 13: R.Lawson, P.Kildemand, L.Kerr, C.Cook 2-4 41-37 [65.6]
Ht 14: D.Hume, Z.Cook, J.Smith, P.Starke [fell] 4-2 45-39 [65.4]
Ht 15: L.Kerr, R.Lawson, P.Kildemand, S.Hagon 1-5 46-44 [65.5]