REPORT: Berwick Bandits v Poole Pirates KO Cup Semi FInal 2nd Leg

Poole suffered their biggest away defeat since 2019 as they crashed out of the MAXiCAB Knockout Cup at the hands of the Berwick R.E.D. Bandits by 55-35 (aggregate 98-82).

BERWICK 55
Peter Kildemand 2,2',2,1,3=10+1 (5)
Jye Etheridge 0,3,3,1',3=10+1 (5)
Victor Palovaara 3,2,2,2,0=9 (5)
Rider Replacement
Nick Morris 3,2,3,3=11 (4)
Jack Smith 1,2',1',RS,1',1,2'=8+4 (6)
Jordan Jenkins 3,1,XE,0,2',1'=7+2 (6)

POOLE 35
Richard Lawson 3,3,2,2,2=12 (5)
Rider Replacement
Lewis Kerr 0,1,3,3=7 (4)
Cooper Rushen 1,2,3,X0,0,1'=7+1 (6)
Zach Cook 1,0,3,0=4 (4)
Simon Lambert F,1,1,0,XE=2 (5)
Kyle Newman 2,0,0,0,R,N2,1=3 (6)

Ht 1: R.Lawson, P.Kildemand, C.Rushen, J.Etheridge 2-4 2-4 [65.5]
Ht 2: J.Jenkins, K.Newman, J.Smith, S.Lambert [fell] 4-2 6-6 [66.6]
Ht 3: V.Palovaara, C.Rushen, J.Jenkins, L.Kerr 4-2 10-8 [66.1]
Ht 4: N.Morris, J.Smith, Z.Cook, K.Newman, J.Jenkins [tapes exc] 5-1 15-9 [66.5]
Ht 5: R.Lawson, V.Palovaara, J.Smith, K.Newman 3-3 18-12 [66.1]
Ht 6: J.Etheridge, P.Kildemand, S.Lambert, Z.Cook 5-1 23-13 [67.1]
Ht 7: C.Rushen, N.Morris, L.Kerr, J.Jenkins 2-4 25-17 [66.7]
Ht 8: J.Etheridge, J.Jenkins, S.Lambert, K.Newman 5-1 30-18 [67.6]
Ht 9: Z.Cook, V.Palovaara, J.Smith, S.Lambert 3-3 33-21 [67.5]
Ht 10: L.Kerr, P.Kildemand, J.Etheridge, C.Rushen [exc] 3-3 36-24 [66.4]
Ht 11: N.Morris, R.Lawson, J.Smith, K.Newman [rtd] 4-2 40-26 [66.8]
Ht 12: L.Kerr, V.Palovaara, J.Jenkins, S.Lambert [tapes exc], K.Newman[exc 2 mins] 3-3 43-29 [66.7]
Ht 13: N.Morris, R.Lawson, P.Kildemand, Z.Cook 4-2 47-31 [66.8]
Ht 14: J.Etheridge, J.Smith, K.Newman, C.Rushen 5-1 52-32 [68]
Ht 15: P.Kildemand, R.Lawson, C.Rushen, V.Palovaara 3-3 55-35 [67.0]
SGB Referee Mr Dave Watters

An aggregate lead of four quickly became six as Richard Lawson rushed away in a restarted opening heat — both he and prime mover Jye Etheridge picked up warnings in the first attempt. It was evident that Lawson had sorted out his cut-out problems that had prevented him from going on parade. With Poole operating rider replacement for Fraser Bowes at number two, it was an early Shielfield Park debut ride for Cooper Rushen and, whilst he clung on to third place, he didn't look too comfortable navigating turn two each lap. But the one thing about young Rushen is that he is a quick learner.

Heat two looked as though Poole might hold that advantage until guest Simon Lambert slid off on the arc between turns three and four, as the in-form Jordan Jenkins dictated the heat for the Bandits. There was plenty of action behind race leader Victor Palovaara in the third heat, as Rushen showed he had learned from his rider-replacement outing in heat one, looking far more accomplished out of the second turn and finding himself sitting nicely in second. Lewis Kerr couldn't prevent Jenkins from battling by him at the end of the opening lap but, to his credit, Kerr never gave up, and there wasn't too much between him and a point by the time the race concluded.

Jenkins went too soon in his third consecutive heat and touched the tapes, so he gained an unexpected rest, with Jack Smith stepping in. But both Zach Cook and Kyle Newman were late getting away from the tapes, and Berwick cruised into the ascendancy with a 15-9 advantage on the night and a two-point aggregate lead established. There were hints that Lawson might be a closet football fan — in a hurry to get heat five completed and winning at a canter over Victor Palovaara and Smith.

If Lawson's win was comprehensive in heat five, then the 5-1 from the Bandits pair Jye Etheridge and Peter Kildemand in heat six was even more emphatic, neither Lambert nor Cook getting a sniff. Rushen collected his first career win at Shielfield Park with a heat seven victory and, again, it was by a decent distance. At one stage Kerr was with him, but Nick Morris caught him unawares down the back straight to cut Poole back to a 4-2.

Heat eight was an entertaining contest, with Lambert riding well after being picked off by Etheridge, and there was hope that he might keep Jenkins at bay. But, with half a lap to go, Jenkins had the Bandits fans on their feet as he came through for a 5-1, putting double figures between the sides on the night.

Lambert's enthusiasm showed in the next heat as he picked up a warning for twitching at the tapes. Cook, for the first time on the night, was able to get away, but Lambert was well squeezed out at the first turn by Palovaara and Smith, and he was unable to close in to make any further challenge.

The meeting took a tense turn in heat ten when Etheridge went down approaching the first turn, ahead of Kildemand also going down as he tried to come out of the second turn, reacting to the red lights that came on instantly. Etheridge remained on the track for a while, then refused the buggy ride back to the pits, opting to walk it and take in the cheers from the partisan Bandits.

The heat was stopped again when the restart eventually got underway. This time, Etheridge went down leaving turn two and appeared more than a little annoyed with Rushen, who had got clear of him. Anxious moments ensued, with Stewart Dickson leaning on the fence directly in front of the referee's box as he tried to get his opinion of the incident known. When the decision came, it was to favour the home side, and for the second time in this tie, Rushen can consider himself unlucky to be thrown out of a race.

With Kerr the sole Pirate, he needed eyes in the back of his head as Kildemand pressured him intensely on the last lap, getting ever nearer his prey. But Kerr kept his cool and secured a heat share, with time rapidly running out for Poole to pull the tie back (36-24, agg. 79-71).

There were all sorts of things happening at the first turn in heat eleven, as both Pirates made inside switches, but Morris edged clear before Smith came strongly down the back straight. Newman steadfastly refused to shut off but, as they came out of turn four, Smith came back at him and Newman found himself losing a chain. In second place, Lawson kept battling away, but Morris was evidently enjoying the clear views ahead of him.

Lambert made his second starting offence of the night and so was disqualified. Poole declared Newman as a replacement, but he failed to appear before the two minutes had run down. There seemed no opportunity to offer him a handicap start, but in truth it would have been a tough task for him to concede that much distance on a track where, unless you were out first and had powerful motors, improving on positions was difficult.

Nevertheless, for the second time, Kerr carried the faint hopes of Poole on his shoulders, and he was brave and brilliant in equal quantity as he sped down the back straight to take the lead and then dictate proceedings. But that was about as good as it was going to get for Poole, for Morris again scalped Lawson — not due to lack of effort from the Rocketman, it has to be said — and Kildemand had an easier ride in third, which gave Berwick a 4-2, sixteen to the good on the night and twelve for the tie, meaning Poole officially exited the Knockout Cup before the final for the first time this decade.

For some reason, however, Berwick refused to believe that they had already done the job, and they saved their celebrations until captain Etheridge and Smith secured an unchallenged 5-1 in heat fourteen. He might have finished last in that heat, but Rushen still made a heat fifteen appearance and beat Palovaara into third, while Kildemand took the win to inflict Lawson's third successive second place, which doesn't happen too often to Lawson at this venue.

So ends 37 years of hurt for the Bandits, and they will now ride a cup final against the Plymouth Gladiators. There will be a space in the Poole trophy room.

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