Tigers made a sensational come back in the last three heats to rock the Bandits and put one foot in the League Cup semi finals.
With Berwick’s shock home defeat the night before to Edinburgh, it was back to all square and a chance for one of the sides to stamp their authority on this League Cup section.
It was to prove to be a dramatic and exciting afternoon, with the meeting swinging one way then another!
If anyone thought the visitors were there to make the numbers up, the 2-10 scoreline soon put that to bed. Tigers
just weren’t at the races as the quick starting vistors easily took the opening two heats.
Heat 3 looked like a likely chance for the home men to cut the deficit, sitting on a 4-2 on the opening three bends until Matthew Wethers sneaked up the inside of Ben Barker. Barker gave chase but made a mess of the third bend on the third lap and slammed into the fence. After treatment, he was OK to continue but a chance had gone.
Danny Ayres did a carbon copy of Barker in the next one, trying to go around Alden and he too clattered into and under the fence. Aaron Summers awarded the win.
Ryan Fisher took the brunt of a tight first bend in heat 5 and came down, with the Tigers on a 5-1. Fisher then missed the two minutes, much to his annoyance, Wethers coming out in his place. And it was the Bandits duo of Theo Pijper and Wethers who outmanoeuvred Richie Worrall and Barker on the first turn to lead. Worrall gave chase and on the second lap dived up the inside going into the third bend. He over did it though, causing Wethers to lose control which seemed to bring him down also and the two of them went into the fence at an alarming speed. Both of them got up and walked off, although Worrall was ruled out due to rib injuries. At the fourth attempt, Barker won the heat and with it his first heat win in Tigers colours.
Heat 6 saw a great first bend by Nike Luna to join Ricky Wells for a 5-1 and this was repeated in heat 7, although only after a Carr fall after Summers passed him for the lead. Garcia backing up his captain in the re-run.
If Tigers thought that this was a turning point they were in for a shock as the quick starting Carr backed up Theo Pijper to put the Bandits 4 up again.
With Wethers now ruled out by this stage, Carr came out for his fourth on the trot but he trailed in last as Seb Alden won from Barker and Garcia.
The teams then traded 4-2s in heats 10 and 11, maintaining the Bandits 4 point cushion, although crucially Pijper had been used as R/R in heat 10 and failed to score.
Berwick rolled the dice again, using Carr in his final race, in heat 12, when everyone thought Bandits would go with Doolan on his own. Again it backfired when he trailed in last. Doolan winning.
With heat 14 looking a certain home 5-1 against Berwick’s no 8, heat 13 looked like a decider and it was Glasgow who took an easy 5-1 through Summers and Wells.
The inevitable 5-1 came in heat 14 although Douglas flipped it after touching the tapes and had to have medical attention before the re-run.
Tigers tails were up now and it was the Summers/Wells combo who took another 5-1 in heat 15 to win the match and stop Berwick taking a consolation point.
Glasgow dug deep and overcame their bad start and the loss of Richie Worrall, to top the section and leave themselves a point away from the semi finals. Guest Ricky Wells, in for flu victim Richard Lawson and Aaron Summers both took four wins or paid wins. Ben Barker and man of the match, Fernando Garcia provided crucial back up, with the Argentine’s outside pass of Fisher in heat 11 being a highlight.
The Bandits will wonder how they came away with nothing. Losing Wethers didn’t help and the bold gambles by Scott Courtney in heats 10 and 12 didn’t pay off, ultimately costing them the match.
Tigers will look to finish the job on Saturday with a 6 point defeat the minimum they will be looking for.
Glasgow Tigers 49 Berwick Bandits 41 League Cup Border Section 17/4/2016 Glasgow Tigers Ricky Wells 1 3 3 2* 2* 11 + 2 Nike Lunna 0 2* 0 1 3 + 1 Richie Worrall 3 Fx N N 3 Ben Barker Fx 3 2 3 8 Aaron Summers 3 2* 0 3 3 11 + 1 Fernando Garcia 0 3 1* 2 1* 2 9 + 3 Danny Ayres 1 Fx 1 2 4 Berwick Bandits Ryan Fisher 2* X2 1 0 3 + 1 Theo Pijper 3 2 3 0 3 1 12 Kevin Doolan 2 1 2 3 0 8 Anders Mellgren R/R (1* FX 0 1) (2 + 1) Sebastian Alden 1* 1 3 1 6 + 1 Matthew Wethers 2* 1* 1* N 4 + 3 Liam Carr 3 2 0 FX 2* 0 0 7 + 1 Keiron Douglas 1 1 Heat 1 - Theo Pijper ; Ryan Fisher ; Ricky Wells ; Nike Lunna ; 58.6 (1-5)(1-5) Heat 2 - Liam Carr ; Matthew Wethers ; Danny Ayres ; Fernando Garcia ; 60.2 (1-5)(2-10) Heat 3 - (awarded) Richie Worrall ; Kevin Doolan ; Matthew Wethers ; Ben Barker(Fx) ; no time (3-3)(5-13) Heat 4 - (awarded) Aaron Summers ; Liam Carr ; Sebastian Alden ; Danny Ayres(Fx) ; no time (3-3)(8-16) Heat 5 - (2 re-runs) Ben Barker ; Theo Pijper ; Matthew Wethers ; Richie Worrall(Fx) ; Ryan Fisher (X2); 58.6 (3-3)(11-19) Heat 6 - Ricky Wells ; Nike Lunna ; Sebastian Alden ; Liam Carr ; 59.9 (5-1)(16-20) Heat 7 - (re-run) Fernando Garcia ; Aaron Summers ; Kevin Doolan ; Liam Carr(Fx) ; 59.8 (5-1)(21-21) Heat 8 - Theo Pijper ; Liam Carr ; Danny Ayres ; Nike Lunna ; 59.9 (1-5)(22-26) Heat 9 - Sebastian Alden ; Ben Barker ; Fernando Garcia; Liam Carr ; 58.8 (3-3)(25-29) Heat 10 - (re-run) Ricky Wells ; Kevin Doolan ; Nike Lunna ; Theo Pijper ; 59.6 (4-2)(29-31) Heat 11 - Theo Pijper ; Fernando Garcia ; Ryan Fisher ; Aaron Summers ; 59.9 (3-3)(31-35) Heat 12 - (re-run) Kevin Doolan ; Danny Ayres ; Fernando Garcia ; Liam Carr ; 60.0 (3-3)(34-38) Heat 13 - Aaron Summers ; Ricky Wells ; Sebastian Alden ; Ryan Fisher ; 60.2 (5-1)(39-39) Heat 14 - Ben Barker ; Fernando Garcia ; Keiron Douglas (T, 15m); 3 RIDERS ONLY 61.6 (5-1)(44-40) Heat 15 - Aaron Summers ; Ricky Wells ; Theo Pijper ; Kevin Doolan ; 59.8 (5-1)(49-41)