Wasps' Watson falls by wayside

11:15am Monday 14th April 2008

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NEWPORT took just too long to adapt to the tricky track conditions at Berwick on Saturday night following nearly 20 hours of rain, sometimes heavy, going down by 17 points by 55-38.

The Wasps' cause was not helped when they lost the services of the high-powered reserve, Nick Simmons, in a heat 10 smash, while Craig Watson was an extreme disappointment at a track he's excelled at in the past.

Indeed, Watson's dire night started in heat one when he struggled to adapt, taking up a very poor-looking last place, eventually retiring from the race leaving Berwick free to take a 4-2.

Simmons made a great start to the night by winning heat two in style over one of the table-topping Bandit's new heroes, Tero Aarnio, without trouble, but his night was to end some eight heats later when, on his own in third place, he came out of the second bend only to slam heavily into the safety fence in a fearful impact.

The Wasp was on the track for some 20 minutes but did make the ambulance under his own steam, only to then be withdrawn from the meeting with concussion, which should not cause any long-term team absences.

Paul Clews seemed to relish the sticky under-wheel conditions, diving round and overtaking Bandits all night in a thrilling show of how to ride Shielfield Park, taking three solid wins in his magnificent total with his crowning moment coming in heat 14 when, with the match lost, he was brought in as a tactical ride shooting from the gate to lead well over the impressive Aarnio and Magosi, holding off the Finn's challenges through the full race to take a well-earned six points.

Sebastian Truminski caused some consternation last season when he changed from Berwick to Newport late in the year and returned to his old home scoring 11 points, but on Saturday he just couldn't get going as he had done, although was part of two excellent battles with McKinna, losing one and winning one right on the line with the young Scot to bring the house down in two memorable grandstand finishes.

Highlights were thin on the ground, but had Watson ridden to his true standard along with Truminski remembering the fastest Berwick lines, then the score could have been very different indeed.

Berwick Bandits 55 1. Adrian Rymel 11+1 (5); 2. Guglielmo Franchetti - rider replacement; 3. Henning Bager 10 (4); 4. Norbert Magosi 3+1 (5 including tape exc); 5. Michal Makovsky 14+1 (5); 6. Tero Aarnio 12+2 (6); 7. Adam McKinna 5+2 (6) Newport Wasps 38 1. Craig Watson 3+2 (4); 2. Paul Clews 16 (6); 3. Marek Mroz 5 (4); 4. Tony Atkin - rider replacement; 5. Sebastian Truminski 8+1 (6); 6. Jerran Hart 1+1 (5); 7. Nick Simmons 5 (5).