Speedway: Richard Lawson stars as Glasgow Tigers close out win over Bandits

Sep 10 2012 By Fraser Wilson

Glasgow Tigers 50 Berwick Bandits 39

ASHFIELD track record holder Richard Lawson - son of Glasgow legend Steve - guested for the Tigers as they ground out a home win over Berwick Bandits on Sunday.

Lawson, who set the record of 58 seconds flat for Workington last August, replaced Joe Screen who was injured in Friday night's 49-41 defeat at Plymouth and was immense as he raced to a 12+2 total.

Adding spice to the affair was the first appearance at Ashfield since his winter departure of Nick Morris, who was drafted in as a guest by the visitors who were without the injured Ricky Ashworth.

The result leaves Glasgow clinging on to faint hopes of making to top six play-offs. But with two tricky away fixtures remaining before the split - away to Edinburgh and Workington this weekend - 'hope' is very much the operative word.

It was another former Tiger - David Bellego - who sped from the gate to win heat one from Lawson on Sunday and with Mason Campton retiring from the race Berwick opened with a 4-2.

However, this was to be Lawson's only defeat of the meeting.

Glasgow scored a 4-2 of their own in the reserves race to level the scores before Berwick regained the lead in heat four when Sebastian Alden made an excellent pass on James Grieves on the fourth lap to secure the win and the heat advantage after Filip Sitera shed a chain at the tapes.

Bellego had a second win in a shared heat five and a 4-2 to Glasgow in heat six with Lawson racing home in 60.5s again levelled the scores.

Campton won heat eight in a head-to-head race with Micky Dyer after the other two riders had suffered engine failures on the first lap.

Tigers then opened up a seven-point lead at the end of heat 11 but this was reduced to three when Nicki Barrett and Micky Dyer scored a shock 5-1 for Berwick in heat 12.

The excellent Tigers pairing of Lawson and Grieves scored two 5-1s in heats 13and 15 to secure victory and all three league points for Tigers in their finally home league match of the regular season.

It was a good overall performance from the Tigers especially guest Lawson and home hero Grieves.

Berwick were best served by top scoring reserve Micky Dyer and newcomer Nicki Barrett.

The next match at Ashfield will be league play-off match on Sunday, September 30 with opposition yet to be confirmed.

Glasgow 50
Richard Lawson(G) 12+2 Mason Campton 5 Josh Grajczonek 9 Henning Bager 5+1  James Grieves 13  Charles Wright 5+1 Filip Sitera 1

Berwick 39
Nick Morris (G) 5 David Bellego 7 Nicki Barrett 7+1 Robin Aspegren 2+2 Sebastian Alden 8 Klaus Jakobsen 0 Micky Dyer 10