www.berwickspeedway.co.ukAuthorities amend Bandit away win at Newport to home win. posted Aug 08, 2007
Bandits camp far from happy.... appeal is in progress.
Authorities overturn Bandit’s win at Newport
Amended result now issued
Newport Wasps 38-54 Berwick Bandits becomes 38-35
Berwick set to launch immediate appeal
Berwick’s disastrous 40th season just got a whole lot worse as it was revealed today to Peter Waite, the Bandits’ promoter that his team’s superb victory had been amended with the points gained via rider-replacement for Sebastian Truminski and Lee Complin’s guest points for Jac Rempala erased from the score chart resulting in the new 38-35 score line.
It’s a decision that has left Waite reeling, fuming and shocked and all set to launch an appeal immediately… as Waite explained late on Tuesday night….
“It’s been a huge shock for us and it’s left us very annoyed and disillusioned with the sport today.
“If we go back to the initial problem and take it from there, all the 7 Bandits including Poles Truminski and Rempala were issued with the requisite booking forms for all forthcoming meetings including the home match at Berwick on Saturday night as well as the Sunday afternoon match at Newport for which they both agreed to fulfil.
“As far as we were concerned they would be there and we certainly wanted them there, have no doubts about that, but, and it’s a BIG BUT…. On Friday we received information that the Polish Speedway Authority, the PZM, had ordered that Truminski and Rempala leave the UK and ride in Poland on Sunday, something that is expressly against the contract they signed with Berwick Speedway, in which it states they will honour all Berwick fixtures including ones on Sundays. Basically they signed to say Berwick was prioritised for their racing.
“Unfortunately that clause in the contracts was ignored on Sunday and as we had been warned on Friday, the two in question did not appear at Newport for us, strictly against our wishes and orders.
“Over Friday and Saturday we presented our case that the 2 riders were withholding their services by racing in Poland on Sunday against our order, and quite correctly and 100% in keeping with the current Speedway rule book, 3 officials agreed and granted us the facility to cover their absence due to their withholding of service, that being rider replacement for Truminski and a guest for Rempala.
“We arrived at Newport with all the correct authority given by these three officials and raced a match perfectly legally with Rider Replacement and Lee Complin, had we not been given express permission then we would have naturally run with 2 Conference League guests…. But the facility had been granted officially and so we used it, to the full as it turned out.
“It now turns out we have had Lee’s 15 points deducted along with those gained via the rider replacement races and that has lost us a vitally important away win to us and we are devastated. I cannot believe nor understand how this is allowed to happen as those three officials were adamant the coverage was ours and fully legal.
“We also hear that if things are not resolved soon then we will have to effectively go into Saturday’s home match without a 1 and 3, and trust me there’s no way that’s going to happen.
“We are told the two riders are to be fined, which is fine by us, and barred for this weekend, but they withheld their services so we are legally entitled to coverage.
“I can assure our fans that this matter is a million miles from being left alone and settled, and a swift and highly serious appeal will be issued by us as close to immediately as we can make it.
“This is completely unjust and we will not let it lie. This cannot be allowed to stand – we played the game by the rules in the rule book, its there in black and white and the rules were applied correctly by the officials and that’s that as far as we are concerned.
“We await developments eagerly and with extreme interest, as I’m sure will every one of our fans.