Workington Comets 37 Berwick Bandits 22: Workington Comets got back to winning ways with a 37-22 win over Berwick in a meeting which ended early due to bad weather. 

Comets overpowered Berwick in the first leg of the Border Trophy as both teams battled the wet track, with the meeting ultimately ending after 10 heats and the result standing. 

It wasn’t a dream start from Comets as youngster Matt Williamson was a distant last from the gate while Theo Pijper pipped Ricky Wells and Thomas Jorgensen bore down on the American. 

The front trio jostled until the final lap, when all four riders seemed to settle for the visitors’ 4-2. 

Adam Roynon and Williamson stormed to the front in heat two to the crowd’s delight, before Liam Carr made a mess of things on the fourth bend and hit the fence. 

Roynon burst to the front again in the re-run but Matthew Wethers got his nose ahead of Williamson, who immediately set about joining his teammate at the front. 

A risky pass on the first bend was immediately followed by one from the veteran Bandit, who held the place for a Comets 4-2 to even up the scores as Roynon made a winning return to Workington. 

Kenneth Hansen produced his trademark drive around the outside from the gate to win heat three, while Simon Lambert slotted into third behind Kevin Doolan. 

The field quickly spread out and the home side secured another 4-2 to take the lead. 

A tight gate saw Sebastian Alden emerge as the leader, with Williamson at the back.

The wet track meant the pack quickly stretched, although Williamson made an unsuccessful late charge for third in what ultimately ended as a Berwick 4-2 to make it 12-12. 

A hairy start saw Hansen fly to the front again with Pijper and Lambert on his heels. 

Jorgensen applied pressure from the back but couldn’t pass Lambert as Comets moved back into the driving seat. 

A dominant home 5-1 in heat six saw Wells and Roynon muscle their way to the front, with Wethers and Alden trailing. 

The Comets No1 disappeared out of sight while Wethers couldn’t catch Roynon and Alden retired before the finish. 

A superb start from the hosts saw them shut out Doolan, who was tenacious in his attempts to topple the pair. 

A heart-stopping pass from the Bandit on the third bend looked to have blown the race wide open, before Roynon slipped off and Anders  Mellgren retired to leave a Bandits 3-2.

Pijper continued his impressive night with a rocket of a start but Williamson quickly reeled him in. 

A crowd-pleasing Hansen pass on the second bend of the third lap made it a stylish Comets 5-1. 

Hansen was untouchable again in heat nine on a slick surface while Wethers recovered from a hairy moment on the third bend while second but couldn’t prevent Lambert from passing him for another home 5-1. 

Wells and Lambert controlled heat 10 until the final lap, when Doolan breezed past the latter to hold the hosts to a 4-2 which extended their lead to 37-22. 

After a track inspection following heat 10, it was agreed to end the meeting with the result standing.

WORKINGTON COMETS 37: Kenneth Hansen 11+1 Ricky Wells 8, Simon Lambert 5+1, Adam Roynon 5+1, Claus Vissing 4, Matt Williamson 4, Rasmus Jensen r/r. 

BERWICK 22: Kevin Doolan 7, Theo Pijper 5, Matthew Wethers 4, Sebastian Alden 3, Liam Carr 2, Thomas Jorgensen 1, Anders Mellgren 0. 

Abandoned after heat 10 (rain) – result stands