Dream Team : Gary Tait

Gary selects his Berwick dream team

Mark Courtney
Supporters questioned the move to sign Mark, but he proved what a stylish rider he was more or less straight away. The Berrington track certainly suited him and he was difficult to beat at home. He also performed well for the Bandits away from home. Number 1 for a few seasons.

Rob Grant
The 'Sheepeater'. What a servant to the club and such a character. His totally 'legitimate inside passes of opposing riders on the third bend at Berrington Lough were......well....had to be seen to be believed. Okay, okay maybe not always legitimate but it was certainly entertaining on occasions. Some of his first corner antics with his elbows are also well documented. Would rather have had him in my team! The man must have black and gold blood in his veins!

Steve Mcdermott
Again, another brilliant servant to Berwick. Had natural ability on a bike and put in some great performances, saving Berwick on countless occasions. Berwick have only produced 2 PLRC winners and Steve was one of them.

Graham Jones
The same can be said for Graham Jones as was said for Steve Mcdermott. A brilliant servant to Berwick and saviour of the team on more than the odd occasion. Never had the 'flashiest' of bikes (or gear) but was consistent. It would have been interesting to see how far 'Jonesy' would have gone with top notch machinery and good sponsors.

The late Wayne Brown
The Mighty Atom. What a rider he was in his last couple of seasons for Berwick, before he moved up a division. Stayed with Berwick from raw novice to finally becoming a heat leader. His 'bursts' around the second bend at Berwick were 'top drawer'. Wayne was the other rider to win the PLRC whilst riding for the Bandits.

Scott Lamb
We should call this man 'superglue'. To put it another way, since the Bandits moved back to Shielfield Park in the mid nineties, Scott has played the role that Steve Lawson 'played' at Glasgow for so many years - he held the team together. Never an out and out number one when comparing to other teams number one's, but had to play that role season after season. He rose to the challenge. A couple of bad injuries, one in the 1999 season and one in the 2000 season (which wrote off both seasons) have been the only negatives. Came back last year, struggled early on, but then it was business as usual (more or less) in the latter part of the season. I wonder how the team will fare this year without him?

David Walsh
One thing you get from 'Walshy' is an honest shift. He is also very safe on track and I believe that other riders trust him not to do anything 'stupid'. His gating ability is first class and consistent, and can be streets ahead of opponents at the first corner. An obvious advantage in this game! Has been a good servant to Berwick during his numerous stints as a Bandit.

Team Manager/No 8 - Richard Knight
When Richard signed for the Bandits for the 'ill-fated' foray into the top division, his never say die attitude, especially at the first bend, won him many a race. Stayed with the Bandits when they were asked to step down a division the following season and was a good number 1.

Honorary mentions to - Charlie McKinna, Mike Fullerton, David Meldrum, Nig Close, David Blackburn and Bruce Cribb.

Even though you can only pick seven riders, any rider who has pulled on the racejacket of the (so called) 'unfashionable' club called Berwick Bandits is a 'top bloke'.

This article was first published prior to October 2002

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