Young Dane Bastian Borke has been announced as the seventh and final signing for Berwick Bandits’ new look 2024 Cab Direct Championship team.
The 21-year-old from Aarhus, Denmark, will start the season at reserve forming what looks like a potent pairing with teenager Freddy Hodder, after switching from Edinburgh.
Borke joined the Monarchs in June last season and was thrown straight into the main body of their team. He found the going tough at times but there were flashes of his stellar talent – eight points on his first visit to Glasgow and a match-winning 9+2 when the Monarchs snuck home by two points at Shielfield Park in July.
That performance was noted by the Berwick management as they set about revamping a side which has so far failed to reach the end of season play-offs and crashed out of the cup competitions in the early stages in recent years.
Team manager Stewart Dickson said: “I’m pleased to get the signing of Bastian over the line and must thank the Edinburgh promotion for their assistance in making it happen.
“Although he will start at reserve, Bastian is soon going to be putting pressure on the men in the middle order and I can see him forcing his way into the main body of the team.
“There was no question that he showed a liking for Shielfield Park in July, and he has now experienced most of the Cab Direct Championship tracks and knows what is in store.
“Everyone at the club has worked extremely hard over the winter to put together what I think is a very good team but one that, one to seven, has room for improvement too.
“I am incredibly happy with the team we have assembled and the feedback from our supporters has been positive too.
“We just cannot wait to get our seven on track.”
Borke will join skipper Rory Schlein, Lewis Kerr, Danyon Hume, Drew Kemp, Jye Etheridge and Freddy Hodder in Bandits’ colours for 2024.
A meet the riders night in the Black and Gold on 22 March will be followed by Press and Practice the following evening and then the visit of Workington to Shielfield Park in the Border Trophy first leg on 30 March.
Words by Berwick Speedway – Feature Image of New Danish signing Bastian Borke inside 2023 Bandits’ skipper Leon Flint at Shielfield Park – Picture by Nia Martin
