Waite's 'thinking and soul searching.'

The Kirkland Carpets Berwick Bandits season's curtain was brought firmly down at Berwick's King's Arms Hotel on Saturday night with the annual dance / meal and presentation event.

Peter Waite hosted the event in front of a host of Bandit supporters which saw a presentation to 5-year team manager, Tom Graham on the occasion of his retirement from team management. An emotional Graham praised his team of Bandit's who had provided him with "...one of the most memorable years in speedway in my long association with the sport. A greater bunch of lads I have never met! I'll still be at Berwick in future, but in a spectator capacity. I've had a great run with a great team. It's been fun."

Waite went on to announce the award of the official 2005 Bandit of the year, and it went to a young lad who joined the team a couple of months into the year, but went on to wow the League with some superbly exciting racing from his highly effective reserve birth, and he was Carl Wilkinson.

Unfortunately the inspirational Boston-born rider was unable to attend due to personal reasons, but sent a message of support and thanks to the Berwick support.

The skipper, Michal Makovsky said, "I am so very proud to have been captain of this team this year. It is only sad that we could not win the League, but there is always next year."

Scott "Scud" Smith added, with a smattering of good tongue-in-cheek comments too, "It was a great team to ride in, and coming in at such short notice when I had no equipment ready was like sitting on a 2-minute warning all that week! Peter's managerial style is effective, he just says 'go out and win or I'll blow your kneecaps off' it usually works. It's been a great season!"

Chris Schramm was also in attendance, saying, "I've had a great year up here in Berwick and it's been a team built completely on team spirit, which has amazed me this season. I've ridden at a few other tracks, but in this year at Berwick I have learned more about speedway and racing than I think I ever could elsewhere. The pits atmosphere was the best ever and helped me and my racing so much. The other 6 guys in the team were the best to work with ever."

On the subject of the future, it's naturally far too early to pin point for definite what's going to happen in the borders come 2006, but Waite is determined to have speedway at Shielfield somehow, "It's been a great year for results, but we all know the level of support has been inexplicably disappointing. Can't complain as that's the facts. I have a lot of thinking and soul searching to do over the next few weeks as I have to decide soon on which direction this club will be steering next season. I cannot say for definite which level of speedway will be at Berwick in 2006 yet, but that decision will have to be made soon, as hard as it is to make. Having said that, no matter what level we ride at, we'll be going out as hard ad we have in 2005 to win all we can. In that respect nothing changes at all!"

The sport's vital (more so than most years in recent history) A.G.M. takes place in November when the all-important decisions and moves within the sport will take place.