Bridger facing ban as Eagles lose (From The Argus)

Bridger facing ban as Eagles lose

9:00am Tuesday 21st July 2009 in Search

Lewis Bridger claimed a lost passport prevented him from racing for Eastbourne Eagles at Belle Vue last night.

Bridger was due to take a 5.50am flight from Poland and join his colleagues in Manchester.

Instead he told team manager Trevor Geer he could not make the meeting and later scored three points for Czestochowa at Bydgoszcz in the Polish Ekstraliga.

Initial reports suggested Bridger had pulled out through illness but he said: “I left my passport in my jacket in a restaurant on Sunday night.

“The restaurant didn’t open until nine in the morning. In the end they had to get the passport to me at Bydgoszcz by taxi.”

Bridger – who could now face a 28-day suspension from the Elite League and landed Eagles with a £300 fine – insisted the move was not pre-planned and said he had no idea where reports of an illness had come from.

He added: “I phoned the English federation to tell them about the passport. I never even thought I’d get start permission in Poland.”

Bridger’s ‘no show’ left the visitors fielding a five man squad in Manchester, as they continue to deputise for the injured David Norris.

Boss Geer managed to draft in Premier League rider Lee Complin as a late replacement for the British Under-21 champion but despite the disruption Eagles still put on a spirited display as they went down 49-41 at Kirkmanshulme Lane.

In fact, Eastbourne were unlucky not to come away with the points as they secured nine heat wins out of 15 and whittled down the home advantage to just four points after a team riding display courtesy of Lukas Dryml and Davey Watt in heat seven.

The gap was still four points with just three heats to go but despite a brave battle it was the Eagles bogey team who stole the victory and their third win against the Arlington club this season.

Belle Vue: K Kasprzak 12, J Wright 9+2, P Hougaard 7+1, M Risager 6+2, C Gjedde 5+1, J Lyons 4, U Ostergaard 6+2.

Eastbourne: L Bridger (no attendance), C Woodward 11, D Watt 14+1, D Norris R/R, L Dryml 8, R Kling 4, S Gustafsson 6.