Ermolenko heads Bordenapolis cast.

Berwick stage their last event of 2004 this coming Saturday night, when the 2004 ELM BANK Bordernapolis Individual Championship hit's the shale, with a truly fascinating field indeed.

Topping the bill will be the 1993 World Champion himself, the flamboyant American, "Sudden" Sam Ermolenko, from California.

It is widely rumoured in Speedway that this most popular of riders is on the point of retirement from a UK career that began with Poole in 1983, and that means Saturday is almost certainly his last appearance on Berwick shale. His last one came at the start of the 2003 season riding for Valsarna, the Swedish club, when he excelled and then again when he rode in the Carlos Villar benefit meeting in March this year again winning many Border friends.

The undoubted pre-meeting favourite for the title will be joined by a fellow American, from Anaheim, California, Josh Larsen. He, like Ermolenko is a showman American who thrives on entertaining his public, and is relishing the chance to ride at Berwick.

He rides regularly for the Arena-Essex Hammers in the Elite League, having made his UK debut in 1992.

Adrian Rymel, Simon Cartwright, Adam Pietraszko, Lee Smethills and Ritchie Hawkins from the home side, the Berwick Bandits take 5 more places, with the next four being newcomers to the UK, stirring vast interest in Speedway circles in the North.

The new faces are:

JORDAN JURCZYNSKI - A highly rated 21-year old Pole rated on par with Adam Pietraszko. He is also top of averages for Lodz, his Polish team, who have had poor season in Division Two. Apparently from Polish reports he is quite a thrill merchant in native country.

LUKASZ LINETTE rides in the Polish Division One for the Gniezno team and has rattled up some good scores of late in what is a very tough league indeed. Could well prove to have exactly what it takes to be a very good UK Premier League rider indeed in the future.

NIKLAS FRIDELL is the under-21 rider who scored 7 in Swedish Under-21 Final. In Sweden he rides for Indianerna in their Elite League which ranks with our own British Elite League, and that's a very high standard. He's eager to break into UK speedway.

ANDREAS LEKANDER in another highly rated young Swedish rider currently top scorer for Griparna in Swedish Division One. He again is keen to make a UK break and will no doubt be out to impress on Saturday night.

That leaves one spot left to fill, and no doubt another major pull will be announced very soon.

Promoter Peter Waite is eager to get the meeting underway saying "This is always an excellent meeting, won in the past by the likes of Mark Loram, and 2004 will be no exception. Leading favourite is sure to be Sam Ermolenko, and we hope fans from all over the North will come along to see this exceptional talent up here just one more (and maybe the last) time."

"I also can't wait to see how the new Poles and Swedes take to Shielfield Park, that will prove very interesting indeed. I also want to thank very much, Elm Bank Coastal Retreat, our generous 2004 Team Sponsors for backing this event"