REACTION: GUTTED PIRATES AFTER SECOND TROPHY SLIPS THEM BY

For the second meeting in a row at Wimborne Road, the Wessex Marine Pirates saw a coveted trophy slip them by, as Scunthorpe conquered in the KO Cup competition.
 

Facing a four point deficit from the first leg the Pirates couldn't quite get a controlling influence on the meeting, which went ahead on a track that had painstakingly been brought back into a raceable fashion following heavy rain in the build up to the second leg, that had previously been delayed since Wednesday.
The determined Scorpions, ably led by skipper Simon Lambert, unbeaten until heat fifteen, by which time he knew he would be holding aloft the trophy that has resided in the Poole cabinet for the past two seasons. With Ryan Douglas solid as ever around the Wimborne Road circuit and 2022 Pirate Drew Kemp again coming back to haunt, were deserved winners, but the Pirates will no doubt reflect on several critical moments that saw them shed valuable points.
Not least the problems encountered by Richard Lawson in heat ten when the Pirates, ahead at 28-26 and just two points shy on aggregate, were on a 5-1 only for the Poole number one to suddenly lose power and drop to the rear. Lawson, a solid performer throughout the campaign admitted  he was feeling nothing but frustration and anger having seen another title go begging. "When you are on a 5-1 it is so frustrating and it always seems to happen that way. My cut-out came out and I have never had that happen in my whole career and it had to happen tonight in a final. When every point is vital it is just so hard, so hard to swallow." Reflecting on the overall conditions of the track and the fact that he had been unseated in the second staging of heat one trying to avoid the stricken Anders Rowe who was on the deck for a second time, Lawson explained "Dougie [Ryan Douglas] is a good gater on the best of days and especially early on gate four, which I had in the first heat, was real heavy and sloppy after the gate and I was getting no drive. After I dumped the clutch it wasn't too bad but afterwards I was just spinning through the sloppy stuff and that played into their favour. It comes down to a coin toss but would it have been different? I think it would have but, well hey, like I said it's hard to swallow and especially so after last week. We were all so bitterly disappointed after last week and we all so wanted to bring this back but we've come up short and its horrible."
The Pirates eventually managed to maintain their unbeaten home record despite Scunthorpe getting their second 45-45 score of the season at Poole but even that fact gave little solace to the contingent of Pirates that had seen Anders Rowe forced into withdrawing after his second ride, having declared himself fit earlier in the day. Rowe explained "I'm feeling a bit second hand again right now. After that second ride I felt really dizzy and I didn’t feel all there to be honest. So it wasn't good and I felt that I couldn't carry on racing. Heat one's two crashes didn't help so yeah I'm pretty frustrated as I wanted to come here and get some points on the board like I have been doing all year and help the Pirates get the win but it is so frustrating."
Skipper Steve Worrall signed off his night informing the fans that he would be 'moving on' in 2024 and wanted to thank everyone at Poole for making him feel so much a part of the club. "I have really loved my three years at  Poole but with the way things have to be in speedway with the points and averages then there comes a time when you have to move on and my time is next season. I am so gutted that I do so without having lifted either of the last two trophies."

POOLE 45 (88) ,Richard Lawson 10 (1,3,0,3,3) ,Ben Cook 8+1 (0,2,2',3,1) ,Kyle Newman 8 (3,1,1,3,0,0,FD) ,Zach Cook 8 (3,0,3,2) ,Steve Worrall 7 (2,3,1,1) ,Joe Thompson 3+2 (2',1',0,RS) ,Anders Rowe 1 (FD,1,NS,NS) 
SCUNTHORPE 45 (92) ,Simon Lambert 12 (3,3,3,3,0) ,Drew Kemp 10+2 (1,3,RS,2',RS,1',3) ,Ryan Douglas 9+2 (2',1,2',2,2) ,Connor Mountain 7+1 (2,2,1',2) ,Jake Allen 4+1 (1',0,2,1) ,Michael Palm-Toft 3 (0,2,1,0) ,Nathan Ablitt 0 (FD,RS,0,RS,0,NS)