Newcastle Diamonds v Poole Pirates

8/08/21

Poole concluded their northern tour with a powerfully convincing 29-61 victory at Brough Park to secure all four league points with heats to spare

Disappointed from the previous night's defeat at Berwick the Poole Pirates collectively took it out on the Bandits' arch-rivals, the Newcastle Diamonds with a blistering performance which saw them break through the sixty-point barrier.

Twelve of the fifteen race winners were from the Poole camp, guest Alfie Bowtell kicking things off with a superb start in heat one. He was followed closely home by Rory Schlein to bank the first of six maximum heat scores for the Pirates. Their other guest Zach Cook, who like Bowtell was planning for a busy day at Brough Park, being part of the Plymouth team that were to feature in the second half of this double header fixture for the Diamonds, was also off to a winning start although he had to be grateful to Archie Freeman, the early leader who ran into problems, effectively gifting Poole a 4-2. 

Conditions were a little heavy as a consquence of the pre-meeting downpour and the best place to be was out in front and that is precisely where Steve Worrall found himself in heat three. Stefan Nielsen was upsides for a while but James Wright, for once racing against Poole rather than guesting, found a way of splitting them. Newcastle staged a recovery when Paul Starke led home Danny King whilst Danyon Hume wasn't enjoying the best of times at the back. But Schlein and Bowtell managed to extend the lead to ten points with a 5-1 in heat five, James Wright doing his very best to try and break the pairing up.

King was quick in heat four leaving Ben Barker and Connor Mountain in his wake, the heat shared as again Hume couldn't trouble the scorers. Worrall and Nielsen picked up their obligatory first and second, this one at the expense of Diamonds' guest Paul Starke who pressurised Nielsen throughout. Heat eight was called back after Connor Mountain went down at the first turn, earning him the penalty of sitting out the re-run which had Bowtell cleverly rounding Adam Roynon to set up the 4-2. 

Zach Cook backed Danny King up in heat nine as the resulting 5-1 stretched Poole's lead to twenty points (17-37). Connor Mountain moved a little early in heat ten tempting the already warned Stefan Nielsen to go too. All the Poole man was to get from the heat was a disqualification and Hume replaced him. Worrall totally missed the start second time around and found himself at the rear as Mountain led proceedings.  Barker in second went far too wide at turn four and Worrall came charging through to set up a brave but unsuccessful assault on Mountain, so Newcastle were able to celebrate their second race winner. With Barker introduced as a tactical substitute that win count instantly went to three as he blasted round in a time that even trimmed King's heat six win by one-tenth of a second (64.6 seconds), but from Poole's perspective no damage was done other than to ruin Schlein and Bowtell's respective maximum aspirations.The track was really showing signs of speeding up as Worrall recorded 64.4 seconds to win heat 12 and it was one that looked destined to end in a Poole 5-1 until James Wright stormed the pairing and relegated Cook to third, although a little academic as victory was now beyond the Diamonds.

A comprehensive 5-1 from King and Schlein took Poole's tally into the fifties and there was more to come. Nielsen and Hume combined for a penultimate 4-2, Hume making his presence around Clegg known throughout before Worrall and Nielsen breached the sixty point barrier with that sixth Pirate 5-1 of the meeting to record a 61-29 smashing of the Diamonds just moments before the announcement that Newcastle's battle against speedway survival had been won following a rescue package being agreed.

NEWCASTLE 29
B.Barker 0,2,0,3,0=5
C.Mountain 1,1',FD,3,1=6+1
J.Wright 2,1,0,2,0=5
M.Clegg R,0,1,2=3
P.Starke 3,1,0,1=5
A.Freeman R,0,0
A.Roynon 2,1,2,R=5

POOLE 61
R.Schlein 2',3,2,2'=9+2
A.Bowtell 3,2',3,1'=9+2
S.Worrall 3,3,2,3,3=14
S.Nielsen 1,2',XE,3,2'=8+2
D.King 2,3,3,3=11
Z.Cook 3,0,2',1=6+1
D.Hume 1,0,1,1',1=4+1

Ht 1:  A.Bowtell,  R.Schlein,  C.Mountain,  B.Barker 1-5  1-5 |68.7]
Ht 2:  Z.Cook,  A.Roynon,  D.Hume,  A.Freeman  (Rtd) 2-4  3-9 [68.4]
Ht 3:  S.Worrall,  J.Wright,  S.Nielsen,  M.Clegg  (Rtd) 2-4  5-13 [67.2]
Ht 4:  P.Starke,  D.King,  A.Roynon,  D.Hume 4-2  9-15 [66.5]
Ht 5:  R.Schlein,  A.Bowtell,  J.Wright,  M.Clegg 1-5  10-20 [66.2]
Ht 6:  D.King,  B.Barker,  C.Mountain,  Z.Cook 3-3  13-23 [64.7]
Ht 7:  S.Worrall,  S.Nielsen,  P.Starke,  A.Freeman 1-5  14-28 [65.5]
Ht 8:  A.Bowtell,  A.Roynon,  D.Hume,  C.Mountain  (Fell d/q) 2-4 16-32 [65.8]
Ht 9:  D.King,  Z.Cook,  M.Clegg,  J.Wright 1-5  17-37 [65.4]
Ht 10:  C.Mountain,  S.Worrall,  D.Hume,  B.Barker (S.Nielsen exc tapes) 3-3  20-40 [65]
Ht 11:  B.Barker,  R.Schlein,  A.Bowtell,  P.Starke 3-3  23-43 [64.6]
Ht 12:  S.Worrall,  J.Wright,  Z.Cook,  A.Roynon  (Rtd) 2-4  25-47 [64.4]
Ht 13:  D.King,  R.Schlein,  P.Starke,  B.Barker 1-5  26-52 [64.6]
Ht 14:  S.Nielsen,  M.Clegg,  D.Hume,  A.Freeman 2-4  28-56 [64.8]
Ht 15:  S.Worrall,  S.Nielsen,  C.Mountain,  J.Wright 1-5  29-61 [64.5]
Gates: NEWCASTLE won toss and chose gates 2&4 | POOLE took gates 1&2 in heat 15
Referee G Hunter

Rider of the Night: Alfie Bowtell