Glasgow Tigers v Poole Pirates

Poole were reduced to a six man side before a first turn had been completed when number one Rory Schlein was ruled out of the meeting due to a leg injury, sustained in a first turn collision with his rival number Craig Cook. It was the second attempt to start the meeting, a tapes malfunction having detained Cook at the starting late initially.

But with Schlein transferred to hospital for a medical check on the extent of his injury, the Pirates faced an even tougher prospect of adding to the league point they had picked up at the weekend against Eastbourne. Once the meeting did get a race under its belt, it was to Poole's disadvantage as Cook rounded both Zane Keleher and Danny King, the latter taking the vacancy left by Schlein's absence, and then Broc Nicol punished the Poole skipper. A fast trapping Sam Jensen ensured the Tigers would protect that early lead, behind him Ben Cook and Danyon Hume were content to block out Smith. Steve Worrall kept his good early Pirate form going with a tapes to flag heat three ride before the two respective Rising Stars made the early running in heat four, Smith ahead of Hume until Danny King worked his way to the front to level the meeting at 12-12.

Worrall worked overtime in heat five to split Ulrich Ostergaard and Justin Sedgmen and came extremely close to robbing the Dane on the the final lap. Craig Cook and Nicol were quick out of the tapes in heat six although King was alert enough to make a quick pass on the American as the focus fell on young Ben Cook who showed sheer determination to also pass Nicol and then hold out to share the heat. Worrall hopelessly missed the gate in heat seven and early pressure from Stefan Nielsen fizzled out as Glasgow scored the first of two successive 5-1's, the second despite the backstraight efforts of Keleher and Hume who were lining up passes on the inside and outside simultaneously, but Nicol and Smith reacted in time to move the score onto 29-19.

King was in control in heat nine, Poole having to settle for his winning three points only, inspite of the terrific ride being delivered by Ben Cook as he probed all the way. King was out again in heat 10, given a tactical substitute ride and he looked set to inflict one of those rare defeats on Craig Cook, until the Ashfield King timed his inside move to perfection. Further trouble for Poole came in the guise of Worrall losing position to Nicol as Glasgow banked another 4-2. Ben Cook did well in heat 11 to shrug off the experience of Ricky Wells and put pressure on the unbeaten Jensen before having to settle for second place. He finished in a similar position in heat 12, this time tucked in behind teammate Steve Worrall as Poole claimed their one and only maximum heat advantage of the night. Taking a third outing on the bounce, Cook took advantage of a Wells' retirement but he race was won by a Cook - the Glasgow member.

Hopes of a consolation league point were blighted when Jensen completed his programmed rides unbeaten and had Sedgmen in tow, that despite Stefan Nielsen making the gate before being relegated to backmarker. As the tapes rose for the final time it was a Poole pair out in front but Craig Cook made easy work of completing his five ride maximum ahead of Worrall and King. That left Jensen defeated for the only time on the night.

GLASGOW 52
C.Cook 3,3,3,3,3=15
B.Nicol 1,0,3,1=5
U.Ostergaard 2,3,2,1=8
J.Sedgmen 1',1,1',2'=5+3
R.Wells 0,2',1,R=3+1
S.Jensen 3,3,3,3,0=12
J.Smith 0,2,2',0=4+1