BJARNE PEDERSEN FAREWELL

Pirates gave their second all-time points scorer a fine send off as teams representing Poole and Peterborough battled out a challenge fixture, with the 2021 Championship winners prevailing over the corresponding Premiership champions.

The Pirates side, essentially the riders selected to defend the 2021 Championship title, never trailed the Premiership champions. 

Ben Cook rode a good line into the first turn of the opening heat and was able to shrug off the interests of former Pirate Hans Andersen to set up a Poole advantage which Steve Worrall tried to improve by putting the Dane under pressure. Zach Cook showed good skills to pass the fast starting Jordan Palin in the second heat, Poole's new recruit Drew Kemp having to shut off early in his approach to the first bend that left him too much work to do to prevent his 2022 team-mate Nathan Ablitt, on loan for the evening, from sharing the heat. Danny King was sharp with his heat three pass on Ulrich Ostergaard, Poole extending their early lead with guest Kyle Newman unphased by Alfie Bowtell. Richard Lawson enjoyed a tapes-to-flag victory and partner Zach Cook converting the heat score into a 5-1 although not before he had to react swiftly to close attentions from Scott Nicholls on the final lap.

Peterborough reduced the deficit by half when Michael Palm-Toft and Hans Andersen adapted to the light falling rain better than King and Newman managed and when Steve Worrall was passed by Palin on the first lap of heat six then Nicholls on the third lap the match scores were levelled at eighteen points a piece. A much improved first turn by Kemp set Pirates on their way again, he and Lawson combining for a 5-1 before the Cook brothers paired up for maximum return in heat eight, Ben having a bit of work to do to fend off Andersen in the early stages. Heat nine was somewhat processional, King leading the way with Nicholls splitting him from Newman and the run of Poole heat advantages extended into heat ten when Ben Cook and Worrall were unchallenged to give the scoreline the look of 37-23.

Andersen stamped his authority on heat eleven but Lawson and Kemp comfortably claimed the minor places at the expense of Palm-Toft. A clever inside drive from Zach Cook to promote him through traffic and join Danny King at the front in heat twelve restored the Pirates dominance but then Scott Nicholls banked a deserved race win in heat thirteen collecting the accolade of the Gordon Day Memorial race in the process, but it only came after he stood firm under assault from Worrall. Kemp claimed a second victory with his heat fourteen defeat of Bowtell who took second ahead of Newman as the Poole side took their score through the fifty-point barrier. 

Worrall found his single win of a hard fought evening in the final race of the night, but partner Zach Cook, hitherto unbeaten, couldn't prevent Andersen and Nicholls closing the meeting with a shared heat with the final score 55-35 being posted in Poole's favour.
 

POOLE 55
S.Worrall ,1,1,2',2,3=9+1 (5)
B.Cook ,3,0,2',3=8+1 (4)
D.King ,3,1,3,3=10 (4)
K.Newman ,1,0,1,1=3 (4)
R.Lawson ,3,2',2,1'=8+2 (4)
D.Kemp ,0,3,1',3=7+1 (4)
Z.Cook ,3,2',3,2',0=10+2 (5)
.
PETERBOROUGH 35
M.Palm-Toft ,0,3,0,0=3 (4)
H.Andersen ,2,2',1,3,2=10+1 (5)
U.Ostergaard ,2,1,1,1=5 (4)
A.Bowtell ,0,0,0,2=2 (4)
S.Nicholls ,1,2',2,3,1'=9+2 (5)
J.Palin ,2,3,0,0=5 (4)
N.Ablitt ,1',0,0,0=1+1 (4)
.
Ht 1:  B.Cook , H.Andersen , S.Worrall , M.Palm-Toft ,  4-2 4-2 [59]
Ht 2:  Z.Cook , J.Palin , N.Ablitt , D.Kemp ,  3-3 7-5 [60.1]
Ht 3:  D.King , U.Ostergaard , K.Newman , A.Bowtell ,  4-2 11-7 [60.25]
Ht 4:  R.Lawson , Z.Cook , S.Nicholls , N.Ablitt ,  5-1 16-8 [60.06]
Ht 5:  M.Palm-Toft , H.Andersen , D.King , K.Newman ,  1-5 17-13 [60.22]
Ht 6:  J.Palin , S.Nicholls , S.Worrall , B.Cook ,  1-5 18-18 [61.78]
Ht 7:  D.Kemp , R.Lawson , U.Ostergaard , A.Bowtell ,  5-1 23-19 [60.94]
Ht 8:  Z.Cook , B.Cook , H.Andersen , N.Ablitt ,  5-1 28-20 [61.19]
Ht 9:  D.King , S.Nicholls , K.Newman , J.Palin ,  4-2 32-22 [60.41]
Ht 10:  B.Cook , S.Worrall , U.Ostergaard , A.Bowtell ,  5-1 37-23 [61.56]
Ht 11:  H.Andersen , R.Lawson , D.Kemp , M.Palm-Toft ,  3-3 40-26 [61.64]
Ht 12:  D.King , Z.Cook , U.Ostergaard , J.Palin ,  5-1 45-27 [61.53]
Ht 13:  S.Nicholls , S.Worrall , R.Lawson , M.Palm-Toft ,  3-3 48-30 [62.13]
Ht 14:  D.Kemp , A.Bowtell , K.Newman , N.Ablitt ,  4-2 52-32 [62.37]
Ht 15:  S.Worrall , H.Andersen , S.Nicholls , Z.Cook ,  3-3 55-35 [63.25]
REFEREE:Christina Turnbull 
PETERBOROUGH won toss and chose gates 1&3 | POOLE choose gates 1&3 in heat 15