REPORT: Scunthorpe Scorpions 40 Poole Pirates 50 - KO Cup Semi Final 2nd Leg

6/09/24

Poole have eliminated the cup holders with an aggregate 110-69 victory over Scunthorpe and ended the Scorpions proud 100% record of 2024 in the process.

Poole endured something of a jittery start to this second leg, Tobias Thomsen making a strong gate but navigating the second turn a little inelegantly, he was duly punished by Connor Mountain who was driving up the inside and the Scorpions, led out front by Michael Palm-Toft, were instantly able to chip two points of the massive deficit. Tobias had things sorted in heat two however, but a seized motor for Paul Starke limited Poole's scoring to Toby's victory and then skipper Ben Cook went too soon in heat three and took the tapes with him, rendering him a handicap offering in the re-start. Zach appeared to make a solid gate but was in no-man's land at the centre of the first turn and both Simon Lambert and Jake Allen punished him for it, so within the first three heats the cup holders had reduced the deficit to twenty five, still a very useful lead for Poole but Scunthorpe sensing there was a chance, more so perhaps when Kyle Howarth got clear of Tom Brennan who had to be swift to steer away from the badly lifting birthday boy guest Ace Pijper. Starke limped home on another sick motor but at least it prevented Poole from dropping any further behind.

Richard Lawson used his outside gate draw to full effect, allowing his machine to run high and wide to become Poole's second race winner. Their first, Thomsen, was having a mixed night of fortunes and trailed home last. There were glimpses of a potential Poole maximum score in heat six but Connor Mountain came through to pass both Thomsen, then Brennan and looking very accomplished in the process. Thomsen came under increasing pressure from Palm-Toft but just had enough in the locker to ensure a shared heat, making Scunthorpe's comeback task just a little more harder. Brothers Cook produced a statement ride in heat seven, although in the early stages they were both trying to get on to the exact same piece of track and things felt a little scary. Then in heat eight Zach went for the wide option to take up the running and Starke's point meant that, not only were Poole on level pegging on the night, just a single point in the remaining heats would see them into the final.

Brennan read heat nine perfectly allowing the abacus to be thrown back in the van as the victory took Poole onto the aggregate target of ninety one points, and then a brilliant ride round the fence from the skipper, Ben, edged Poole ahead for the first time in the ten heats of this meeting.

After the first track grade of the night was over, Lawson got away sharp but Howarth found the space to pick him off, although simultaneously Starke was going by Ablitt, thus protecting the two point second leg lead. More great riding from Ben saw him go by Lambert, but Thomsen who in the infant stages of the race had led, drifted into third place, sufficient though for that lead to double, and Poole were certainly sensing that they could repeat their play-off semi-final exploits of 2023 and gain a win in North Lincolnshire, something that no visiting side had managed throughout 2024.

That became even more a reality when, under pressure from and made to work by Howarth, both Brennan and Lawson stuck to the task perfectly, Lawson doing a skilful job in blocking as much of the inside lines to allow Brennan the wide run he needed. In heat fourteen, Zach Cook bided his time well and when the opening appeared he seized upon it and there it was, victory on the night guaranteed, Starke's third place putting eight points between the sides. The skipper then completed his 'maximum off scratch' with a fourth successive unbeaten ride, only that earlier tapes infringement costing him an official maximum.

SCUNTHORPE 40
Michael Palm-Toft 3,0,2,0=5 (4)
Connor Mountain 1,3,2,0=6 (4)
Simon Lambert 3,2,1',2=8+1 (4)
Jake Allen 2',1',2,2,2=9+2 (5)
Kyle Howarth 3,1,3,1,1'=9+1 (5)
Nathan Ablitt 1',0,0,0=1+1 (4)
Ace Pijper 2,R,0,0=2 (4)
.
POOLE 50
Richard Lawson 2,3,2,2'=9+1 (4)
Rider Replacement
Ben Cook 0EH,2',3,3,3=11+1 (5)
Zach Cook 1,3,3,1,3,0=11 (6)
Tom Brennan 2,2,3,3=10 (4)
Tobias Thomsen 0,3,0,1',0,1=5+1 (6)
Paul Starke R,1',1,1',1=4+2 (5)
.
Ht 1: M.Palm-Toft, R.Lawson, C.Mountain, T.Thomsen 4-2 4-2 [58.16]
Ht 2: T.Thomsen, A.Pijper, N.Ablitt, P.Starke [rtd] 3-3 7-5 [59.21]
Ht 3: S.Lambert, J.Allen, Z.Cook, B.Cook[15m handicap] 5-1 12-6 [.]
Ht 4: K.Howarth, T.Brennan, P.Starke, A.Pijper [rtd] 3-3 15-9 [57.82]
Ht 5: R.Lawson, S.Lambert, J.Allen, T.Thomsen 3-3 18-12 [57.76]
Ht 6: C.Mountain, T.Brennan, T.Thomsen, M.Palm-Toft 3-3 21-15 [57.4]
Ht 7: Z.Cook, B.Cook, K.Howarth, N.Ablitt 1-5 22-20 [58.44]
Ht 8: Z.Cook, C.Mountain, P.Starke, A.Pijper 2-4 24-24 [58.46]
Ht 9: T.Brennan, J.Allen, S.Lambert, T.Thomsen 3-3 27-27 [58.24]
Ht 10: B.Cook, M.Palm-Toft, Z.Cook, C.Mountain 2-4 29-31 [58.66]
Ht 11: K.Howarth, R.Lawson, P.Starke, N.Ablitt 3-3 32-34 [59.18]
Ht 12: B.Cook, S.Lambert, T.Thomsen, A.Pijper 2-4 34-38 [58.99]
Ht 13: T.Brennan, R.Lawson, K.Howarth, M.Palm-Toft 1-5 35-43 [59.17]
Ht 14: Z.Cook, J.Allen, P.Starke, N.Ablitt 2-4 37-47 [59.19]
Ht 15: B.Cook, J.Allen, K.Howarth, Z.Cook 3-3 40-50 [58.96]

SGB Referee Mr Mick Bates
SCUNTHORPE won toss and chose gates 2&4 | POOLE choose gates 2&4 in heat 15
Poole win 110-69 on aggregate