REPORT Workington 37 Poole 53

27/07/24

Detailed history books may forever tell that the Poole Pirates lost their maiden race at the Northside track, conceding a 5-1 to Cumbrian Craig Cook and Dane Claus Vissing, but it won't take a lot of extra reading to see just how dominant the Pirates became on that visit, banking all three available league points with a third of the meeting still to battle out.

Sam Hagon and Vinnie Foord immediately redressed the situation, although Sam had to quickly recover from a drift towards the back straight fence as he left the second turn, second time around, but from there on the Pirates' points began to flow faster than the Derwent river.
Three minor heat advantages ensued for the pacy Poole boys, Brennan setting a sub-fifty second time as he began his adventure towards a paid maximum. He then broke that maximum pairing of heat one with a fine ride in heat six, effectively banking the bonus point (barring a remarkable and unprecedented disaster). That was followed by a demonstration of brotherly instinct as early leader Ben Cook looked to his right as he sensed Zach approaching, both leaving Troy Batchelor some margin away.

Guest, for the second night running, Ashton Boughen and Vinnie Foord then claimed the scalp of Vissing in heat eight to put fourteen points between the two sides at 31-17. Poor young Sam Hagon did all the hard work on the first lap of heat nine to get by Antti Vuolas and Workington's guest Jason Edwards, but then he drifted to the rear again, leaving Brennan's third victory the only Poole points from that heat. A ruthless move by Craig Cook on namesake Zach during heat ten set up the home favourite's first outright race win of the meeting, but the Poole 'chefs' kept the fourteen point lead, not allowing Vissing any room at all, this all unfolding after Ben had done exceptionally well to stay aboard his machine around the wide first turn.

Richard Lawson appeared to 'snake' a little as he came out of the tapes in heat eleven but then 'cobra-like' he seized the outside line, had total faith in his ability and took the lead within a lap, Batchelor his prey. Boughen's third place over Celina Liebmann giving Poole another heat gain of a 4-2, which meant Workington needed five maximum heat scores of their own to have any hope of getting anything out of this meeting.

Drafted in as a tactical substitute, Craig Cook partnered Vuolas to the first of them in heat twelve, but Lawson and Brennan had the instant response in the thirteenth to absolutely secure the Pirates' fifth league point of this Northern tour.

Zach Cook, who had already won his last three heat fourteens, had to concede that sequence when he just straightened up at the first turn and crashed heavily into the air barrier, ruling himself ineligible for the three-rider re-start. Liebmann and and Edwards made the gate, Foord, for the one time in the meeting not being too sharp away. Whilst he gave chase he couldn't quite land a blow and so a piece of extra British speedway was made as Celina secured her first 5-1 on these shores. The Pirates, though had already reminded the Comets that any maximum they might have inflicted on them will be instantly countered, Brennan and Lawson doing just that over Vuolas, whilst Craig Cook pulled up with more than half a lap to go.

WORKINGTON 37
Craig Cook 2',2,3,3,0,R=10+1 (6)
Claus Vissing 3,1',1,0=5+1 (4)
Antti Vuolas 2,2,2,2',1=9+1 (5)
Jason Edwards 0,0,1',2'=3+2 (4)
Troy Batchelor 2,1,2,1=6 (4)
Celina Liebmann 1,0,0,3=4 (4)
Sam McGurk 0,0,0,TS=0 (3)
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POOLE 53
Richard Lawson 1,3,3,3,2'=12+1 (5)
Ashton Boughen 0,1,3,1=5 (4)
Ben Cook 3,2',2,1=8+1 (4)
Zach Cook 1,3,1',FD=5+1 (4)
Tom Brennan 3,3,3,2',3=14+1 (5)
Sam Hagon 3,0,0,0=3 (4)
Vinnie Foord 2',1,2',1=6+2 (4)
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Ht 1: C.Vissing, C.Cook, R.Lawson, A.Boughen 5-1 5-1 [57.3]
Ht 2: S.Hagon, V.Foord, C.Liebmann, S.McGurk 1-5 6-6 [58]
Ht 3: B.Cook, A.Vuolas, Z.Cook, J.Edwards 2-4 8-10 [57.1]
Ht 4: T.Brennan, T.Batchelor, V.Foord, S.McGurk 2-4 10-14 [56.9]
Ht 5: R.Lawson, A.Vuolas, A.Boughen, J.Edwards 2-4 12-18 [57.47]
Ht 6: T.Brennan, C.Cook, C.Vissing, S.Hagon 3-3 15-21 [57.5]
Ht 7: Z.Cook, B.Cook, T.Batchelor, C.Liebmann 1-5 16-26 [57.2]
Ht 8: A.Boughen, V.Foord, C.Vissing, S.McGurk 1-5 17-31 [58.4]
Ht 9: T.Brennan, A.Vuolas, J.Edwards, S.Hagon 3-3 20-34 [57.9]
Ht 10: C.Cook, B.Cook, Z.Cook, C.Vissing 3-3 23-37 [58.3]
Ht 11: R.Lawson, T.Batchelor, A.Boughen, C.Liebmann 2-4 25-41 [58.3]
Ht 12: C.Cook, A.Vuolas, B.Cook, S.Hagon, S.McGurk [Tac Subbed] 5-1 30-42 [59.9]
Ht 13: R.Lawson, T.Brennan, T.Batchelor, C.Cook 1-5 31-47 [59.4]
Ht 14: C.Liebmann, J.Edwards, V.Foord, Z.Cook [fell exc] 5-1 36-48 [58.9]
Ht 15: T.Brennan, R.Lawson, A.Vuolas, C.Cook [rtd] 1-5 37-53 [58.3]