RESULT: Poole Pirates v Berwick Bandits (Championship)

The 'Wessex Marine' Pirates claimed an aggregate bonus point at their first opportunity as avenged for their narrow defeat earlier thiis season at Berwick, with a 55-35 home win.

There could have been none finer start to a speedway meeting, than the battle between Cumbrians Richard Lawson and Craig Cook. The visiting number one, Cook, held the slender advantage for three whole laps but Lawson managed to move himself out, a bit closer to his favoured dirt line and, once there, the job of passing became a mere formality. With partner Tobias Thomsen clear of Sam Hagon, the Pirates opened with a 4-2. Some of the enthusiasm was dampened when Darryl Ritchings, riding quite possibly his last meeting of the season as a contracted Pirate, was trapped trying to avoid Jack Smith's stricken bike. As Ritchings' machine headed for the air-fence, it bounced back after impact just as Darryl himself was following through. Although invited back for a four man re-run, Ritchings was clearly very second hand and so Paul 'The HarbourMaster' Starke had to sail single-handed in the re-run and quickly found the sea of victory. Heat three was paused early too, this time Drew Kemp getting into trouble at the first turn and having to sit out the re-run. His partner, Danyon Hume was able to split the Pirates' engine room, Anders Rowe on his comeback from injury not looking his true self. Heat four saw Lewi Kerr deliver an easy win and for much of the heat it looked like another Poole heat advantage was on the cards, but Starke spent too long looking over his shoulder to assess how much of an advantage he had on Smith after Leon Flint had swept by him earlier. In checking back, Starke slid off between turns three and four and the Bandits shared a heat for the second time. There were no gifts on offer in heat five as Cook and Rowe flexed their muscles, inflicting a 5-1 over Cook and Hagon. (19-11).

Thomsen seemed on a mission in heat six and Lawson was quite content to settle in behind him, although neither Flint nor Wood provided any true competition. Heat seven was a strange affair. Both Starke and Kemp were nursing sick machines way behind the front two, of which Kerr was dominating.  Hume, in second, then fell on the third lap  and the referee decreed the race to be rerun with three riders only. As the tapes rose it was Kemp who showed first, but he was to find himself squeezed back into third by the end of the first lap , before falling on the second. He picked himself up quickly enough to save a point, unable to prevent Poole from recording a straight hat-trick of 5-1's. Hagon became the first winning Bandit when he led home Thomsen from the gate in heat eight, Starke sharing the heat as he continued to cover for the withdrawn Ritchings. Sensing a possible opening, Stewart Dickson sent Craig Cook out as a tactical substitute to try and partner Flint to a much need heat gain. But the stand-in for the night was far from being at the races and Poole were easily able to protect their sixteen point lead. Kemp appeared to roll into the tapes at the start of heat ten, movement that encouraged Thomsen to go. In doing so, the tapes caught under his helmet and threw him off the back of his bike. Whilst Kemp was warned, it was Thomsen who was given the greater punishment and was disqualifed. But without sufficient cover left available at reserve - Starke still had two of his own rides to come and one more to fill for Ritchings - Thomsen tried to set off from fifteen metres. But his exhaust, which had taken most of the weight when his bike flipped, just as the other riders were setting off from scratch. Lawson though was in no mood for hanging around, leaving Hume and Kemp to sort themselves out some distance behind. (38-22).

Berwick's two race winners appeared at the tapes for heat eleven and were able to record the Bandits first heat advantage, once Hagon had passed Starke for third; Craig Cook defeating Kerr. Hume added his name to the list of visiting race winners as he blasted his way by both Rowe then Starke in heat twelve. Lawson wriggled his way by C.Cook then Flint to stretch out a huge win that not only brought home the bonus point but was also achieved in fastest time of the night, as late as heat thirteen!  Z.Cook was untroubled in heat fourteen, Kemp able though to pass the heavily overworked Starke who had to settle for third, but Poole were in the fifties, before Z.Cook and Lawson finished an eventful meeting off with the easiest 5-1 of the night.

POOLE 55
Richard Lawson 3,2',3,3,2'=13+2 (5)
Tobias Thomsen 1,3,2,0EH=6 (4)
Anders Rowe 1,2',2,1'=6+2 (4)
Zach Cook 3,3,1',3,3=13+1 (5)
Lewis Kerr 3,3,2,0=8 (4)
Paul Starke 3,F,2',1',0,2,1=9+2 (7)
Darryl Ritchings NS,NS,NS,NS=0 ()
.
BERWICK 35
Craig Cook 2,1,3,3,1'=10+1 (5)
Sam Hagon 0,0,3,1,1=5 (5)
Danyon Hume 2,FD,1',3,0=6+1 (5)
Drew Kemp FD,1,2,2=5 (4)
Leon Flint 2,1,R,2=5 (4)
Dayle Wood 1',0,TS,0=1+1 (3)
Jack Smith 2,1',0,0=3+1 (4)
.
Ht 1:  R.Lawson, C.Cook, T.Thomsen, S.Hagon 4-2 4-2 [60.88]
Ht 2:  P.Starke, J.Smith, D.Wood, D.Ritchings [NS] 3-3 7-5 [63.28]
Ht 3:  Z.Cook, D.Hume, A.Rowe, D.Kemp [fell exc] 4-2 11-7 [61.34]
Ht 4:  L.Kerr, L.Flint, J.Smith, P.Starke [fell], D.Ritchings [NS] 3-3 14-10 [61.79]
Ht 5:  Z.Cook, A.Rowe, C.Cook, S.Hagon 5-1 19-11 [61.26]
Ht 6:  T.Thomsen, R.Lawson, L.Flint, D.Wood 5-1 24-12 [62.25]
Ht 7:  L.Kerr, P.Starke, D.Kemp, D.Hume [fell exc] 5-1 29-13 [61.94]
Ht 8:  S.Hagon, T.Thomsen, P.Starke, J.Smith, D.Ritchings [NS] 3-3 32-16 [61.68]
Ht 9:  C.Cook, A.Rowe, Z.Cook, L.Flint [rtd], D.Wood [Tac Subbed] 3-3 35-19 [60.98]
Ht 10:  R.Lawson, D.Kemp, D.Hume, T.Thomsen[15m handicap] 3-3 38-22 [61.67]
Ht 11:  C.Cook, L.Kerr, S.Hagon, P.Starke 2-4 40-26 [61.4]
Ht 12:  D.Hume, P.Starke, A.Rowe, D.Wood, D.Ritchings [NS] 3-3 43-29 [62.98]
Ht 13:  R.Lawson, L.Flint, C.Cook, L.Kerr 3-3 46-32 [60.81]
Ht 14:  Z.Cook, D.Kemp, P.Starke, J.Smith 4-2 50-34 [62]
Ht 15:  Z.Cook, R.Lawson, S.Hagon, D.Hume 5-1 55-35 [62.16]

SGB Referee  Michael Breckon 
POOLE won toss and chose gates 1&3 | BERWICK choose gates 1&3 in heat 15  
League Points: POOLE 3 BERWICK 0

Post Match Reaction here

Photo credits Tony Hartman and Liam Cockwell