REPORT: Scunthorpe Scorpions 40 Poole Pirates 50 (Championship)

The Wessex Marine Pirates secured their third away league win of the season and have now made it three straight victories at the Eddie Wright Raceway, Scunthorpe with a 50-40 victory that earns them three more league points.

A positive first turn sweep by Richard Lawson enabled him to collect only this third away heat one victory for the Pirates this season but Poole were limited to a shared heat as Tobias Thomsen couldn't make any real impression on Steve Worrall who was happy to follow home his skipper Simon Lambert. After an enforced delay to repair the pully system in the starting gate stanchion, Paul Starke got away to a decent start but had no response to the pace of Zaine Kennedy as he stormed by. Protecting second place became a priority for him as Luke Harrison was showing plenty of interest and Paul's tenacity served to avoid the Scorpions hitting an early maximum. Connor Mountain wasted no time in hitting the front but had Zack Cook pressing him intensely. Former Scorpion number one Lewis Kerr failed to retain his third place as Declan Kennedy went by him and stealthily the home side were building the advantage. But a super ride from Anders Rowe arrested those heat losses as he swept by Zaine Kennedy. It only proved to be a share of the spoils but that in now discredits the hard efforts of William Cairns who kept Jake Allen honest throughout. Mountain was again on the pace, his advantage helped by Lawson missing the start. But he and Thomsen held off Danny Kennedy to keep things as tight as they could, trailing 17-13.

Starke looked very good for three full laps holding off Worrall but the former Poole number one made the pass more than comfortably  to set up another heat advantage, although Lambert, suffering a puncture on the run to the line was fortunate, just clung to third as Rowe approached. Heat seven saw the first maximum heat score of the night and it was Cook and Kerr who delivered it, bringing the deficit back to just two points.  Cairns gated well in heat eight and with Thomsen forcing a way into third place at the expense of Lambert, the scores were levelled. Rowe looked more like his heat four self, than the rider that had struggled in heat six, as he stormed to a heat nine win over Zaine Kennedy and Connor Mountain. The Scunthorpe reserve was kept active by being given an on-the-bounce extra reserve ride but he had no answers to the Cook-Kerring on gas duo in the Pirates engine room. Two thirds of the way through the meeting and for the first time Poole had edged into an advantage (32-28).

Heavy interval watering changed the state of the track and it seemed to really suit Jake Allen as he came to the party, but Thomsen worked really hard to protect the advantage by holding off Harrison. Gary Havelock switched his reserves in heat twelve and the incoming Cairns responded well, sitting along with Kerr until Danny Kennedy worked his way by, but big brother Zaine was unable to follow suit, thus Poole were inching their way to another Eddie Wright Raceway victory. They didn't however have a lot of breathing room and room was at a premium for Lawson as again he struggled out of the start. Knowing though he had the better speed over Worrall and Allen he stalked the pair of them and somehow produced a move that will take some bettering. Picking them both of in the one move it was a vital pass. Skipper Zach Cook settled the contest beyond all doubt with a heat fourteen victory following it up with another one in heat fifteen.

SCUNTHORPE 40
Steve Worrall 1',3,1,2,2=9+1 (5)
Simon Lambert 2,1,0,RS=3 (3)
Declan Kennedy 1,0,RS,2,1=4 (4)
Connor Mountain 3,3,1',1'=8+2 (4)
Jake Allen 1',0,3,1'=5+2 (4)
Luke Harrison 1,1,0,TS,0=2 (4)
Zaine Kennedy 3,2,2,2,0,0=9 (6)
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POOLE 50
Richard Lawson 3,1',2,3,2'=11+2 (5)
Tobias Thomsen 0,2,1,1'=4+1 (4)
Lewis Kerr 0,2',2',3=7+2 (4)
Zach Cook 2,3,3,3,3=14 (5)
Anders Rowe 3,0,3,0=6 (4)
Paul Starke 2,2,0,RS,0=4 (4)
Will Cairns 0,0,3,1,RS=4 (4)
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Ht 1:  R.Lawson, S.Lambert, S.Worrall, T.Thomsen 3-3 3-3 [58.59]
Ht 2:  Z.Kennedy, P.Starke, L.Harrison, W.Cairns 4-2 7-5 [58.16]
Ht 3:  C.Mountain, Z.Cook, D.Kennedy, L.Kerr 4-2 11-7 [58.04]
Ht 4:  A.Rowe, Z.Kennedy, J.Allen, W.Cairns 3-3 14-10 [57.75]
Ht 5:  C.Mountain, T.Thomsen, R.Lawson, D.Kennedy 3-3 17-13 [57.99]
Ht 6:  S.Worrall, P.Starke, S.Lambert, A.Rowe 4-2 21-15 [58.84]
Ht 7:  Z.Cook, L.Kerr, L.Harrison, J.Allen 1-5 22-20 [59.01]
Ht 8:  W.Cairns, Z.Kennedy, T.Thomsen, S.Lambert 2-4 24-24 [58.44]
Ht 9:  A.Rowe, Z.Kennedy, C.Mountain, P.Starke 3-3 27-27 [58.77]
Ht 10:  Z.Cook, L.Kerr, S.Worrall, Z.Kennedy 1-5 28-32 [58.55]
Ht 11:  J.Allen, R.Lawson, T.Thomsen, L.Harrison 3-3 31-35 [62.08]
Ht 12:  L.Kerr, D.Kennedy, W.Cairns, Z.Kennedy 2-4 33-39 [61.25]
Ht 13:  R.Lawson, S.Worrall, J.Allen, A.Rowe 3-3 36-42 [61.23]
Ht 14:  Z.Cook, S.Worrall, C.Mountain, P.Starke, L.Harrison [Tac Subbed] 3-3 39-45 [59.95]
Ht 15:  Z.Cook, R.Lawson, D.Kennedy, L.Harrison 1-5 40-50 [59.75]

SGB Referee  Graeme Hunter 
SCUNTHORPE won toss and chose gates 1&3 | POOLE choose gates 1&3 in heat 15  
League Points: SCUNTHORPE 0 POOLE 3
 

Meeting Reaction

Photo Tony Hartmann