REPORT: Workington Comets v Poole Pirates

When the Pirates visited Northside a year and a week ago they were 15-3 down after just three heats but there was no chance of that happening this year despite Richard Lawson again finishing third in his opening ride.

Young Will Cairns who only scored once last year, stormed to a fabulous victory leaving Lawson and Comets' number one Jonas Jeppesen to do furious battle some distance behind him. Kyle Newman, on his Northside debut, produced a wide sweep and guest Luke Harrison took an inside line at the third turn to establish a Pirates' 5-1 and although Newman didn't look overly confident around turn four, he held on against Comets' guest Mitchell Cluff. Lewi Kerr shrugged off Tate Zischke to win the third and Cooper Rushen tried really hard to get by Drew Kemp but couldn't make it a third heat advantage for the Pirates. Both Newman and Zach Cook made good starts in the first running of heat four but Batchelor got himself into the mix. He made a move coming out of the second turn on Cook but the Poole skipper wasn't to be shifted and as they entered turn and got on the line that he needed, running Batchelor fairly and squarely wide. The Workington Aussie baled out and, as the riders came round again, the red lights were observed and the race stopped. Then, unbelievably, in the eyes of most fans sat in the back straight gallery the white light came on, the referee unhappy with Cook's intent! A baffling decision but one that was to work to Poole's advantage as it stoked the passion in the side even more feverently. Lone Newman was very much in the re-run until the third lap but then drifted at that fourth turn he wasn't liking and Perry pounced. The understanding between Lawson and Cairns was evident in heat five as the experienced on switched to the inside and the seventeen year old stuck to the favoured and beneficial outside sweep as they eased the Pirates to an unchallenged 5-1. (12-18).

Offering the referee no opportunity to disqualify him again, skipper Cook posted his first points on the board with a firm heat six victory. Harrison was with him in second at one stage but was beaten up by both Jeppesen and Foord, although he fought back with the passion that the Poole colours bring to most riders, just missing out in the final allocation of points. Cooper Rushen delivered a superb ride in heat seven to take Batchelor from behind and then there was proper wheel to wheel speedway in heat eight when Cairns came from behind to make it three rides, three wins. Newman really earned his point, making his presence known throughout over former Poole pair of Foord and Perry. Harrison and Cook both knew where they wanted to be in heat nine and neither wasted any time in getting out on the wider racing line, filing another 5-1 for the Pirates. An expected tactical substitution was not forthcoming on the Workington side and after the heat had twice been called back, firstly for Kerr's early movement, then for Jeppesen falling at the first turn, there was almost carnage on the back straight as Jeppesen, riding on the limit in his frustration to get a win under his belt, clattered team-mate Foord. As the race developed Jeppesen lifted unsightly in his quest to try and reel in Kerr but the Poole number three got his head down an powered away whilst Rushen banked third place. Poole's 7th heat advantage in the first ten heats giving them a handsome sixteen point lead. (22-38).

Still no changes from the home side and still Cairns remained unbeaten, as he passed Batchelor with consummate ease. Lawson had to work a little harder but relegating Batchelor to third meant Poole needed just ONE point from ANY of the remaining four heats to pick up their tenth league point of the season. The long awaited change came in heat twelve with Jeppesen called up to partner Kemp. Whilst it worked for the Comets the match was lost as Harrison scored that victory securing point. Jeppesen then made it two wins on the bounce with his heat thirteen win but both Lawson and Cook were more than happy to freeze Batchelor out and protect the sixteen point lead. That was trimmed to fourteen when Rushen had to fight a lone heat fourteen battle after Newman had been disqualified for t-boning Perry, after he had seen a gap which Perry had tried to protect. Clearly Rushen's machine was not overly happy on having to do another four laps and he just managed to hold on for second place against Perry as Zischke became only the third Comets rider to win a race!  Cairns' maximum hopes were dashed when he got trapped on the inside at the start of the nominated riders' heat and, just as Jeppesen had done, once he'd got one victory under his belt, he wasted no time in making it two, but Lawson managed to edge out Kemp to restrict Workington to a 4-2 and give Poole a twelve point advantage to defend in the quest of the all-important bonus point, and they are going to be so valuable come the final reckoning for the play-offs.

WORKINGTON 39
Jonas Jeppesen 2,2,2,3,3=12 (5)
Vinnie Foord 0,1',2,0=3+1 (4)
Drew Kemp 1',1,0,2',1=5+2 (5)
Tate Zischke 2,0,1,3,3=9 (5)
Troy Batchelor 3,2,1,0=6 (4)
Mitchell Cluff 1,0,0,RS=1 (3)
Max Perry 0,2',0,TS,1=3+1 (4)

POOLE 51
Richard Lawson 1,2',2',1',2=8+3 (5)
William Cairns 3,3,3,3,0=12 (5)
Lewis Kerr 3,1,3,0=7 (4)
Cooper Rushen 0,3,1,2=6 (4)
Zach Cook X0,3,2',2=7+1 (4)
Luke Harrison 2',0,3,1=6+1 (4)
Kyle Newman 3,1,1,XD=5 (4)

Ht 1:  W.Cairns, J.Jeppesen, R.Lawson, V.Foord 2-4 2-4 [56.9]
Ht 2:  K.Newman, L.Harrison, M.Cluff, M.Perry 1-5 3-9 [58.7]
Ht 3:  L.Kerr, T.Zischke, D.Kemp, C.Rushen 3-3 6-12 [57.3]
Ht 4:  T.Batchelor, M.Perry, K.Newman, Z.Cook [exc] 5-1 11-13 [57.9]
Ht 5:  W.Cairns, R.Lawson, D.Kemp, T.Zischke 1-5 12-18 [57.4]
Ht 6:  Z.Cook, J.Jeppesen, V.Foord, L.Harrison 3-3 15-21 [58]
Ht 7:  C.Rushen, T.Batchelor, L.Kerr, M.Cluff 2-4 17-25 [58.4]
Ht 8:  W.Cairns, V.Foord, K.Newman, M.Perry 2-4 19-29 [59.1]
Ht 9:  L.Harrison, Z.Cook, T.Zischke, D.Kemp 1-5 20-34 [58.6]
Ht 10:  L.Kerr, J.Jeppesen, C.Rushen, V.Foord 2-4 22-38 [59]
Ht 11:  W.Cairns, R.Lawson, T.Batchelor, M.Cluff 1-5 23-43 [58.5]
Ht 12:  J.Jeppesen, D.Kemp, L.Harrison, L.Kerr, M.Perry [Tac Subbed] 5-1 28-44 [59.1]
Ht 13:  J.Jeppesen, Z.Cook, R.Lawson, T.Batchelor 3-3 31-47 [58.9]
Ht 14:  T.Zischke, C.Rushen, M.Perry, K.Newman[exc] 4-2 35-49 [59]
Ht 15:  T.Zischke, R.Lawson, D.Kemp, W.Cairns 4-2 39-51 [59.1]
SGB Referee Mr Michael Breckon