REPORT: Poole Pirates v Oxford Cheetahs

Poole romped to another 60 point score at Wimborne Road to secure three more league points, as they defeated rivals Oxford by 60-30. Ahead of heat 15 Poole had two riders on maximums - Zach Cook and Kyle Newman, but Sam Masters spoilt the celebrations with victory in heat 15

Little Luke Killeen got Oxford off to a great start as he cleared off from the two respective number ones, and although Richard Lawson put him under increasing pressure by probing on the inside line,  he couldn't move his opponent off the line sufficiently enough to sneak by. Masters had little to deal with from William Cairns so the visitors opened with a two point lead, which was rapidly overturned once heat two got started legally. It took two attempts as Slater Lightcap's early movement confounded Dayle Wood and he went charging into the tapes. So, warnings to both and a handicap imposed on Wood. In the restart Kyle Newman battled every inch of the way into the first turn and moved clear.  Lightcap was  in his wake all the way whilst Wood's night continued to be frustrating for him as he packed up in the early stages. That 5-1 was followed up with another, Cooper Rushen giving an impression of being a rodeo rider as he navigated the first bend of heat three. But he was sufficiently able to bring everything under control and support Lewis Kerr home. Heat four produced an exciting battle between Newman and Anders Rowe, the present day Poole man having all the track guile to hold Rowe's attentions off. With Cook ahead, and at times in a different postcode, it was five-one number three being posted on the Poole scorecard. Masters did well to arrest that sequence when he blitzed by a shocked Kerr on the opening lap of heat five. Rushen conceded early ground on Killeen, and couldnt claw the loss back so it  allowed Oxford to strike off two points of their deficit (19-11).

Rowe was clever in second guessing Lawson leaving the Rocketman in an unfamiliar situation of two Wimborne Road rides without a win. But Cairns picked up third to retain Poole's advantage. A  timely burst of pace from Mitch McDiarmid in heat seven allowed him to split the Pirates pair as he caught Lightcap unawares, but Cook was again a clear winner. Heat eight, such a key race in most meetings, had Cairns exploring the wide outside with some success as he set the pace, albeit the slowest of the night up to that point, and had Newman directly following him to secure Poole another maximum heat gain.  After leading for most of heat nine,  Kerr just went a little wide coming off the final turn and Masters was there to pounce having been a threat throughout. Behind them Rushen did well to fend off Rowe, so no major damage done to the state of play. In the tenth, Cairns was waiting for Lawson to join him, but the Poole number one had to work harder than he might have liked to get past the fast gating McDiarmid, who had been slightly hampered by arriving at the first turn on one wheel. But Lawson was soon greeting Cairns as we went into the interval on the back of another Pirates' 5-1 (39-21).

After the prolonged break the action ramped up, sparked by a superb ride from Cook who sized-up Masters to perfection, attacking him on a wide line. Behind these two Aussies, Lightcap came under late pressure from Killeen but stuck to his guns to allow Poole to pick up a 4-2. Newman rolled back the years as he dominated at the first run and had Kerr supporting. Guest Mitchell Cluff took a fall on lap two, and although he quickly remounted, avoiding the need for any red lights,  he had to pull on the infield without getting three laps under his belt, as the charge was already on for the chequered flag, taken by the two Pirates who had switched positions. Proving that his exploits in heat 11 was no fluke, Cook was simply awesome as he went in pursuit of Masters (again!) and timed it perfectly, going by the Oxford number one at the third turn of the final lap, to make it four from four in terms of wins and starts for the Poole skipper. Rushen showed the class that had taken him to the final of the British Final at the weekend, with a brilliant wide route to get by both Cheetahs and join Lightcap at the front. Fortunately Lightcap reacted to the presence of his teammate and gave some space for the pair to settle in for the Pirates 7th maximum heat score of the night. Masters wasn't going to be beaten for a third time from the back by Cook and he wrecked two maximums in the process with Newman finishing third with Killeen running his third last place in a row on an evening that had started so positively for him.

POOLE 60
Richard Lawson 2,2,2',1=7+1 (4)
William Cairns 0,1',3,3=7+1 (4)
Lewis Kerr 3,2,2,3=10 (4)
Cooper Rushen 2',0,1',3=6+2 (4)
Zach Cook 3,3,3,3,2=14 (5)
Slater Lightcap 2',1,1,2'=6+2 (4)
Kyle Newman 3,2',2',2',1'=10+4 (5)

OXFORD 30
Sam Masters 1,3,3,2,2,3=14 (6)
Luke Killeen 3,1,0,0,0=4 (5)
Mitchell Cluff 0,0,R,R=0 (4)
Mitch McDiarmid 1,2,1,1=5 (4)
Anders Rowe 1,3,0,0=4 (4)
Dayle Wood 0EH,0,TS,1=1 (3)
Darryl Ritchings 1,0,1,0=2 (4)

Ht 1:  L.Killeen, R.Lawson, S.Masters, W.Cairns 2-4 2-4 [61.38]
Ht 2:  K.Newman, S.Lightcap, D.Ritchings, D.Wood[15m handicap] 5-1 7-5 [61.83]
Ht 3:  L.Kerr, C.Rushen, M.McDiarmid, M.Cluff 5-1 12-6 [61.35]
Ht 4:  Z.Cook, K.Newman, A.Rowe, D.Ritchings 5-1 17-7 [60.7]
Ht 5:  S.Masters, L.Kerr, L.Killeen, C.Rushen 2-4 19-11 [61.14]
Ht 6:  A.Rowe, R.Lawson, W.Cairns, D.Wood 3-3 22-14 [61.3]
Ht 7:  Z.Cook, M.McDiarmid, S.Lightcap, M.Cluff 4-2 26-16 [61.46]
Ht 8:  W.Cairns, K.Newman, D.Ritchings, L.Killeen 5-1 31-17 [63.1]
Ht 9:  S.Masters, L.Kerr, C.Rushen, A.Rowe, D.Wood [Tac Subbed] 3-3 34-20 [62.63]
Ht 10:  W.Cairns, R.Lawson, M.McDiarmid, M.Cluff [rtd] 5-1 39-21 [62.34]
Ht 11:  Z.Cook, S.Masters, S.Lightcap, L.Killeen 4-2 43-23 [63.25]
Ht 12:  L.Kerr, K.Newman, D.Wood, M.Cluff [rtd] 5-1 48-24 [63.85]
Ht 13:  Z.Cook, S.Masters, R.Lawson, A.Rowe 4-2 52-26 [62.21]
Ht 14:  C.Rushen, S.Lightcap, M.McDiarmid, D.Ritchings 5-1 57-27 [62.65]
Ht 15:  S.Masters, Z.Cook, K.Newman, L.Killeen 3-3 60-30 [62.25]
SGB Referee Mr Graeme Hunter 
Meeting Reaction

Photo credit: Liam Cockwell