Poole Pirates v Plymouth Gladiators

Poole Pirates really turned the heat up on their cup opponents Plymouth as they marched into the next round with a 110-79 aggregate victory.

None of the six regular Pirates recorded a last place across the fifteen heats and the visitors' only heat advantage came in the opening race when their guest Craig Cook clung on to his tapes to flag lead under mounting pressure from Rory Schlein.

Poole banked maximum heat scores from six of the heats and the partnership of Steve Worrall and Stefan Nielsen once again flourished, only former Poole favourite Bjarne Pedersen managing to defeat the pairing, when he became only the second Gladiator to take a victory, that coming in heat 9 courtesy of his tradesmark sharp shooting from the gate.

Rory Schlein had to measure up the situation in heat 10 as he and stand-in Kyle Bickley were on a 5-1 but Zach Cook was applying intense pressure on the Berwick rider. Initially the Poole number one eased up to try and nurse his partner but Cook was looking a little too threatening and Schlein had to kick on to protect the heat.

By this stage Poole were well in control and whilst Craig Cook took his second win of the night it was nothing other than a consolation. 

Schlein superbly moved Craig Cook over enough in heat 13 to create an inside line for Danny King to exploit as the Pirates blasted through the fifty-points barrier with two heats in hand. Both those remaining races ended with Poole in cruise mood, Ben Cook and Nielsen comfortable enough in heat fourteen and Schlein and Worrall unchallenged by the nominated partnership of Zach Cook and Dillon Ruml.

POOLE  61 (110)
R.Schlein  2,3,3,3,3=14
K.Bickley 0,1,R,1=2
S.Worrall  3,3,2,3,2'=13+1
S.Nielsen  2',2',1',2'=7+4
D.King  3,3,1',2'=9+2
B.Cook  3,2',2,3=10+1
D.Hume  1,1,3,1=6

PLYMOUTH  29 (70)
C.Cook 3,1,3,1=8
D.Ruml 1,0,2,0,0=3
Z.Cook 1,0,2,2,1=6
Z.Keleher  0,1,0,F=1
B.Pedersen 2,2,3,0=7
A.Bowtell 2,0,1',F,1=4+1
J.Smith  F,R,0

Ht 1:  C.Cook,  R.Schlein ,  D.Ruml,  K.Bickley 2-4  2-4 |59.44]
Ht 2:  B.Cook ,  A.Bowtell,  D.Hume ,  J.Smith   (Fell) 4-2  6-6 [awd]
Ht 3:  S.Worrall ,  S.Nielsen ,  Z.Cook,  Z.Keleher  5-1  11-7 [60.32]
Ht 4:  D.King ,  B.Pedersen,  D.Hume ,  A.Bowtell 4-2  15-9 [59.81]
Ht 5:  S.Worrall ,  S.Nielsen ,  C.Cook,  D.Ruml 5-1  20-10 [59.56]
Ht 6:  R.Schlein ,  B.Pedersen,  K.Bickley,  J.Smith   (Rtd) 4-2  24-12 [59.97]
Ht 7:  D.King ,  B.Cook ,  Z.Keleher ,  Z.Cook 5-1  29-13 [61.03]
Ht 8:  D.Hume ,  D.Ruml,  A.Bowtell,  K.Bickley  (Rtd) 3-3 32-16 [61.81]
Ht 9:  B.Pedersen,  S.Worrall ,  S.Nielsen ,  J.Smith  3-3  35-19 [60.66]
Ht 10:  R.Schlein ,  Z.Cook,  K.Bickley,  Z.Keleher  4-2  39-21 [62.31]
Ht 11:  C.Cook,  B.Cook ,  D.King ,  D.Ruml 3-3  42-24 [61.37]
Ht 12:  S.Worrall ,  Z.Cook,  D.Hume ,  A.Bowtell  (Fell) 4-2  46-26 [61.19]
Ht 13:  R.Schlein ,  D.King ,  C.Cook,  B.Pedersen 5-1  51-27 [60.57]
Ht 14:  B.Cook ,  S.Nielsen ,  A.Bowtell,  Z.Keleher   (Fell) 5-1  56-28 [62]
Ht 15:  R.Schlein ,  S.Worrall ,  Z.Cook,  D.Ruml 5-1  61-29 [61.34]
Gates: PLYMOUTH  won toss and chose gates 1&3 | POOLE  took gates 1&3 in heat 15
Referee W.Jarvis