Poole Pirates v Redcar Bears

Poole completed the task of retaining their 100% home league record and secured a top spot finish in the SGB Championship league with a solid victory over second placed Redcar Bears.

The Pirates set off in determined fashion running up a 24-12 lead without giving the visiting Bears a sniff of race win and the manner in which Rory Schlein and Ben Basso conducted an inside and outside passing move on Michael Palm-Toft in heat six epitomised the attitude within the Poole side to get the job done in style. 

Heat seven had the rare sight of Danny King trailing two opponents in a Wimborne Road race, but the Poole skipper wasted little time in picking off Jake Allen before making a real fist to try and overcome Lewis Kerr, but the Bears' pre-transfer deadline recruit stood firm, to become the first visitor to take the chequered flag and a heat advantage in the process as the man that had to make way to accommodate Kerr - Anders Rowe - couldn't make any impression at the back. The Pirates showed very early signs of bouncing straight back as both Danyon Hume and Ben Basso pulled clear as the tapes rose to start heat eight. But Basso appeared to take too long a glance to his left and found himself heading straight for the airfence, which he hit with some force. Whilst he struggled to clear the track, the race had to be stopped and he was in clear discomfort with his ribs, a major concern as he was just making a return to the saddle after a similar injury sustained in the Danish league play-offs. It proved to be his last action of the night, and as so often happens in speedway, Hume couldn't make the sort of start he had just made in the re-run and had to concede places to Jordan Jenkins and James Sarjeant as the Bears structured a mini-comeback, reducing the deficit to six points

That was a margin that still enabled them to deploy the tactical substitute option, and in came Kerr to replace Ryan Kinsley to give the visitors a strong pairing as Palm-Toft was their other representative. But initially it looked as though it was a move that was going to backfire as Ben Cook was giving valuable support to Steve Worrall until Palm-Toft began to mount a challenge. As he put pressure on Cook, the Aussie reared, got the wheel back down but skidded towards the outer reaches of the circuit as he came out of turn four. Scraping the kick-boards as he bounced off them, all the time fighting the bike to remain aboard but of course losing valuable ground as both Palm-Toft and Kerr moved into heat-sharing positions. Rory Schlein was single minded in his heat ten outing, not allowing Kerr or Allen anywhere near him. 

With six points still between the two sides it could have been a nervy finish, but Anders Rowe made a brilliant start to power to the front in heat eleven whilst King was again seeing an opponent (Charles Wright) ahead of him. As the laps ticked by so King wound things on and found some room on the outside of Wright. It was brave and it was breathtaking but it was brilliant as he not only went by his opponent but also stormed on by partner Rowe. But it was a 5-1 that was welcomed by all connected wth the Pirates as the standing grandstand ovation confirmed. A great start by Steve Worrall meant his programmed ride maximum was a certainty, Hume's third place edging Poole ever nearer the point when Poole could be assured that pole position in the league table would be theirs and theirs alone.

King wasn't in the mood for having to do the work from the back again, and made a great start in heat thirteen whilst Schlein was the one with work to do. But that work was made incredibly much easier after Charles Wright attempted to play dominoes with his own team-mate, Palm-Toft, both Bears doing well to remain upright. Whilst they were wrestling to do so, however, Schlein had marched on by and the 5-1 was more than enough to guarantee a Poole win on the night and a 49 point league tally that can not be bettered irrespective of how the remaining three key matches play out. 

Redcar weren't totally beaten however as they filed another maximum in heat fourteen, and then in heat fifteen had Kerr denying Worrall his full maximum as he split the Pirates (King a comfortable winner).

POOLE 52
Rory Schlein 1,2',3,2' =8+2
Ben Basso 3,3,XD =6
Steve Worrall 3,3,3,3,1 =13
Ben Cook 0,1,0,1 =2
Danny King 3,2,3,3,3 =14
Anders Rowe 1,0,2',0 =3+1
Danyon Hume 3,1,1,0,1 =6

REDCAR 38
Charles Wright 2,2,1,0 =5
James Sarjeant 0,0,2',0 =2+1
Jake Allen 1',1,2,2 =6+1
Lewis Kerr 2,3,1',1',3,2 =12+2
Michael Palm-Toft 2,1,2,1 =6
Ryan Kinsley 0,0,0 =0
Jordan Jenkins 2,0,3,2',0 =7+1
.
Ht.1 B.Basso,C.Wright,R.Schlein,J.Sarjeant,4-2 4-2 (60.19)
Ht.2 D.Hume,J.Jenkins,A.Rowe,R.Kinsley,4-2 8-4 (60.91)
Ht.3 S.Worrall,L.Kerr,J.Allen,B.Cook,3-3 11-7 (60.53)
Ht.4 D.King,M.Palm-Toft,D.Hume,J.Jenkins,4-2 15-9 (60.69)
Ht.5 S.Worrall,C.Wright,B.Cook,J.Sarjeant,4-2 19-11 (59.72)
Ht.6 B.Basso,R.Schlein,M.Palm-Toft,R.Kinsley,5-1 24-12 (61.25)
Ht.7 L.Kerr,D.King,J.Allen,A.Rowe,2-4 26-16 (60.62)
Ht.8 J.Jenkins,J.Sarjeant,D.Hume,B.Basso (Disqualified),1-5 27-21 (61.25)
Ht.9 S.Worrall,M.Palm-Toft,L.Kerr,B.Cook,3-3 30-24 (60.71)
Ht.10 R.Schlein,J.Allen,L.Kerr,D.Hume,3-3 33-27 (60.71)
Ht.11 D.King,A.Rowe,C.Wright,J.Sarjeant,5-1 38-28 (61.56)
Ht.12 S.Worrall,J.Allen,D.Hume,R.Kinsley,4-2 42-30 (60.88)
Ht.13 D.King,R.Schlein,M.Palm-Toft,C.Wright,5-1 47-31 (60.22)
Ht.14 L.Kerr,J.Jenkins,B.Cook,A.Rowe,1-5 48-36 (61.04)
Ht.15 D.King,L.Kerr,S.Worrall,J.Jenkins,4-2 52-38 (61)
SCB Referee Simon Humphrey-Kennett
POOLE win toss and defer to heat 15. REDCAR  take gates 1&3 in heat 1 POOLE take gates 2&4 in heat 15

Rider of the Night: Danny King

Photos copyright and courtesy of Anthony Burchell