Poole Pirates v Belle Vue Aces

The No.1 Carpet Cleaning Pirates opened the club's home defence of the league title with a morale boosting win over Manchester outfit Belle Vue.

Putting the disappointment of Good Friday behind them, the Pirates were given the perfect start through Richie Worrall and Jack Holder pairing up for maximum points, a score that reserves Nico Covatti and Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen repeated in heat two.

Poole pushed the margin between the two sides into double figures when Brady Kurtz collected the first of what was to be four race victories, with Busk Jakobsen providing a supporting third place in heat 4.

The Aces' big hitters, Max Fricke and Kenneth Bjerre took respective wins  in heat five and six but Kurtz saw off Bewley, winner of heat 3, when they met in the seventh. That produced the third straight shared heat as the visitors were able to keep the hosts in check, but Worrall and Busk Jakobsen combined in heat 8 to restore a 10 point lead for the Pirates at the midway stage of the meeting, Busk Jakobsen cleverly picking off both his rivals on the fourth bend of the opening lap.

The visitors produced the tactical card in heat 9 but Klindt staved off the rider introduced, Max Fricke, but couldn't contain Bjerre as the Aces notched up their first heat advantage. The impressive Richie Worrall suffered the same fate as his brother, Steve, had in the opener, when he packed up during heat 10 but Holder's first outright Wimborne Road win of the season ensured no ground was lost by Poole.

Kurtz and Covatti failed to do the same in heat 11 as Fricke's win supported by Lidsey, a reserve replacement for Steve Worrall, again allowed Belle Vue to chip at the deficit, but the Pirates' Danish duo of Klindt and Jakobsen, bolstered by a superb piece of riding by the former, claimed a 4-2 with Bewley the surprise back marker, Garcia guesting delivering the Aces points in heat 12.

Poole finished powerfully, dropping just two points across the final three heats. Kurtz powered round the pit turn in heat 13 to see off Fricke who headed home Holder and then Kurtz completed a good night's work again beating Fricke who finished ahead of the reliable Klindt.

POOLE 55
J.Holder 2',1',3,1=7+2
R.Worrall 3,2,3,R=8
N.Klindt 2,2,2,3,1=10
J.Grajczonek 1',1',0,2'=4+3
B.Kurtz 3,3,2,3,3=14
N.Covatti 3,0,0=3
N.Busk Jakobsen 2',1,2',1,3=9+2

BELLE VUE 35
M.Fricke 1,3,1,3,2,2=12
S.Worrall R,0,1=1
D.Bewley 3,2,1',0,0=6+1
R.Wells 0,1',2,1=4+1
K.Bjerre 2,3,3,0=8
F.Coty Garcia 0,0,2=2
J.Lidsey 1,0,R,1,0=2

Ht 1:  R.Worrall,  J.Holder,  M.Fricke,  S.Worrall  (Rtd) 5-1  5-1 |59.62]
Ht 2:  N.Covatti,  N.Busk Jakobsen,  J.Lidsey,  F.Coty Garcia 5-1  10-2 [60.38]
Ht 3:  D.Bewley,  N.Klindt,  J.Grajczonek,  R.Wells 3-3  13-5 [59.97]
Ht 4:  B.Kurtz,  K.Bjerre,  N.Busk Jakobsen,  J.Lidsey 4-2  17-7 [60.72]
Ht 5:  M.Fricke,  N.Klindt,  J.Grajczonek,  S.Worrall 3-3  20-10 [60.31]
Ht 6:  K.Bjerre,  R.Worrall,  J.Holder,  F.Coty Garcia 3-3  23-13 [60.9]
Ht 7:  B.Kurtz,  D.Bewley,  R.Wells,  N.Covatti 3-3  26-16 [60.25]
Ht 8:  R.Worrall,  N.Busk Jakobsen,  S.Worrall,  J.Lidsey  (Rtd) 5-1 31-17 [61.81]
Ht 9:  K.Bjerre,  N.Klindt,  M.Fricke  (TS),  J.Grajczonek 2-4  33-21 [61.25]
Ht 10:  J.Holder,  R.Wells,  D.Bewley,  R.Worrall  (Rtd) 3-3  36-24 [61.78]
Ht 11:  M.Fricke,  B.Kurtz,  J.Lidsey,  N.Covatti 2-4  38-28 [61.63]
Ht 12:  N.Klindt,  F.Coty Garcia,  N.Busk Jakobsen,  D.Bewley 4-2  42-30 [62]
Ht 13:  B.Kurtz,  M.Fricke,  J.Holder,  K.Bjerre 4-2  46-32 [61]
Ht 14:  N.Busk Jakobsen,  J.Grajczonek,  R.Wells,  J.Lidsey 5-1  51-33 [62.25]
Ht 15:  B.Kurtz,  M.Fricke,  N.Klindt,  D.Bewley 4-2  55-35 [61.87]
Gates: BELLE VUE won toss and chose gates 1&3 | POOLE took gates 1&3 in heat 15
Referee Christina Turnbull
League Points POOLE 3 BELLE VUE 0

Rider of the Night: Nicolai Klindt

Southern & Midland Development League

Weymouth 'Damers Blinds' Wildcats 18
1. Jacob Clouting R,3,3 = 6
2. Sam Peters 1,R,1 = 2
3. Cesca Kirtley-Paine 1,0,0 = 1
4. James Laker 3,3,3 =9

Milton Keynes Knights 18
1. Luke Muff 3,2,2 = 7
2. Craig Osborne 2',1',0 = 3+2
3. James Spencer 2,1',1' = 4+2
4. George Beall 0,2,2 = 4

1. L.Muff, C.Osborne, S.Peters,J.Clouting (rtd) 1-5 1-5 [72.0]
2. J.Laker, J.Spencer, C.Kirtley-Paine, G.Beall 4-2 5-7 [70.63]
3. J.Clouting, G.Beall, J.Spencer, S.Peters (rtd) 3-3 8-10 [69.88]
4. J.Laker, L.Muff, C.Osborne, C.Kirtley-Paine 3-3 11-13 [70.50]
5. J.Laker, G.Beall, S.Peters, C.Osborne 4-2 15-15 [70.75]
6. J.Clouting, L.Muff, J.Spencer, C.Kirtley-Paine 3-3 18-18 [68.25]

pictures courtesy of Tony Hartmann