RESULT: COVENTRY 34 POOLE 37

The Elite League Play-off Grand Final 1st leg was abandoned due to rain after 12 heats at Coventry with Poole leading 37 points to 34 and with the result standing it means the Pirates will have a 3 point lead going into Monday night's second and concluding leg.

With the meeting starting in the dry, rain began to fall midway through the meeting just as the Pirates were able to edge into the lead afte Coventry opened with a 4-2 advantage.

Poole were able to contain the Bees with Kyle Newman winning heat 2 in style and then Przemyslaw Pawlicki able to get the better of Ben Barker, returning from a lengthy lay-off, for a valuable heat sharing point in race 3. Guest Danny King did all the work from the tapes in heat 4 and with Newman in close tough the Pirates looked as though they might turn the deficit around but Kenneth Hansen had other ideas, closed down and passed Newman as the scores levelled at 12 a piece.

Although the first 5-1 of the night went the way of the Bees through Andersen and Harris in heat 5 the Pirates instantly hit back through Janowski and Pawlicki in the 6th heat.  Controversy reigned in heat 7 when Milik went down whilst chasing James Sarjeant and on video playback evidence referee Peter Clarke ruled that there had been contact made by Sarjeant moving into the chasing Czech and subsequently disqualified the Bees' rider. The Pirates though failed to take full advantage as Williamson fell in the re-run and Howarth held off the interests of Milik for a 3-2 heat score and a lead of one point.

An excellent ride by Pawlicki to seize on a Hansen error and a battling gutsy ride by Bees' Barker to outwit his former Birmingham team-mate Danny King for a point retained that slender advantage for the hosts and when Jason Garritty passed Kyle Newman in a twice re-run heat 9 the Bees looked ready to romp away.

A third to first Pawlicki venture aided by a Janowski third place reeled the Bees back in and then in worsening conditions Milik nipped out to win heat 10 at a canter with Batchelor contributing well in third place. Now leading by one point themselves the Pirates saw Newman take the win in heat 12 and King ride a determined effort to get by and hold off Garritty thus establishing a three point lead as the meeting stewards then announced the abandonment of the meeting due to track conditions.

COVENTRY 34
H. Andersen 1,2',0=3+1
K. Howarth 3,3,2,2=10
B. Barker 0,0,1',0=1+1
K. Hansen 2,1,2=5
C. Harris 3,3,2=8
J. Garritty 2,0,3,0=5
J. Sarjeant 1',Dq,1=2+1
POOLE 37
T. Batchelor 2,2',1=5+1
D. King 0,3,0,1=4
P. Pawlicki 1',1,3,3=8+1
V. Milik 0,2,3=5
M. Janowski 2,3,1=6
M. Williamson 0,F,0=0
K. Newman 3,1,2,3=9

Ht 1 K. Howarth T. Batchelor H. Andersen D. King 4-2 (4-2)
Ht 2 K. Newman J. Garritty J. Sarjeant M. Williamson 3-3 (7-5)
Ht 3 C. Harris M. Janowski P. Pawlicki B. Barker 3-3 (10-8)
Ht 4 D. King K. Hansen K. Newman J. Garritty 2-4 (12-12)
Ht 5 C. Harris H. Andersen P. Pawlicki V. Milik 5-1 (17-13)
Ht 6 M. Janowski T. Batchelor K. Hansen B. Barker 1-5 (18-18)
Ht 7 K. Howarth V. Milik M. Williamson (Fell) J. Sarjeant(D/Q) 3-2 (21-20)
Ht 8 P. Pawlicki K. Hansen B. Barker D. King 3-3 (24-23)
Ht 9 J. Garritty K. Newman J. Sarjeant M. Williamson 4-2 (28-25)
Ht 10 P. Pawlicki K. Howarth M. Janowski H. Andersen 2-4 (30-29)
Ht 11 V. Milik C. Harris T. Batchelor B. Barker 2-4 (32-33)
Ht 12 K. Newman K. Howarth D. King J. Garritty 2-4 (34-37)
MEETING ABANDONED - RESULT STANDS
Referee: Peter Clarke
Coventry win the toss, and take gates 1 and 3