RESULT: COVENTRY 22 PIRATES 36

Poole Ready Power Pirates moved to within three points of Coventry with two matches in hand as for the second time this season they yielded four league points at the home of the league leaders.

The win was shrouded in controversy as the Bees management refused to send out any representatives for heat 10, claiming that the rain, which had been falling throughout the meeting was causing the track to be unsatisfactory

The Aussie pair of Chris Holder and Dave Watt ventured round for four laps to bank Poole's second 5-0 of the meeting and move into a 36-22 lead and the meeting result was called immediately. Poole boss Neil Middleditch said afterwards, "You can only race what is put in front of you and they chose not to send anyone out in heat 10. That was their choice, I just kept my boys focussed on the job in hand. For sure the conditions deteriorated throughout the evening but the decsion was made to take it through to heat 10 and so that's what we did."

Watt had been involved in a similar heat score in race 8, this time, along with Paul Starke who went unbeaten in his three rides, when Jason Garritty had fallen around the first turn and was disqualified. The Poole duo had life made easier as Danny King was already serving a 15 metre handicap for failing to make the time allowance first time of asking due to machine problems and then failed to find any power away from his distant starting point. That result put Poole into a 9 point lead and the first calls for the meeting to be halted came when Garritty lost control at the first turn of heat 9 and took down team-mate Stuart Robson and Poole's Kyle Newman.
Newman suffered the brunt of the impact but was able to get to his feet after a few anxious moments being checked by the medical team and immediately came out to win by some margin.
With the declaration point of a meeting being 10 heats the meeting steward, Peter Clarke, was keen to get that tenth heat completed and by not sending out any riders the Bees lost the opportunity to restrict the Pirates to the four league points.

COVENTRY 22
H. Andersen 2,0=2
S. Robson 1',0,2=3+1
J. Kylmakorpi 3,3,0=6
D. King 3,1,0=4
C. Harris 2',3,0=5+1
J. Garritty 1,1,FD,Dq=2
J. Sarjeant 0,0=0
POOLE 36
C Holder  3,0,3=6
D Watt  0,3,3,2'=8+1
D. North 1,2=3
K. Gomolski 2,1',1=4+1
M. Janowski R,2=2
P. Starke 2',2',2'=6+3
K. Newman 3,1',3=7+1

Ht 1 C Holder H. Andersen S. Robson D Watt 3-3 (3-3) (62.6)
Ht 2 K. Newman P. Starke J. Garritty(tapes 15m hcap) J. Sarjeant 1-5 (4-8) (65.1)
Ht 3 J. Kylmakorpi C. Harris D. North M. Janowski (Rtd) 5-1 (9-9) (62.8)
Ht 4 D. King K. Gomolski K. Newman J. Sarjeant 3-3 (12-12) (63.4)
Ht 5  D Watt  P. Starke J. Garritty S. Robson 1-5 (13-17) (65)
Ht 6 J. Kylmakorpi M. Janowski D. King C Holder 4-2 (17-19) (63.4)
Ht 7 C. Harris D. North K. Gomolski H. Andersen 3-3 (20-22) (65)
Ht 8  D Watt  P. Starke D. King J. Garritty (Fell d/q) 0-5 (20-27) (67.1)
Ht 9 K. Newman S. Robson K. Gomolski J. Garritty(D/Q) 2-4 (22-31) (66.4)
Ht 10 C Holder D. Watt  J. Kylmakorpi C. Harris 0-5 (22-36) (66.3)

Referee Christine Turnbull
Gates: Coventry won the toss and chose 1&3.
COVENTRY 0 league points POOLE 4 league points