COVENTRY 43 PIRATES 47

Poole overcame the disappointment of the late withdrawal of number one Chris Holder to claim a 103-77 aggregate victory over Coventry to win the Elite Shield for the third successive season.

Holder had to sit out the meeting due to a bout of illness despite making the trip to the Midlands but he saw his team-mates put up a resilient performance to not only to protect their 22 point advantage from the first leg but extend their aggregate winning margin with a victory on the night.

When Holder's opposite number Krzysztof Kasprzak, who had missed the opening leg due to a shoulder injury,  stepped up to win the opening heat with Jason Garrity in support it looked as though the Pirates would have their work cut out. Kasprzak was to go through the remainder of his programmed rides unbeaten, dropping his only points in the crucial heat 15.

After a self-confessed disappointing personal first leg Poole skipper Dave Watt became the Pirates first race winner on the night with a victory over his counterpart Chris Harris in heat 3 and with Krzysztof Buczkowski supporting in third the visitors trimmed back the Bees early lead to just two points.

A disqualification for Hans Andersen in heat 4 left Poole a little exposed and Bates and Woryna responded with maximum points but Poole's response was instantaneous after Garrity's heat 5 controversial disqualification. The scores on the night were level after 6 heats once Buczkowski and Kurtz combined for a 4-2 but Coventry came aain through Kasprzak and Harris to re-open the advantage in heat 7.

That was countered by Kurtz and Ellis in heat 8 and still Poole had kept their opening leg advantage very much intact. With heats rapidly running out the destiny of the Shield was looking increasingly likely to be Dorset again and that was confirmed when Andersen and Newman fired in a 5-1 in heat 9 and the next two heats were shared equally.

A heat 13 5-1 from Kasprzak and Harris swung the second leg back in Coventry's favour but Poole were far from finished and with Andersen and Watt banking a 4-2 advantage to level again on the night the meeting took it's final twist when Buczkowski made the running in heat 15 and Andersen steadfastly defied every attempt the unbeaten Kasprzak made behind him.

Coventry 43
K. Kasprzak 3,3,3,3,1=13
J. Garrity 2',FD,1,0=3+1
D. King 0,0,0,2=2
K. Woryna 2',2,1,0=5+1
C. Harris 2,2',3,2',0=9+2
J. Sarjeant 0,1,0,3=4
J. Bates 3,3,0,1=7
Poole 47
R. Replacement =0
B. Kurtz 1,2',1,3,1'=8+2
D. Watt 3,0,2,R,1=6
H. Andersen FD,1,3,2,3,2'=11+1
K. Buczkowski 0,1,3,1',1,3=9+1
A. Ellis 1',3,2',0=6+2
K. Newman 2,1,2',2=7+1

Ht 1 K. Kasprzak J. Garrity B. Kurtz K. Buczkowski 5-1 (5-1) (60.05)
Ht 2 J. Bates K. Newman A. Ellis J. Sarjeant 3-3 (8-4) (61)
Ht 3 D. Watt C. Harris K. Buczkowski D. King 2-4 (10-8) (60)
Ht 4 J. Bates K. Woryna K. Newman H. Andersen (Fell d/q) 5-1 (15-9) (62.4)
Ht 5 A. Ellis B. Kurtz J. Sarjeant J. Garrity (Fell d/q) 1-5 (16-14) (61.3)
Ht 6 K. Buczkowski K. Woryna B. Kurtz D. King 2-4 (18-18) (61.08)
Ht 7 K. Kasprzak C. Harris H. Andersen D. Watt 5-1 (23-19) (61.7)
Ht 8 B. Kurtz A. Ellis K. Woryna J. Bates 1-5 (24-24) (62.9)
Ht 9 H. Andersen K. Newman J. Garrity J. Sarjeant 1-5 (25-29) (63.5)
Ht 10 C. Harris H. Andersen B. Kurtz D. King 3-3 (28-32) (62.4)
Ht 11 K. Kasprzak D. Watt K. Buczkowski J. Garrity 3-3 (31-35) (62.5)
Ht 12 J. Sarjeant K. Newman J. Bates A. Ellis 4-2 (35-37) (64.0)
Ht 13 K. Kasprzak C. Harris K. Buczkowski D. Watt (Rtd) 5-1 (40-38) (63)
Ht 14 H. Andersen D. King D. Watt K. Woryna 2-4 (42-42) (63.6)
Ht 15 K. Buczkowski H. Andersen K. Kasprzak C. Harris 1-5 (43-47) (62.2)

Referee Dave Watters
Gates:  Poole win toss and took gates 1&3. Coventry 1&3 in heat 15