COVENTRY 47 PIRATES 43

Pirates again became the victim of a last heat decider at Coventry that sent them packing with just the single conciliatory point where they would have hoped for more.

Having established an early advantage due largely to guest Ellis Perks' resolve in heat 2 to overcome Bees' guest David Bellego and support Bjarne Pedersen's reserve heat win, the Pirates biggest hurdle early on was that of the fast-looking Josh Bates.

Poole claimed the first three race winners before Bates blasted to a victory in heat 4, but again the efforts of Perks were invaluable as he held off Adam Roynon who was replacing James Sarjeant, ruled out with a hand injury.

Pedersen restored the early Poole dominance in heat 5 but then Bates and British Champion Danny King sprung something of a surprise 5-1 over Chris Holder and the much out-of-sorts Poole skipper Hans Andersen to bring parity to the meeting.

The Bees' top two then fired the home side ahead at the expense of Buczkowski and Brady Kurtz and matters began to cloud over a little when Bjarne Pedersen' felonious approach to the tapes infringed rule Article 5.4.4 of the Regulations by journeying across the infield. With such a rule uppermost in the mind of the referee due to the regulation clarification issued earlier in the day that this constitutes a starting offence a 15 metre handicap was imposed on the Dane.

Partner Ellis responded with a sharp gate and to lower Bates' colours at last and Pedersen rode with some determination to recover the ground lost to Roynon. When the Poole reserve linked up with Brady Kurtz in the very next heat the Poole recovery, well the first one, was complete as they stormed to a convincing 5-1 to move into a slender two point lead.

Chris Holder, becoming something of a Lone Pirate expert, after Adam Ellis had taken an awkward first bend tumble, did the business well in heat 10 to hold out Harris and King thus protecting Poole's advantage but Kasprzak won the battle of the Krzysztofs in heat 11 to set up a match levelling 4-2 with Andersen's nightmare meeting continuing.

Again Poole edged ahead through the Pedersen Perks pairing, the youngster having quickly found a way by Bellego really turned the screw on Roynon  but could not quite get into a position to join leader Pedersen.

There was a Danish switch in heat 13 with Andersen replaced by Bjarne but he couldn't prevent being passed by Harris moments after Kasprzak had gone by early leader Holder thus turning a Poole minor heat advantage into a Coventry gain and an all-square score-line.

Quite how both Pirates were able to stay aboard in a tight first arc heat 14 was startling but they did and they came out occupying point scoring positions behind leader King and when Bates fell on the third lap the result was justly awarded and Poole knew they would be going home with at least a point. But that could have been 2 points or 3 points at that stage with heat 15 up for grabs and it took a piece of good team awareness by Kasprzak to hold up proceedings around the first turn to allow partner King to have the run and close out any efforts from either Holder and Pedersen and succumb Poole to a 43-47 defeat.

COVENTRY 47
K. Kasprzak 2,3,3,3,2'=13+1
B. Barker 1',2,1,1=5+1
D. King 1',2',1',3,3=10+3
J. Bates 3,3,2,FD=8
C. Harris 2,2',2,1=7+1
D. Bellego 0,0,0,0=0
A. Roynon 2,0,0,2=4
POOLE 43
C. Holder 3,0,3,2,0=8
A. Ellis 0,1,3,FD=4
K. Buczkowski 3,1,2,2=8
B. Kurtz 2,0,3,1'=6+1
H. Andersen 0,1,0=1
B. Pedersen 3,3,1,2',3,0,1=13+1
E. Perks 1,1',1=3+1

Ht 1 C. Holder K. Kasprzak B. Barker A. Ellis 3-3 (3-3) (61.2)
Ht 2 B. Pedersen A. Roynon E. Perks D. Bellego 2-4 (5-7) (61)
Ht 3 K. Buczkowski C. Harris D. King H. Andersen 3-3 (8-10) (60)
Ht 4 J. Bates B. Kurtz E. Perks A. Roynon 3-3 (11-13) (59.4)
Ht 5 B. Pedersen B. Barker A. Ellis D. Bellego 2-4 (13-17) (62.1)
Ht 6 J. Bates D. King H. Andersen C. Holder 5-1 (18-18) (59.7)
Ht 7 K. Kasprzak C. Harris K. Buczkowski B. Kurtz 5-1 (23-19) (60.1)
Ht 8 A. Ellis J. Bates B. Pedersen (2min 15m hcap) A. Roynon 2-4 (25-23) (59.9)
Ht 9 B. Kurtz B. Pedersen B. Barker D. Bellego 1-5 (26-28) (59.9)
Ht 10 C. Holder C. Harris D. King A. Ellis (Fell d/q) 3-3 (29-31) (60.6)
Ht 11 K. Kasprzak K. Buczkowski B. Barker H. Andersen 4-2 (33-33) (61.2)
Ht 12 B. Pedersen A. Roynon E. Perks D. Bellego 2-4 (35-37) (61.8)
Ht 13 K. Kasprzak C. Holder C. Harris B. Pedersen 4-2 (39-39) (60.5)
Ht 14 D. King K. Buczkowski B. Kurtz J. Bates (Fell d/q) 3-3 (42-42) (Awd)
Ht 15 D. King K. Kasprzak B. Pedersen C. Holder 5-1 (47-43) (60.4)

Referee Jim Lawrence
Gates: Poole win toss and take 1&3. Coventry chose 2&4 in heat 15