EASTBOURNE 45 POOLE 45

Poole Coastal Aluminium Pirates consolidatded their third place standing in the Elite league by picking up 2 away points for a draw against Sussex rivals Eastbourne.

The reward, the fourth successive journey this season from which the Pirates have returned to Dorset with some bounty, was just desserts for a battling Poole outfit that did have cause to believe that victory could have been theirs on the night had it not been for some harsh decisions going against them.

with Matt Ford warning Poole fans not to expect too much from Arlington debutant Vaclav Milik, even he looked on in astonishment as the Czech rider cleverly negotiated the tricky circuit in heat 5 to record a 5-1 with Przemyslaw Pawlicki that gave the Pirates an early six point lead.

Hopes of building on that start were dealt a blow when skipper Darcy Ward was left little room in the first turn of heat 6 and crashed out, earning a tough disqualification from the re-run as Eastbourne began to redress the balance. Although a second place from Milik allowed Poole to maintain a slender advantage after 7 heats, a passing move by Ben Hopwood on his rival reserve Dan Halsey was adjudged to be unfair and the luckless Hopwood was disqualified, which caused added frustration for the Poole camp as partner Newman had just executed a great move to take up the running.

Poole annoyed by that decision were further incensed two heats later when the referee called heat 10 back because the excessive use of elbows fending for first turn supremacy were deemed unfair, even though the main protagonists were the home riders and the Poole Polestars  - Pawlicki and Janowski came out on top. The re-start went in favour of Eastbourne with a 4-2 as they doubled their lead to 4 points.

Battling Milik overcooked the turn in heat 11 so had to sit out that rerun but skipper Ward was far too dominant to risk Poole losing any further ground.

Eastbourne, through a flying Blackbird start with Lahti in tow turned the screws with just three heats remaining, but then Ward  perfectly orchestrated a first turn move with Janowski to deliver the first of two crucial 5-1's.
An excellent winning ride form Milik in heat 14 followed, which could well have ended in a Pirates advantage for reserve Kyle Newman had ridden an excellent race only to be outdone in the final turns by the battling Cameron Woodward.

Ward switched Polish partners for the finale and he and Pawlicki proved to be far too hot for Woodward and Lahti in that final encounter and with Poole claiming their second 5-1 in the space of three heats the meeting finished all square,

EASTBOURNE 45
B. Pedersen 0,1,3,1=5
T. Lahti 3,3,1,2',0=9+1
J. Kylmakorpi 2,2',0,1'=5+2
C. Woodward 2,3,3,1',1=10+1
M. Michelsen 0,0,2,0=2
L. Blackbird 3,0,3,3,2=11
D. Halsey 1,1,1=3
POOLE 45
D. Ward 1',FDq,3,2',3=9+2
J. Grajczonek 2,3,2,1=8
P. Pawlicki 3,2',1',2,2'=10+3
V. Milik 3,2,FDq,3=8
M. Janowski 1,1,0,3=5
B. Hopwood 0,0,Dq=0
K. Newman 2,1,2,0,0=5

Ht 1 T. Lahti J. Grajczonek D. Ward B. Pedersen 3-3 (3-3) (56.7)
Ht 2 L. Blackbird K. Newman D. Halsey B. Hopwood 4-2 (7-5) (58.8)
Ht 3 P. Pawlicki J. Kylmakorpi M. Janowski M. Michelsen 2-4 (9-9) (57.8)
Ht 4 J. Grajczonek C. Woodward K. Newman L. Blackbird 2-4 (11-13) (57.7)
Ht 5 V. Milik P. Pawlicki B. Pedersen M. Michelsen 1-5 (12-18) (57.3)
Ht 6 C. Woodward J. Kylmakorpi M. Janowski D. Ward (Fell d/q) 5-1 (17-19) (57.2)
Ht 7 T. Lahti V. Milik D. Halsey B. Hopwood 4-2 (21-21) (57.7)
Ht 8 C. Woodward J. Grajczonek P. Pawlicki J. Kylmakorpi 3-3 (24-24) (57.6)
Ht 9 L. Blackbird K. Newman D. Halsey B. Hopwood(D/Q) 4-2 (28-26) (58.4)
Ht 10 B. Pedersen P. Pawlicki T. Lahti M. Janowski 4-2 (32-28) ()
Ht 11 D. Ward M. Michelsen J. Kylmakorpi V. Milik (Fell d/q) 3-3 (35-31) (57.7)
Ht 12 L. Blackbird T. Lahti J. Grajczonek K. Newman 5-1 (40-32) (58.7)
Ht 13 M. Janowski D. Ward B. Pedersen M. Michelsen 1-5 (41-37) (57.9)
Ht 14 V. Milik L. Blackbird C. Woodward K. Newman 3-3 (44-40) (58.6)
Ht 15 D. Ward P. Pawlicki C. Woodward T. Lahti 1-5 (45-45) (58.4)

Referee Dan Holt
Gates: Eastbourne win toss choose 1&3 in heat 15. Poole take 1&3 in heat one