KING'S LYNN 44 POOLE 45

Poole took the advantage, albeit the narrowest possible, from this first leg semi-final in a meeting that pitched two well balanced sides against each other.

Both fielding guest rides, a consequence of a dramatic final few weeks of the campaign, the biggest threat came from the weather as heavy afternoon rain forced an hour's delay to the meeting and once underway there was little to choose between the two sides.
Poole's guest duo settled in for a share of the points behind Kenneth Bjerre in the opening heat and then Kyle Newman showed his Fast Track class by commanding heat 2. Rory Schlein won the first clash of the captains but with Milik nestling in for third place clear of Lynn's guest Scott Nicholls the pattern of the meeting was being formed.

Two fast traps from Cook and Newman gave the Pirates the upper hand in heat 4 but the big guns of Bjerre and Schlein countered in heat 5 against a struggling Pawlicki and Milik, who was caught out off the difficult gate 2, and so a third of the way in the scores were all square

Janowski though shed the fears of gate 2 and made heat 6 his with a powerful first turn, but had no support from King. Team Lambert struck a blow in heat 7, Simon, the reserve, just getting the verdict of the younger Robert with Pawlicki and Compton little more than spectators after the first 100 yards.

A good ride from Nicholls enabled the hosts to protect that four point advantage but they had no answers to Newman's authority in heat 9 after Compton's disqualification for falling, so were unable to build on it which allowed Milik and Janowski to combine perfectly in heat 10 to re-level the scores.

Poole looked set to surge ahead when King and Pawlicki were out in front in the 11th heat but an excellent split by Nicholls seemed to be the best the Stars could hope for until Pawlicki hit trouble late on and so again there was nothing to split the two sides.

Newman missed the gate in heat 12 and was attacking the first turn when he went down, but quickly cleared the track. A lap later Kerr made an error in a similar position and on came the stop lights. Cook gated fast in the match race re-run but Lambert applied massive pressure late with Cook holding on to inch Poole ahead by a single point, and that was how the meeting was to stay after the final three heats went the same way as the opening triple, giving Poole a 45-44 triumph.

KING'S LYNN 44
K. Bjerre 3,3,1,2,0=9
R. Lambert 0,2',0,2=4+1
S. Nicholls 0,1',3,2=6+1
N. Porsing 0,2,0,3=5
R. Schlein 3,2',1',1',3=10+3
L. Kerr 2,1,2,FD=5
S. Lambert 1',3,1',0=5+2
POOLE 45
D. King 2,0,3,0=5
C. Cook 1',3,1',3=8+2
V. Milik 1',0,2,3,1'=7+2
P. Pawlicki 1,1,R,2=4
M. Janowski 2,3,2',3,2=12+1
B. Compton 0,0,FD=0
K. Newman 3,2',3,Dq,1'=9+2

Ht 1 K. Bjerre D. King C. Cook R. Lambert 3-3 (3-3) ()
Ht 2 K. Newman L. Kerr S. Lambert B. Compton 3-3 (6-6) ()
Ht 3 R. Schlein M. Janowski V. Milik S. Nicholls 3-3 (9-9) ()
Ht 4 C. Cook K. Newman L. Kerr N. Porsing 1-5 (10-14) ()
Ht 5 K. Bjerre R. Schlein P. Pawlicki V. Milik 5-1 (15-15) ()
Ht 6 M. Janowski N. Porsing S. Nicholls D. King 3-3 (18-18) ()
Ht 7 S. Lambert R. Lambert P. Pawlicki B. Compton 5-1 (23-19) ()
Ht 8 S. Nicholls V. Milik C. Cook N. Porsing 3-3 (26-22) ()
Ht 9 K. Newman L. Kerr S. Lambert B. Compton (Fell d/q) 3-3 (29-25) ()
Ht 10 V. Milik M. Janowski K. Bjerre R. Lambert 1-5 (30-30) ()
Ht 11 D. King S. Nicholls R. Schlein P. Pawlicki (Fell) 3-3 (33-33) ()
Ht 12 C. Cook R. Lambert L. Kerr (Fell d/q) K. Newman(D/Q) 2-3 (35-36) ()
Ht 13 M. Janowski K. Bjerre R. Schlein D. King 3-3 (38-39) ()
Ht 14 N. Porsing P. Pawlicki K. Newman S. Lambert 3-3 (41-42) ()
Ht 15 R. Schlein M. Janowski V. Milik K. Bjerre 3-3 (44-45) ()

Referee Mr Graham Flint
Gates: Poole won the toss and took 1&3 in heat 1. King's Lynn chose 2&4 in heat 15