LAHTI JOINS THE PIRATES' PARTY

On the eve of his 25th birthday Finnish rider Timo Lahti has been confirmed as the latest Pirates' recruit as a replacement for Nicolai Klindt, who has taken the tough decision to sit out the remainder of the season.

Announcing Lahti, who last rode in the UK for Eastbourne in 2014, Poole boss Matt Ford revealed "Nicolai had a discussion with his partner and they came to the conclusion that it would be better for him to try and recover properly rather than to risk further damage, a decision that I certainly can concur with."

"I assured Nicolai that the door remains open for him to ride in Poole colours again because I have been impressed with his attitude and I can honestly say it has been an absolute pleasure to deal with him. It was a long time coming for him to become a Poole rider in the first place and he produced a number of good performances for us before the injury to fully justify his inclusion and I wouldn't hesitate to have him back in the future."

"It would be foolhardy to think that we could have covered rider replacement for him and so I made contact again with Timo, whom I had spoken to previously and I am glad to say that he agreed to return to the UK. In 2014 he attained a 5.45 average with Eastbourne and I feel that he will be able to slot into the side and offer us a bit more depth than the rider replacement would have done.  We have a busy racing period ahead and have our sights on those all-important play-offs, although we need to be far more consistent that we have been."

Lahti will make his debut on Monday (17th July) when the VOLVO CARS POOLE PIRATES visit second-placed Wolverhampton in the SGB Premiership where their record of yielding an away point in each of the travel fixtures so far this season will be tested to the hilt.

Poole's revised 1-7 Declaration:-

Krzysztof Kasprzak 9.23

Hans Andersen 8.31

Richie Worrall 7.26

Jack Holder 6.11

Timo Lahti 5.45

Paul Starke 4.83

James Shanes 2.35