IT HAPPENED THIS WEEK......2014

Billed as the clash of the last two world champions - Tai Woffinden (2013) v Chris Holder (2012)  - the Pirates' Bank Holiday trek to Wolverhampton on May 5th 2014  happened to be a showpiece by the Pawlicki brothers  as the meeting rose to a grandstand finish.

Wolves' Piotr took the chequered the flag in heat as the home side looked set to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat but Pirates' Przemyslaw hadn't read the script and superbly found a way by Woffinden to split the Wolverhampton pairing as the meeting ended all square.

Poole recovered from a heat 2 5-1 reversal to go ahead after 10 heats, 'Shamek' being joined by 'Magic' (Janowski) to put a 5-1 over Woffinden and Thorssell.

Wolves' top two, Woffinden and Pawlicki pleased the home fans in heat 13 when finishing ahead of Holder and Janowski to go two up at 40-38, but Josh Grajczonek and Charles Wright silenced the crowd (apart from those that had made the journey up from the south coast) with maximum points over Proctor and Jacobs to give Poole the advantage heading into the heat 15 showdown.

With the Wolves going, not unsurprisingly, with their heat 13 heroes, their hopes of victory were heightened as they left the tapes the better of the two sets of riders. It might have been Piotr who was celebrating the race win but it was certainly Shamek the happier of the two brothers having salvaged the draw for his side.

Scorers:

WOLVERHAMPTON 45: Piotr Pawlicki 11+1, Tai Woffinden 8+2, Joe Jacobs 8+2, Ricky Wells 6, Ty Proctor 5+2, Jacob Thorssell 5, Ashley Morris 2+1.

POOLE 45: Przemyslaw Pawlick 12, Charles Wright 7+2, Chris Holder 7, Maciej Janowski 6+2, Vaclav Milik 6, Josh Grajczonek 6, Luke Crang 1+1.