Aussie Pair Complete The Pirates

Two Australians will be making their British debuts when they complete the 2020 Pirates team, with Zane Keleher and Ben Cook making the trip across from the Southern Hemisphere. 
 

Keleher, 26, who hails from Queensland claimed two State Runners-up finishes this winter, finishing behind the experienced Justin Sedgmen in the November-held Victorian Championship and then stood on the equivalent rostrum step in the South Australian championships, a title won by British sensation Dan Bewley. Zane admitted that he felt immense pride by being the highest finishing Aussie in the meeting. He gained a place in the Australian National championship but a crash in the third heat of the Aldbury round (which became the first of the four rounds after Kurri Kurri was abandoned and not restaged), forced him to sit out the remainder of the championships with a head injury. 

22 year-old Cook is from New South Wales, a breeding ground for Poole stars in the past, and he celebrated a 5th place in the FIM Oceania Championship finishing behind Jack Holder, Jaimon Lidsey, Bewley and Jordan Stewart in November. Ben also rode the four rounds of the National Championship accumulating 19 points for a 13th place finish.

Announcing their inclusion in the Pirates team Matt Ford said "I would like to put on record my gratitude to Rod Colquhoun who has very much helped us in setting up these deals. We know from past experience that Australians proudly wear the skull and crossbones. Furthermore, if you look back to the end of the '80's we always seemed to have an abundance of Aussies - Tony Langdon, Craig Boyce, Steve Langdon, Leigh Adams and Rod himself - that generated a 'feel-good' factor back at the club after a decade of falling crowds, and I just feel that now the time is right to bring in a some more assets as we look to rebuild the Poole experience once again.
in Zane and Ben I feel sure that we have discovered a couple of real good finds. I have read nothing but good things about Zane, who has come to the sport  perhaps a little later than some, for he only embarked on a speedway career in 2016 having ridden the motocross discipline previously. But that is no handicap for him, after all it is the same route that Britain's Craig Cook took and he has elevated into a top performer. As for our own Cook, Ben is highly rated and it is a pleasure to bring him on board with us. Both of course join on assessed averages and with Josh (MacDonald) also on a 4-point starting figure and Stefan (Nielsen) just half a point higher it wouldn't surprise me if either Ben or Zane found themselves in the team and not reserve.