DARCY WARDS OFF THE OPPOSITION

It was on this day six years ago that wonderkid Darcy Ward, a Pirate from 2010 to 2014, earned his final maximum pay-cheque as a Pirate, going unbeaten in the home Elite league contest against Wolverhampton in 2014.

Throughout his Pirates' career, Ward was officially credited with a combined total of 29 full and paid maximums for the Pirates, although the awesome Aussie could lay claim to 31 unbeaten performances, having taken just two rides in Poole's curtailed league match against Belle Vue on September 9th 2013, which lasted only ten heats with the official result declared, and also scoring 14+1 also against the Aces in a meeting designated only as a challenge fixture on 28th March 2012.

Darcy's maiden Poole maximum, a paid version, was recorded, also in July, in 2010 when on the 21st of the month he notched a score of 14+1 as Poole ran out cup winners against Belle Vue Aces, 57-35 a night when a Poole rider claimed a race win in thirteen of the fifteen heats. Ward was operating out of the reserve berth that night and twice beat Patrick Hougaard (the Aces heat three winner) and also headed home Peter Karlsson, who had won heat four. 

Coincidentally, Ward's first full maximum was also achieved when racing against the Mancunian club, that coming on June 29th 2011. 

Away from Wimborne Road, Darcy banked maximums at 
Swindon on 16th June 2011 (13+2), 
Lakeside on 22nd July 2011 (11+1) and 4th May 2012 (14+1), 
Wolverhampton (8th August 2011) and 21st May 2012) both full 15-pointers, 
Coventry 6th April 2012 (winning all 5 rides including heat 10 when he was on a double point tactical, so banked 18 points!) and 20th June 2014 (also another straight fiver),  
Birmingham 24th May 2012 (full 15points),  
Peterborough 31st May 2012 (an 18-point haul), 
Eastbourne 2nd June 2013 (9 from 3) .

Those Wimborne Road maximums being recorded on
21st July 2010 - Belle Vue (14+1)
9th May 2011 - Coventry (10+2)
22nd June 2011  - Swindon (13+2)
29th June 2011 - Belle Vue (15)
6th July 2011 - King's Lynn (15)
4th August 2011 - Peterborough (14+1)
26th September 2011 - King's Lynn (18)
10th October 2011 - Eastbourne (14+1)
28th March 2012 - Belle Vue (14+1)
30th May 2012 -Wolverhampton (20+1)
8th August 2012 - Peterborough (11+1)
29th August 2012 - Lakeside (10+2)
5th September 2012 - Eastbourne (12+3)
10th September 2012 - Swindon (14 +1)
1st October 2012 - Lakeside (12)
1st July 2013 - Coventry (13+2)
2nd September 2013 - Lakeside (14+1)
7th October 2013 - Birmingham (13+2)
18th June 2014 - Leicester (14+1)
2nd July 2014 - Wolverhampton (11+1)

In 2012, Darcy registered an 87% unbeaten attainment at Wimborne Road being undefeated by an opponent in 73 rides from 84 starts and when combined with his 2011 record he can proudly boast an 83% success rating in home matches, and an overall Pirate career of 72%.