EDDIE K WINS BLUE RIBAND ON THIS DAY IN 2016

It needed two run-offs to determine the rostrum places of Poole Speedway's season closer four years ago to this day.

For the first time in three years, the Blue Riband, an individual meeting synonymous with the Poole Pirates especially throughout the seventies and eighties, returned to the calendar and Matt Ford set about producing a field with a blend of experience and new faces as a farewell meeting to the 2016 campaign. 

Essentially, it was the experience brigade that came to the fore, as Edward Kennett (a Pirate in 2005 and 2007 before getting recalled late term in 2017) and Scott Nicholls (of 1999 & 2000 vintage) finished on a level 13 points a-piece.

Two points behind them were Chris Harris (who later went on to star as a Pirate in 2018) and Kacper Gomolski (returning to Wimborne Road after winning many plaudits in 2015) and it was Bomber that prevailed in the penultimate heat to ensure an all British rostrum  

The season could not have ended in a more epic manner as  Kennett just managed to squeeze the verdict from Nicholls as the final race finished went down to the wire, the win coming by the narrowest of margins. 

Kennett had won back to back heats in four and five to take the early lead in the standings but was then beaten by popular Poole Pirate Kyle Newman in his third ride,  before returning to winning ways in his fourth outing to leave him  just one victory away from the outright title.

To achieve that he needed to beat Chris Harris but 'Bomber' succeeded in heat 19 thus setting up those two separate run-offs to determine the final finishing positions of the top four.

In scoring six points, Grzegorz Zengota showed enough flare to become the only rider on show to be included in the 2017 starting line up for the Pirates, although Kennett and Newman both had stints that year as the 2017 campaign evolved.

1st E.Kennett 13+3 (3,3,2,3,2)
2nd S.Nicholls 13+2 (3,2,2,3,3)
3rd C.Harris 11+3 (2,3,3,0,3)
Others: K.Gomolski 11+2 (3,2,2,2,2); N.Morris 10 (2,3,1,1,3); T.Batchelor 9 (3,0,3,1,2); K.Buczkowski 9 (2,3,2,2,0); K.Newman 7 (2,2,3,0,0); B.Pedersen 7 (0,1,3,2,1); A.Skornicki 6 (1,0,0,2,3); G.Zengota 6 (1,2,0,3,0); S.Wozniak 4 (1,1,1,0,1); F.Jakobsen 4 (1,1,0,1,1); A.Ellis 3 (0,0,0,1,2); M.Nowak 1 (0,1,0)