REACTION: PIRATES BEGIN TITLE DEFENCE BY MAULING THE CHEETAHS

Poole opened the defence of their 2021 league title with an emphatic  home win over league newcomers Oxford, the Dorset side running out 58-32 winners for the second time in as many appearances at Wimborne Road this term.

Leading the assault this time around was Richard Lawson who weighed in with his second unbeaten performance as a Pirate, following up his knockout cup away leg paid maximum, with a paid fifteen return against the Cheetahs.

Lawson commented, after receiving the Rider of the Night accolade, that he was happy with the start to his Poole career, adding "I could not have asked for a better start to be honest and I am chuffed to bits. The bikes are working well and I have got a good set up around here so it all helps. It is good to get double figures but what is pleasing more is we are going well as a team and really gelling together and getting some big points across the board. The two Cook brothers are backing us heat leaders up nicely and Drew (Kemp) is riding unbelievably well, so it is coming together nicely. I am looking forward to keeping it going, if we can, at Leicester tomorrow night."

The Pirates, who delivered seven maximum heat advantages in this, their first league match of the season, conceded just one heat loss all night , that when former Pirate Scott Nicholls took the honours over Danny King, inflicting the only defeat on the Poole captain in doing so. 

With the Poole faithful able to see an Easter meeting at Wimborne Road for the first time since 2019, they turned out in good numbers and witnessed an entertaining affair despite the heavy score in the Pirates favour. Poole had the league points in the bag as early as heat eleven but to their credit the Cheetahs kept battling away. Going in to the final heat the Pirates had two riders unbeaten by an opponent, but Lawson's heat fifteen partner Steve Worrall found himself engaged in a tussle with Nicholls and then losing out on the run-in to the line as Dillon Ruml stole the point. The praise bestowed on Drew Kemp by Lawson was fully justified, the youngster only beaten by a broken chain at the start of heat eight.

Poole travel to Leicester on Saturday (16th April, 7pm) knowing that they will be in for a tough night, with Poole team manager Neil Middleditch warning "we will be facing a team of wounded Lions after their defeat at Scunthorpe tonight (Leicester losing by twenty points in North Lincolnshire) but we have had some good results there in the past so I hope we can go there and get another one tomorrow but it is going to be tough as all meetings are."

Friday scorers:
POOLE 58 - R.Lawson 13+2 (2',3,2',3,3); D.Kemp 11+1 (3,2',R,3,3); S.Worrall 11+1 (3,3,3,2',0); D.King 10+1 (2,3,2',3); Z.Cook 7+2 (2',0,3,2'); B.Cook 6 (3,0,3,FD); N.Ablitt 0 (0,0,NS,XD)
OXFORD 32 -  S.Nicholls 9 (3,2,1,1,2); D.Ruml 6+3 (1',1,2,1',1'); J.Thomas 4+1 (1,2,1',0); K.Newman 4 (1,XD,1,2); T.Batchelor 3+2 (0,1',1',1,0); N.Stoneman 3+1 (2,NS,0,1'); C.Heeps 3 (0,1,0,2)

Full heat details available here

Saturday's sides:
Leicester - 1 N.Morris, 2 C.Mountain, 3 K.Howarth, 4 D.Thompson, 5 R.Worrall, 6 A.Rowe, 7 J.Thompson - Team Manager Stewart Dickson
Poole - 1 S.Worrall, 2 Z.Cook, 3 R.Lawson, 4 B.Cook, 5 D.King, 6 D.Kemp, 7 N.Ablitt - Team Manager - Neil Middleditch