REACTION: TOP MAN LAWSON APOLOGISES AS PIRATES UNBEATEN RUN ENDS

Poole owner Matt Ford made his first visit to Wimborne Road of the season but couldn't see his Pirates side retain their unbeaten home record as league leaders Leicester Lions extended their advantage at the top of the table to eight points, defeating the Pirates 43-47.

Two Pirates carrying injuries, Richard Lawson (knee ligaments) and Steve Worrall (collarbone) both scored double points for the home side but uncharacteristically the Pirates never had their noses in front at any stage of the meeting.

Dropping just one point - a fourth outing defeat by Lions' skipper Kyle Howarth, Lawson offered an apology on behalf of the team, to the large gathering of Poole fans who had turned out for this top of the table clash, as he received the Rider of the Night trophy. "Sadly it didn’t go our way tonight and I apologise to the fans for that. We were trying everything all night but some things just didn’t happen, but I am sure that we will learn from this and we won't be repeating this. We know what to do and what not to do and we determined to put things right."
He added "there is no doubt that we are a good team and will be continuing our fight for top spot and we have it in us to achieve that. Personally, I learn more from races that I lose than those that I win and so I genuinely think we will come back from this bigger and stronger. I just want to say that I can not speak highly enough of Poole Speedway. It is an absolutely great club to be part of. It is just like a family and that runs from the very top right the way throughout the whole club. The management, the track staff, the helpers and especially the fans. It is an amazing place to be at and we just want to be as successful as we can."

Lawson became Poole's first race winner on the night when he produced an excellent first turn move in heat four to get by Lions' skipper Kyle Howarth and first-time out winner Dan Thompson, who proved to be a very productive reserve for the visitors, but the Pirates had to wait until Zach Cook and Danny King finished either side of Howarth in heat six before they could celebrate a heat advantage. Then in the next heat, with Steve Worrall taking a tactical substitute outing, he and Lawson conspired for a 5-1 that closed the deficit to two points (20-22), although that was short-lived as Dan Thompson and Connor Mountain immediately countered with a 5-1 for the Lions in heat eight.
Although Poole chipped away again at the deficit with back to back four-two heat scores and another fine ride in heat eleven by Lawson, inflicting the first defeat of the night on Nick Morris, the Pirates suffered a major blow in the twelfth when Richie Worrall and Dan Thompson out-gated Steve Worrall and moved back into a six point lead with just three heats remaining. Lawson's dropped point came in heat thirteen when Howarth ran clear out front , the Poole man having to again flex his muscles and produce a super move on Morris, but with skipper King's miserable night continuing the Pirates realistically knew the best they could get from the meeting at this stage was a draw - but to do they couldn't afford to drop a point. 
Drew Kemp was running a third place in heat fourteen when Joe Thompson fell behind him and with leader Ben Cook crossing the line for the third time at the time of the stoppage, the expectations were the heat result would be awarded. But referee Chris Gay ruled a re-run without the fallen rider, thus giving a slither of hope that the Pirates could still keep the match alive. But Dan Thompson stood firm in the re-start and although he allowed Ben Cook to ride off into the distance it was enough to secure the victory for the Lions on the night. The league leaders still had the chance to make it a full four-point haul with the right outcome to heat fifteen but Lawson's third outright win (he was to be paid for four) was enough to restrict the Lions to stretching the league lead to eight points.

The Pirates now have a break in fixtures with their next meeting being a trip to Scunthorpe on Friday 17th June before entertaining the Plymouth Gladiators back at Wimborne Road on June 22nd.

Scorers:
POOLE 43 ,Richard Lawson 13+1 (3,2',3,2,3) ,Steve Worrall 12 (2,2,3,3,1,1) ,Zach Cook 7 (2,3,1,1) ,Ben Cook 5+1 (1',0,1,3) ,Danny King 4 (R,1,3,0) ,Drew Kemp 2 (1,TS,0,0,1) ,Nathan Ablitt  0 (0,0,RS,0)
LEICESTER  47 ,Dan Thompson 11+2 (3,1',3,0,2',2) ,Kyle Howarth 11 (2,2,2,3,2) ,Richie Worrall 9 (3,1,2,3,0) ,Nick Morris 9 (3,3,2,1) ,Connor Mountain 5+2 (1,1,2',1') ,Ben Morley 2+1 (2',0,0,RS) ,Joe Thompson 0 (0,0,RS,XD)
 

Heat Details Here