REACTION: MIDDLEDITCH CLAIMS: WHAT A COMEBACK!

"What a comeback!" The words of Pirates' team manager Neil Middleditch after he had witnessed his side recover from a ten point deficit to finish their Grand Final first leg with an advantage of eight points ahead of Saturday's concluding leg at Beaumont Park.

Middleditch added "I've got to say, when we ten points down we were staring down the battle of the gun weren't we and when I brought the boys together after heat eleven  I said to them that we had four heats left and we needed every single point. Each point was absolutely vital and, well they went out there and you saw what they did. You couldn't ask for anymore could you? Everybody bar none paid a key part in that and I include the supporters in that.  They were really deafening tonight and that was important . We had our fair share of bad luck on the way and yet we still managed to pull things around. Danny (King) was struggling to breath after his first heat fall but he was so determined to carry on for the cause of Poole and he told me that he was going to keep going. He even offered to do heat fifteen if I had needed him to but I thought that Stevie (Worrall) had picked himself up well after a slow start to the meeting and so I told Danny that if he really wasn't one hundred percent then I couldn't really afford to risk it, but that shows great character from Danny, and hopefully it will be that winning mentality that will get us over the line at the weekend."

With the weather, including a very heavy downpour around about 5pm, making track conditions a big leveller between these top sides in the SGB Championship, it was the visiting side who had the better start to the meeting. Consistently out gating the Pirates and throwing everything they had into it they evidently wanted to deliver a performance to bolster the spirits of their absent team manager Stewart Dickson who had been admitted to hospital on the eve of the meeting. 

Poole had little fortune early on, with the brilliant Ben Cook being denied a clear victory when he shed a chain in heat six and King crashing in the opening heat, but they stuck to the task diligently, spurred on by the 'Rocket Man' Richard Lawson who won four of his five rides but, due mainly to conditions, ran only his fourth non-scoring ride at Wimborne Road, in his second outing. 

But the Cook brothers, brought together in heat eight, began the Pirates' recovery. Trailing 16-26 they delivered a 5-1, albeit an awarded heat after Connor Mountain had inadvertently run into team mate Joe Thompson on the third lap. Worrall and Drew Kemp produced a similar result in heat nine to move to within two points of the visitors and then after a string of shared heats between ten and twelve, they finished strongly and might well have had a slightly increased advantage had Nathan Ablitt not made an error in heat twelve that had allowed Joe Thompson to pass him.

"It was my fault" admitted Ablitt, "It was an error on my part where I was riding and I didn't think he would go out round me. Obviously I've learnt to ride out wide but with the way the track was today I thought I was safe where I was but clearly I wasn't and yes, it was a shame to drop that point. I was very disappointed to have done that."

Whether the cushion will be sufficient for the Pirates remains to be seen but the attitude within the camp is one of great positivity and determination and there is no doubt that the defending champions will be heading to the East Midlands intent in their mission to retain the trophy as the Championship waves goodbye to the Leicester Lions who will be stepping up to Premiership class in 2023.

Scorers
POOLE 49 - Richard Lawson 12 (3,0,3,3,3) ,Zach Cook 10+1 (3,2,2',0,3) ,Steve Worrall 9+1 (1,0,3,3,2') ,Danny King 8+1 (FD,3,3,2') ,Ben Cook 5 (2,R,3,0) ,Drew Kemp 4+1 (0,1,2',1) ,Nathan Ablitt 1 (1,0,RS,0)
LEICESTER 41 - Scott Nicholls  9+2 (2',3,1',2,1) ,Nick Morris 9 (3,3,2,1) ,Richie Worrall 8 (3,1,2,2,0) ,Connor Mountain 5+2 (1,2',1,1') ,Joe Thompson 5+1 (2,2,FD,1',0) ,Dan Thompson 4+1 (1',2,1,0) ,Max Clegg 1+1 (0,1',0,RS)
 
Match report and heat details