REACTION: KYLE GETS HIS CLAWS IN TO THE CHEETAHS

KYLE NEWMAN marked his return to the Pirates with a thorn-in-the-side double figure yield against his 2022 starting club Oxford, as Poole launched their 2023 season with an away win in the BSN Series.

Paid 14 from six rides out of the reserve berth was a match-winning performance from local lad Newman and it is one that especially pleased Poole promoter Dan Ford.

"That was an excellent night's work from Kyle, he really stepped up to the plate and weighed in with a  performance that we knew he was capable of. If there are more of those to follow then all I can say is bring in  it on. 
"Conditions were a bit tricky at time so I salute all fourteen riders who got on with the meeting and of course I am more than happy that we started the season with an away win. Obviously, not everything went our way, especially as far as Stevie (Worrall) was concerned, but there were more positives than negatives from that showing, and that should provide a good foundation to build our season on."

Those conditions were due to the persistent drizzle that began around heat seven, a stage of the meeting when the Pirates found themselves chasing the meeting as the home side had begun with a 5-1 from their Australian pairing of Sam Masters and Cameron Heeps, with that same combination finishing either side of Richard Lawson in heat six, by which time the Pirates had registered just one heat advantage, when the Cook boys prevailed over Lewis Kerr (2nd) and Jordan Jenkins (4th). 

But a second win on the night from Newman in heat eight, supported by a third place from Anders Rowe put the 'Wessex Marine' Pirates within a heat gain of the Cheetahs, and that advantage came in the very next race when Newman paired up with a Lawson for a 5-0 after Jenkins had fallen on the second lap and then Kerr ran out of track room as he was trying to overhaul Lawson on lap three. 

A sequence of three shared heats followed before Zach Cook collecting his only win of the evening in heat fourteen, with Newman in third getting the visitors over the line with a heat to spare.
Skipper Worrall had his activity restricted when his machine refused to fire when under two minutes in heat five and then was passed in heat 15 by Kerr, restricting him to just five points.

Scores
Oxford 43:,Scott Nicholls 15 (3,3,3,3,3) ,Lewis Kerr 9 (2,3,FD,3,1) ,Cameron Heeps 8+1 (2',1,2,3) ,Sam Masters 6 (3,3,0,0) ,Luke Killeen 2 (2,R,0,0,0) ,Jordan Jenkins 2 (0,0,F,2) ,Henry Atkins 1+1 (1',0,F) 
Poole 46:Kyle Newman 13+1 (3,1',RS,3,3,2,1) ,Richard Lawson 9+2 (2,2,2',1',2) ,Ben Cook 8+1 (3,2,2,1') ,Zach Cook 6+2 (1,1',1',3) ,Steve Worrall 5 (1,N2,2,2,0) ,Anders Rowe 4+1 (0,2,1,1') ,Adam Roynon 1+1 (0,1',0,RS)

The two sides meet again on Friday (7.30pm) at Wimborne Road where the aggregate point will be up for grabs.

Full match report and heat details