REACTION: PIRATES GO TOP WITH WIN OVER BEARS

After a slow start then a flurry of mid-meeting maximums the Poole 'Wessex Marine' Pirates finally got 'over-the-line' to hit the fifty-point barrier that took them to the top of the SGB Cab Direct Championship with four matches remaining. 
 

A 52-38 victory over the Redcar Bears might well have been a bigger margin had engine-room rider Ben Cook not suffered his second enforced retirement whilst leading in as many home meetings for the Pirates, when he came to a halt in heat twelve, that resulted in the Bears clawing back four points as they trailed 40-26 after eleven. 
Rider of the Night Cook (8 points) was left pondering "what do you do, it's one of those things, last week it was an engine that let go and this week it was a back chain so a little bit, you know, less expensive but still it's frustrating. You know it's our job and obviously the team done well and all that but it sucks to lose races and lose money as well, but, we'll come back Sunday and make up for it. These things always happen when you are at the front and never at the back but like I say there is nothing you can do about it you just got to get on with it

Redcar, who were forced to go into the meeting, their second in two nights, without the services of skipper Charles Wright who suffered a 'dead-leg' at the British Final on Monday, opened with a 5-1 but by the time Ben Cook had completed his second ride, both victories, the Pirates had turned the deficit around to a two point lead of their own. Ben's heat four victory was backed up by Zach Cook, setting the trend for the next three heats, all of which finished as Poole maximums, and apart from the fortuitous heat 12 result the Bears failed to eat into the Pirates advantage as five shared heats came between heats nine and fourteen, before a re-started final heat ended in an emphatic 5-1 for Steve Worrall (paid 13) and Richard Lawson (paid 11).

Whilst the Pirates deserved all the plaudits, the biggest applause of the night was for Charlie Ward who demonstrated some stylish balance work on his small pushbike, standing on the saddle with one leg up behind him, a perfect mimic of his father, Darcy who was being interviewed during the meeting's interval.

The date for Poole's rescheduled visit to Edinburgh has now confirmed as being part of a double header fixture at Armadale on Friday 25th August with a prompt start time of 7pm, the Monarchs will then face Birmingham immediately after the Poole match.
That means that the Pirates remaining SGB Cab Direct Championship matches are

    • Sunday 20th August 5pm Home - Edinburgh Monarchs
    • Wednesday 23rd August 7.30pm Home - Glasgow Tigers
    • Friday 25th August 7pm Away - Edinburgh Monarchs
    • Wednesday 30th August 7.30pm Home - Birmingham Brummies

Wednesday's scorers:
POOLE 52 - Steve Worrall 12+1 (2,3,3,1',3) ,Richard Lawson 10+1 (0,3,3,2,2') ,Anders Rowe 8+3 (3,2',2',0,1') ,Ben Cook 8 (3,3,2,R) ,Zach Cook 6+2 (1,2',1',2) ,Kyle Newman 6+1 (1,2',3,FD) ,Joe Thompson 2+1 (0,1',RS,1) 
REDCAR 38 - Danny King 12 (3,FD,3,2,3,1) ,Erik Riss 9+1 (3,2,R,0,1',3,R) ,Connor Bailey 6 (0,0,1,2,3) ,Danyon Hume 5+2 (2',1,1,1',F) ,Jason Edwards 5+1 (2,1,TS,2') ,Connor Coles 1+1 (1',0,0,0)