REACTION: MIDDLEDITCH PRAISES CLINICAL PIRATES

Recording their fifth successive SGB Championship victory, with a 59-31 drubbing of play-off hopefuls Edinburgh, the Poole 'Wessex Marine' Pirates kept the pressure on current league leaders Oxford, on Sunday.
 

It was a performance, against a six-man side, that pleased team manager Neil Middleditch. "That was a good result, a clinical win and it just shows the strength and depth we have at the moment. I mean, we could be looking at Kyle (Newman) going back to reserve next month, it depends of course on the averages, with Anders going back into the side,  and to be honest I would be happy with that because in those two we have got reserves who can beat any other reserve in the country and that is the key to having a strength in depth side. Reserves win matches and we have some big ones coming our way as we aim for the top and our reserves will be crucial. I said to Joe (Thompson) before tonight that all that can be asked of him is to beat his opposition number and anything else is a bonus. He is still learning, he is still pretty nervous over his set up, that's understandable but I spent some time with him tonight and all the boys went up and down the pits and were chatting to him so he feels at home already which is nice, and as I have said time and time again, if you are happy in your work then you can perform better and I think he is only going to get better."
Thompson scored paidsix from his four rides with and joined in the demolition job on the Monarchs as all seven Pirates recorded at least one win or paid win across the fifteenheats. With their number one Craig Cook absent due to an ongoing back injury, and unable to find a guest for the meeting, it was only Josh Pickering who was able to offer any true resistance, scoring eleven(paid twelve) of the Monarchs' total, whilst Kye Thomson was the only othervisitor to win a race. 
The Pirates now prepare for the visit of the other Scottish side, the Glasgow Tigers on Wednesday night in a meeting that can be billed as second versus third, with the Pirates sitting three points clear (although having ridden two more matches than the Tigers) of their rivals. 

POOLE 59 ,Steve Worrall 12 (2,2,3,3,2) ,Richard Lawson 10+2 (3,2',3,2',R) ,Anders Rowe 9+2 (3,1',2',3) ,Kyle Newman 9+1 (1,3,3,2') ,Ben Cook 8 (3,F,2,3) ,Zach Cook 7+2 (2',3,1',1) ,Joe Thompson 4+2 (2',1',1,0)
EDINBURGH  31 ,Josh Pickering  11+1 (0,3,XD,3,1',1,3) ,Kye Thomson  9+1 (1,1',3,1,2,1) ,Michele Castagna  5 (2,2,FD,1,0) ,Max Clegg 3 (1,0,2,0) ,Bastian Borke 2 (0,0,0,0,2) ,Dayle Wood 1 (0,1,FD,TS)