TOP SPOT ATTAINED

Poole Wessex Marine Pirates' thirty five points achieved during the 2023 SGB Cab Direct Championship programme proved sufficient for them to finish top of the table ahead of the title deciding play-offs, after Oxford suffered their third defeat of the season when they went down 51-39 at Glasgow on Friday night.
 

The top six clubs now split into two groups of three in a round-robin series with the winners of the two groups qualifying for the Grand Final where the honour to be crowned league champions awaits.

Defending title holders Poole have the right to choose their two opponents for the group phase and promoter Dan Ford has confirmed that they have picked Edinburgh, who finished sixth after two wins on Friday (against Plymouth and play-off hopefuls Birmingham) and Scunthorpe , leaving second placed Oxford to face Glasgow  and Redcar .

Announcing the decision, Ford said " as a unit we discussed our options and we have chosen Edinburgh and Scunthorpe. We had aggregate victories over both those clubs although of all the teams that visited us in the league Scunthorpe achieved the highest score but that was early in the season and I feel we have blended into a much better side since then as we saw when we went to their place and won. I have to say that, on current form, the teams we have avoided are in an extremely tough group but that was our reward for finishing top in that we had the choice.
Nevertheless everything is reset now and we go again with the target of winning the group, starting on Wednesday night and I hope that our fans turn out in good numbers and give us the vocal encouragement that is so important and appreciated by the riders."

Poole dropped just five points in their sixteen league programme with defeats at Glasgow and Oxford, the latter being the only side to take a bonus point off the Pirates. Oxford won all eight bonus points but suffered defeats at Poole, Glasgow and Redcar to finish on thirty four points.
The Pirates begin their group fixtures on Wednesday night (13th September) when they host Scunthorpe, with the further fixtures to be confirmed later.