PREVIEW: PIRATES IN CUP QUEST AGAINST THE MONARCHS

Poole 'Wessex Marine" Pirates will renew Knockout Cup rivalry against the Edinburgh Monarchs for the first time since 2021. In that season the two sides met in the final with the Pirates running out victors in both legs to clinch the trophy that they successfully defended in 2022, but lost out in last season's final.

Poole boss Dan Ford is keen to see his side replicate the achievements of their aggregate 104-75 triumph in 2021 as they begin the road to the final on Wednesday (24th April 7.30pm). "The goal is quite simple. We want to be in the final again and go one better this season. To do that we of course have to start by getting by Edinburgh and with us staging the first leg it is important, not only to win the meeting, but to put a big score on the card so that we go up to Scotland next month with something to defend. With the interruptions to our schedule so far it feels like we will be kick-starting our season once again on Wednesday and if we can put in the kind of performance we produced in our only meeting so far this year, then we would find ourselves being just where we want to be."

Headlining the Monarchs' team once again will be Wimborne Road big-hitter Josh Pickering. On the night when the two clubs last met - Edinburgh's last meeting of 2023 - the Australian gave an emotional farewell to the loyal Armadale-based fans as he was planning to take a different approach to his racing career and say goodbye to Championship level racing. Those plans however did not quite turn out the way he had expected and he once again signed on the dotted line as a Monarch, giving the Scottish side one of the top performers at this level of racing, in their ranks.
He links back up with the familiar faces of 'Paco' Castagna, Kye Thomson and Lasse Fredriksen who were all Monarchs last season, whilst Justin Sedgmen has good previous form with the Scottish capital club having been part of their league and KO Cup double-winning side of 2014, followed by their league, league cup and Fours Champions side of 2015. Sedgy returns after having last ridden for them in 2019.

Completing the Monarchs side are Connor Coles, who returns to the reserve berth after being a regular occupant of such a position back in 2019 and teenager Max James who will be making his debut at Wimborne Road.

Since first visiting Dorset (exactly 72 years ago this Thursday) Edinburgh sides have only won once, that being a KOC tie back in July 1963 when they triumphed 32-46, an outcome that the determined Pirates will be out to avoid as they field the same septet that trounced Oxford in the BSN Series on Good Friday in what has been their only meeting so far this year.

The second leg of this tie is scheduled for Friday 3rd May at Armadale.

Teams
Poole - 1 Richard Lawson 2 Tobias Thomsen 3 Tom Brennan 4 Zach Cook 5 Ben Cook (Capt) 6 Sam Hagon 7 Max Perry - Team manager Neil Middleditch
Edinburgh - 1 Josh Pickering 2 Lasse Fredriksen 3 Kye Thomson 4 Michele 'Paco' Castagna (Capt) 5 Justin Sedgmen 6 Max James 7 Connor Coles - Team manager John Campbell