REACTION: PIRATES GIVEN WAKE UP CALL AS UNBEATEN RUN ENDS

Just five days after losing their 2024 unbeaten league record the Poole 'Wessex Marine' Pirates fell to their first home defeat in forty six meetings, as the 'Monarchs' Oxford Cheetahs continued to keep their eye on a top spot finish, a placing that the Pirates still occupy.

Only once, on their way to a 41-49 defeat, were the Pirates, beaten last Friday at Scunthorpe,  able to hold a lead over the solid Cheetahs and whilst Poole had the star of the meeting in skipper Ben Cook (16+1), who dropped just one point in his six rides, Oxford had the greater depth, sharing their nine race wins amongst all seven riders.

Collecting his second successive Rider of the Night Award, captain Cook admitted "it feels a bit different receiving this one after tonight's result but it might be the wake-up call we needed". Words that matched the opinion of number one Richard Lawson who was even more candid, claiming "I didn't see our unbeaten record go like that, no excuses but I still think we should have won that meeting but we let it slip. The fact is we weren't really in control after the first few heats but again, no excuses. We got beat by the better team on the night and I was just saying to Zach [Cook], maybe this is the wake-up call we need as we are getting to the business end of the season and performances like that aren't good enough so I am going to give myself a kick up the backside and hope the others do the same."

Whilst drafting in Ben Cook as a tactical substitute in heat eleven, that enabled the Pirates to claw four points back against the 27-33 scoreline, as he was partnered home by Cardiff-bound Tom Brennan, the skipper could only share the following heat after guest Jacob Hook lost control when battling for third place in heat twelve. So the Pirates desperately needed something from heat thirteen , but in one of the best races of the night with positions changing, the result went against the Pirates with Sam Masters holding out over Brennan and Scott Nicholls overcoming Lawson. Oxford then guaranteed themselves the three league points after Jordan Jenkins claimed his second win of the evening, this one backed up top score Luke Killeen, who finished with a paid fourteen haul.

Poole 41 - Ben Cook 16+1 (3,2,3,2',3,3) ,Tom Brennan 9 (2,2,3,2,0) ,Richard Lawson 7 (3,2,2,0) ,Zach Cook 5+2 (2',1',1,1) ,Sam Hagon 2+1 (1,1',0,0) ,Jacob Hook 1 (1,0,RS,FD) ,Tobias Thomsen 1 (FD,0,1,TS,0)
Oxford 49 - Luke Killeen 11+3 (2',3,RS,2',RS,2,2') ,Sam Masters 10+1 (2,3,1,3,1') ,Scott Nicholls 9 (1,3,2,1,2) ,Jordan Jenkins 8 (1,3,1,3) ,Ashton Boughen 5+1 (0,1,3,1') ,Paul Starke 3 (3,RS,R,RS,0,RS) ,Cameron Heeps 3 (R,0,3,0)

Heat Details and Meeting Summary