REACTION: TIGERS TAMED IN TENSE AFFAIR AT ASHFIELD

A complete one to seven set of performances from the 'Wessex Marine' Pirates at the home of defending league champions Glasgow, allowed Poole to maintain top spot in this year's Cab Direct Championship

Whilst it was Richard Lawson and Ben Cook who sealed the momentous 46-44 win for the Pirates, both having suffered penalties in previous rides, the contribution of all the lads was immense, and just days after scoring a career best score at Wimborne Road, Vinnie Foord produced a resilient showing of five points from his four rides.

Smiling from cheek to cheek, Foord said "I am absolutely buzzing. It had been tight the whole match, they were in the lead for some time as well and I just had to not let the pressure get to me, plod along and get some points on the way, sort of thing. I was making good drops from the start but I kept lifting going into the corner but I managed to stop that in my last race. I missed the start but I kept pushing along though I didn't manage to get a point in that one but luckily the boys done it in heat fifteen.  I had scored my average in my first ride and so the rest were all bonuses and that will look nice on the pay cheque."

An equally jubilant Richard Lawson, who had been harshly disqualified in his first ride when he took a nudge on the greasy surface at the first turn, said of his heat fifteen victory that paved the way for the Pirates' triumph "I was still fired up from that heat one incident. That annoyed me, you know, and I keep saying it, when we are that close I have such belief in the team just to come through, we just never, ever, give up. We knew what we had to do there and to be fair, I got the win but Ben (Cook) did so much hard work on that first lap. He got out in front and then he let me onto the good racing line and he held Bomber (Chris Harris) back and we got what we needed. Bomber is such a racer. You know you have got your work cut out and it is always a pleasure to go up against him."Prior to heat fifteen, Ben Cook had endured a terrific battle with Harris, the pair exchanging positions throughout heat ten and with Zach Cook also making a crucial pass (on Jack Smith) it was the Cook brothers' 4-2 advantage that put Poole ahead for the first time on the night.

They might well have remained in command had it not been for a controversial disqualification applied to Ben in heat twelve when the referee adjudged him as not being ready to race within the allotted two minutes, after he seemed to pull back from his position at the tapes. Ben was able to take his part in the re-start but from a handicapped position, a distance that he worked hard to make up but couldn't quite prevent Anders Rowe (guesting in place of Steve Worrall) and inspirational reserve James Pearson from claiming the 5-1 that restored Glasgow's lead. Then Lawson inflicted a defeat on Harris in heat thirteen, but the Cornishman was able to get by Tom Brennan in another titanic battle to prevent Poole going back ahead. The onus then moved on to Zach Cook and he became the Poole hero in heat fourteen, passing Pearson to keep the scores level on the night going into that dramatic last programmed heat from which the Pirates prevailed.The Pirates now head to Workington on Saturday for their first ever league visit to the Cumbrian  club.

Scorers

GLASGOW 44 - Chris Harris 12 (3,3,2,2,2) ,James Pearson 11+2 (3,RS,3,1',2',2) ,Anders Rowe 10 (2,3,2,3,0) ,Leon Flint 5 (2,1,2,0) ,Matej Ivacic 3+2 (1',1,0,1') ,Jack Smith 3 (1,1,1,0) ,Jason Garrad 0 (0,0,0,RS,RS) POOLE 46 - Ben Cook 11 (3,3,3,1EH,1) ,Richard Lawson 11 (FD,2,3,3,3) ,Tom Brennan 9 (3,2,3,1) ,Zach Cook 6+1 (0,2',1,3) ,Vinnie Foord 5 (2,1,2,0) ,Sam Hagon 2+1 (1',0,1,0) ,Ashton Boughen 2 (2,0,0,0)

Full Heat Details