REACTION: PIRATES THWARTED IN REMARKABLE COMEBACK ATTEMPT

The Poole 'Wessex Marine' Pirates just came up short of an incredible comeback after trailing Berwick Bandits by ten points, ultimately going down to their first league defeat of the season by a 46-44 scoreline.
 

The home side were bolstered by an incredible performance from 2024 Pirate Sam Hagon on the eve of the defence of his British U21 title, whilst an ex-Bandit, Lewi Kerr put Poole in with a real chance of taking the meeting to a last heat decider.

Unfortunately for the Pirates those hopes were dashed when another of their exes, Danyon Hume banked his only race win of the night in heat fourteen, passing both Zach Cook and the luckless Paul Starke. The latter was bravely battling on after suffering a very nasty crash in heat three when he collided with Hume, claiming afterwards "I am pretty sore, yeah pretty sore and second-hand. It really was not my night tonight. It was touch and go really as to whether I should have continued after that heat three fall, but I decided to just stay in the side. The team needed me but it was really tough on me after that. Then I suffered a puncture in heat fourteen and that proved costly. I felt it go on the lap before, when Danyon went past me. I could feel it then, it was going slow and the bike doesn't like to skid when the tyre's flat. Right now my legs are hurting, my neck is hurting, the back, my arm are all hurting. My thumbs clicking again, that's an old injury, my wrist is a bit swollen but I've got a week to rest and the bike is absolutely ruined, that's going to be a job to sort that out."

That puncture handed the Bandits victory on the night as Jack Smith, another heavy faller earlier in the meeting, grabbed third place and meant the heat nine 5-1 Kerr and Richard Lawson had secured along with a 4-2 from the same partnership in thirteen after consecutive similar scores from Lawson and Tobias Thomsen (heat 11) and Anders Rowe and Starke (12), was all in vane, although Kerr and Lawson set the Pirates up for the aggregate bonus point when the sides meet again in the middle of next month (18th June).
Kerr declared the track as "being great" and "I enjoyed myself tonight. Had a couple of 5-1's with Rich and I seemed to overcome some of the mechanicals I have had recently, including a piece of plastic in the bottom of the fuel tank, so it was nice to go on the bike and not have any problems. It was a bit disappointing not to get the league points tonight, we had a few things we could look back at. Some of the boys had some mechanicals and crashes which made it a tough night but at least we can now look forward to the second leg and get the bonus."

Hagon, moving into the number two berth for the first time as a Bandit produced some scintillating moves as he mustered paid eleven and was even given a heat fifteen nomination. His ride in heat eight was sublime as he rounded Thomsen, evidencing that his move in heat six when he stormed by both Craig Cook and Kerr in heat six was no fluke.

BERWICK 46 ,Peter Kildemand 11 (3,3,2,2,1) ,Sam Hagon 9+2 (1',3,3,2',0) ,Craig Cook 7+1 (2,2',3,0) ,Drew Kemp 7 (2,3,R,2) ,Danyon Hume 6+1 (1',1,1,3) ,Jack Smith 3 (1,FD,1,0,1) ,Dayle Wood 3 (3,R,FD,RS)
POOLE 44 ,Richard Lawson 15+2 (3,2,2',3,3,2') ,Lewis Kerr 10 (2,1,3,1,3) ,Anders Rowe 8 (3,2,R,3) ,Zach Cook 4+1 (XE,1',1,2) ,Paul Starke 3 (2,0,RS,R,TS,1,F) ,Tobias Thomsen 3 (0,0,2,1) ,Darryl Ritchings 1+1 (0,1',0,RS,RS)