PREVIEW:PIRATES LAUNCH PLAY-OFFS AGAINST BATTLING BEARS

Having achieved the initial goal in their league title defence by qualifying for the SCB Cab Direct Championship play-offs, the Poole 'Wessex Marine' Pirates embark on the key second phase, as they face the Redcar Bears in the semi-final.

Poole promoter Dan Ford said "This is going to be a massive tie for us. Redcar have always been one of the more fancied sides in this year's title race and they have proved that by reaching the play-offs. They have been hit through the loss of Erik Riss but they are still a team that earns respect and I really believe that every point in the thirty heats of semi-final racing which we are facing are all crucial. We cannot afford to drop any silly points as we want to be in that Grand Final to face one of the Scottish sides."

The first leg takes place at Wimborne Road on  a racing 'off-night' this coming Tuesday (9th September) with the Pirates determined to repeat their achievements from the other two competition semi-finals they have ridden in this season, by securing a defendable first leg advantage.

Against Oxford in the BSN the Pirates racked up a 26-point lead and in the MaxiCab knockout Cup they secured a 14-point advantage against Glasgow.But Redcar, with the likes of Danny King and Charles Wright in opposition, the Pirates can be assured that they will be put to the test.

It was way back in June when the Bears last visited Wimborne Road, the Pirates securing a handsome home win. Currently the Bears are on a seven-match unbeaten run, underpinning their title-bidding credentials but it starts the tie all square on Tuesday night with the prize of a place in the Grand Final a major incentive for both sides.

Poole continue to be able to declare their regular line-up whilst Redcar call upon Berwick's mid-season signing Nick Morris to guest in place of the luck-less Erik Riss who has been beset with the recurrence of the illness, diagnosed as a build-up of pressure around the brain, that saw his 2023 campaign wrecked and this current season ending by July.

Teams: Poole (TM Neil Middleditch) 1 Richard Lawson 2 Tobias Thomsen 3 Lewis Kerr 4 Zach Cook (Capt) 5 Anders Rowe 6 Paul Starke 7 William Cairns 
Redcar (TM Gavin Parr) 1 Charles Wright (Capt) 2 Jake Mulford 3 Jason Edwards 4 Nick Morris (Guest) 5 Danny King 6 Jody Scott 7 Ace Pijper