REACTION: CAPTAIN COOK CARRIES PIRATES TO A 12 POINT CUSHION

Poole skipper Zach Cook produced a terrific final ride of the night to send his side off to Glasgow on Friday with 12-point advantage in the battle for the 2025 SGB Cab Direct Championship league title.

Supporting Richard Lawson to a meeting concluding 5-1, whilst holding off the formidable Chris Harris at the same time, Cook said "we didn't go out there in that heat 15 with a specific game plan and sort of winged it a little. We got to the first corner and I sort of don't really know what happened. Bomber (Chris Harris) was throwing everything at me and, you know, you just don't know where he will be coming from. One moment he's on the outside and the next he's in my pocket coming into turn one the next lap. I just had to ride defensively, it's a grand final after all, and we take a decent lead up there and obviously it's better than nothing and we will just take that one as it comes and hopefully it will be enough."

To hold back Harris was no mean feat, for the popular Cornishman became the first rider to lower Lawson's colours in the 'Rocketman's' last twenty five rides for Poole around Wimborne Road. That was in heat thirteen resulting in offering the Glasgow Tigers more than a glimmer of hope of keeping Poole's lead to a single figure level. But a win from Cook in heat fourteen ably assisted by a hard-earned third place for the battling reserve Paul Starke who finished the night with three very crucial points and then that closing 5-1 gave Poole a reasonable cushion, but as Starke claimed "we will go there on Friday looking for the win as that is the best way to approach these meetings."

Glasgow, who were knocked out of the MaxiCab Knockout Cup at the semi-final stages by the Pirates, will certainly have much different ideas when the two sides meet again in the concluding leg of this perilously balanced Grand Final.

POOLE 51 -Richard Lawson 14 (3,3,3,2,3) ,Zach Cook 11+3 (3,1',2',3,2') ,Lewis Kerr 8 (1,2,3,2) ,Anders Rowe 7 (3,1,3,0) ,William Cairns 5 (3,0,2,0) ,Tobias Thomsen 3+1 (1,FD,1',1) ,Paul Starke 3 (1,0,1,1)
GLASGOW 39 -Dan Thompson 9+1 (2,2',2,3,0) ,Chris Harris 9 (0,3,2,3,1) ,Kyle Howarth 6 (2,2,1,1) ,Leon Flint 5 (0,3,0,2) ,Villads Nagel 5 (2,0,3,0) ,Freddy Hodder 4+1 (2,1',0,1,0) ,Max Perry 1 (0,1,0,RS)

Full Heat Details

Photo credit Tony Hartmann