TITLE RACE GOES TO ABSOLUTE WIRE IN DRAMATIC GRAND FINAL

Poole 'Wessex Marine' Pirates retained their SGB Cab Direct Championship title and remain on course for the "Double Treble" in the most dramatic and tense finishes ever to a league title decider.

Holding a twelve point lead from the first leg, and extending that at one stage to fourteen points, the Pirates then found themselves reduced to just a four point lead when Leon Flint and Dan Thompson sent the Ashfield stadium into pandemonium with a 5-1 in heat nine to put the chasing Tigers just four points behind. The scores then moved level on aggregate in a most exhilarating heat thirteen that concluded with Richard Lawson coming to grief as neither he nor Chris Bomber Harris - play-off specialists in their own right - refused to give up any ground. The referee's immediate opinion was that there was no foul from Harris and his race win would count and crucially, Kyle Howarth was second to cross the line to give the side that finished top of the regular league campaign a 5-1. Cruelly, William Cairns suffered a retirement in heat fourteen when in the minor placing of a potential 4-2 for the Pirates, converted to a shared heat, won by skipper Zach Cook. Poole were again so close to sealing the tie in heat fifteen when on a 5-1 but Bomber, not only broke up the pairing of Cook and Lawson but also the hearts (once again) of the Poole faithful. With the tie undecided at 90 points each, the title race went down to a superheat and sensationally Cook and Lawson were quick to hit the front and cover every single move Bomber attempted.

A delighted Zach Cook said afterwards "I said at the start of the season that I wanted to emulate my brother (Ben) and win the treble as they don't come around too often, but I am truly lost for words as to how we settled this trophy. If there is one way you want to win it, then its that way. The pressure, through the whole meeting really, but going into that last race, I said to Richard that after my first race I don't  normally feel the pressure but everything was riding on that and if we were going to do something we had to do it over the next minute. We had a game plan and we just told each other, this is the time to do it. What a feeling. So  much pressure and a long four laps, but in fairness all the lads  dug deep this whole final and the club deserves it, they put a lot of effort in to us and are the most successful club, which is why everyone hates us."

Watching on during that Superheat trying to remain cool, calm and collected on the outside was Gary Havelock who confessed afterwards "the only thing I can relate tonight's tension to was my first full season for Poole in 1999  when we went to King's Lynn and had to win, but went down in the last race. Me and Mark Loram couldn't stop Tony Rickardsson and Leigh Adams, thems not bad riders are they.  But tonight was special. To see our 12 point lead ebb away and Richard's incident in heat thirteen not helping and Will breaking down in fourteen just all added to the pressure. One thing I couldn't quite believe is they had choice of gates in both fifteen and the sixteen, or Superheat, whatever you call it, and they went for 1&3 when 2&4 were vastly better all night. But Zach and Rich were just unbelievable . I said to them both  go out and make yourself a hero and Zach will be remembered for ever for that. This whole meeting will be. Incredible."

Havvy's sidekick, regular home manger Neil Middleditch summed the night up as "Unbelievable. Just unbelievable. I've been in a lot of finals, believe me I've been in a lot of finals., but that one was tense there. I was worried about my heart for those last four laps, but yeah it was just fantastic. Zach and Richard are just phenomenal. When you ask them to put it on the line they put everything on the line. Amazing, amazing, amazing. I'm so proud of them, and pleased to get trophy 33 and 12 league titles."

Poole now head to Redcar, their third visit this month, on Saturday (18th October) seeking to make a good start to the two-legged BSN Series Final, which concludes next Wednesday at Wimborne Road as they hunt down the back-to-back treble.

Scorers

GLASGOW 51 -Chris Harris 15 (3,3,3,3,3) ,Kyle Howarth 9+1 (2,2,3,2',0) ,Dan Thompson 8+2 (1',3,2',2) ,Leon Flint 8 (2,1,3,2) ,Villads Nagel 6+1 (1,2',3,0) ,Freddy Hodder 5+2 (2,RS,1,0,1',1') ,Max Perry 0 (0,0,0,RS,RS)

POOLE 46 -Zach Cook 11 (3,1,2,3,2) ,Lewis Kerr 7+1 (0,3,1',3) ,Richard Lawson 7+1 (2,2,2,Fd,1') ,Anders Rowe 6 (3,1,1,1) ,William Cairns 4 (3,1,0,0,R) ,Tobias Thomsen 3+1 (0,0,2,1') ,Paul Starke 1 (1,0,0,RS)

Heat details 

Photo Credit Ian Adam