PIRATES READY TO OPEN AGAINST GLADIATORS

With the frustrations of their Good Friday postponement now behind them, the Poole 'Wessex Marine' Pirates are ready for their delayed home launch of the season and look to add more points on the board as they seek to qualify for the knockout stages of the BSN Series.

The title holders face South Coast rivals Plymouth and the Pirates will be determined to maintain their proud unbeaten home record against the club from the country's "Ocean City". Other than a league draw back in 2022, the Pirates have been successful at Wimborne Road since re-joining second tier speedway. That is ten victories, all bar one having been by twenty or more points.

Promoter Dan Ford was more than satisfied with his side's opening BSN victory at Oxford last Wednesday, when Richard Lawson and Zach Cook prevailed in the Superheat decider after forcing the run-off with a 5-1 advantage in heat 15. "It was a good result for us at Oxford and from that meeting alone we can see that there is a great deal more to come from this side. I know that they are keen to get going in front of a home crowd and just as we have with Oxford, there is always the bragging rights to go for when we ride against Plymouth. They will arrive with Nicolai Klindt leading their pack and it is a few years since Nicolai last rode here for us in the Premiership [2019] but we saw then what he is capable of as he regularly returned double figures and I am convinced that they will be aiming to put us to the sword."

Plymouth opened their season on Saturday , in the same competition, against Oxford suffering a 41-48 home defeat.

Teams
Poole Richard Lawson, Tobias Thomsen, Anders Rowe, Zach Cook (Capt), Lewi Kerr, Paul Starke, Matt Marson TM Neil Middleditch
Plymouth Nicolai Klindt, Alfie Bowtell, Mitchell Cluff, Joe Thompson, Ben Barker, Lasse Fredriksen, Ben Trigger TM Garry May

Photo credit Taylor Lanning