PIRATES FACE MUST-WIN MEETING AGAINST CHEETAHS

Poole ‘Wessex Marine’ Pirates will be chasing both revenge and progression when they take to Wimborne Road for their final BSN Series Southern Group fixture against the Oxford Cheetahs.

Victory on home shale would not only avenge the defeat suffered at Oxford earlier in the campaign, but also secure the Pirates an ever‑present place in the knockout stages of the competition.

Eager to reclaim the title they won in every season since the series’ inception before last year’s final setback against Redcar, the Pirates will be determined to set the record straight after they lost this corresponding fixture a fortnight ago by at 12-point margin, in what skipper Richard Lawson memorably described as “not a Poole score”. 

While a late rally helped make the final score at Oxford more respectable, the Pirates know they must deliver a true Wimborne Road performance this time around.

Only a win will see the Pirates top the group, and co-Promoter Dan Ford views the meeting as 

“It's a must-win meeting for us, there's no getting away from that. We've underperformed in our last two meetings, but now there's no room for error if we want to reach the semi-finals. It's all on the line, and we need a big response at home.”

Oxford’s visit adds extra intrigue, with former Poole riders Anders Rowe and Darryl Ritchings returning in Cheetahs colours. Those two Brits will be joined by their guest for the evening, Jason Edwards who provides cover for Erik Riss who has been ruled out following a recurrence of the illness that has disrupted his career in recent seasons.  The Thames Valley outfit are led by Sam Masters and boast a strong Australian contingent in Luke Killeen, Mitch McDiarmid and reserve Dayle Wood. 

Teams
Poole (TM Matt Ford) 1 Richard Lawson 2 Kyle Newman 3 Lewis Kerr 4 Fraser Bowes 5 Zach Cook (Capt) 6 William Cairns
Oxford (TM Peter Schroeck) 1 Sam Masters (Capt) 2 Luke Killeen 3 Anders Rowe 4 Mitch McDiarmid 5 Jason Edwards (Guest) 6 Darryl Ritchings 7 Dayle Wood