Pirates in the driving seat
POOLE took a big step towards the MAXiCab KO Cup with a 52-38 home success over the Redcar Bears in the first leg of the final. Richard Lawson returned with a faultless paid maximum (14+1) whilst Charles Wright hit paid 11 for Redcar.
The Pirates talisman, Lawson took the chequered flag in the opening race, but with Tobias Thomsen at the back, the Bears had parity in the opening heat in Dorset. The reserves race saw Ace Pijper begin his evening with a fine win, but with Redcar guest Freddy Hodder 4th, the visitors could not take the lead.
Heat three saw Poole strike the first blow as Zach Cook passed Jason Edwards for the win, and with Lewis Kerr also getting the better of Edwards, the Pirates had a four point advantage.
After Danny King and Charles Wright won a pair of shared heats, Poole extended their lead to six points as Lawson just got the better of King on the opening bends, and with Thomsen 3rd, Poole had the momentum on home shale.
Heat seven saw the race of the night as Redcar gated on a 5-1, but with Rowe riding the boards, he passed both Bears for an important win, and with Paul Starke passing Jake Allen on lap four, the Pirates were in full control.
After Thomsen won a shared heat eight, Poole’s advantage was stretched to double figures as Cook won, and with Kerr in a comfortable 3rd, the Bears were left scratching their heads. Heat 10 saw more headaches for the Bears as the impregnable Lawson won, and with Thomsen impressing to hold off Allen, the Pirates had a 14 point advantage.
However, Redcar hit a big 5-1 in heat 11 as Wright won, and with Jake Mulford holding off Rowe, the Bears were back within 10 of the treble chasing Pirates. Kerr capped off another positive evening to win heat 12, but with Cairns 4th, the gap remained at 10.
Heat 13 saw Lawson record another win, but with both Bears (Wright and King) keeping Rowe at the rear, the Bears were still battling. The penultimate race saw Allen gate, and with Pijper 3rd, Redcar looked set for a key heat advantage. However, Allen locked up twice on one bend, allowing Cook through for an important shared race to keep the gap at 10.
The final race saw drama before tapes up as King suffered mechanical problems before the race, meaning the Bears veteran could not make the two minutes, and was excluded from the re-run. The re-run saw Cook win, and with Lawson holding off a hard charging Wright, Poole had a sizeable 14 point lead heading into tomorrow’s second leg.
Poole Pirates
- Richard Lawson = 14+1
- Tobias Thomsen = 6+1
- Lewis Kerr = 8+1
- Zach Cook = 13+1
- Anders Rowe = 6
- Paul Starke = 3
- William Cairns = 2+2
Redcar Bears
- Charles Wright = 10+1
- Jake Mulford = 6+1
- Jason Edwards = 4
- Jake Allen = 4
- Danny King = 8+1
- Freddy Hodder = 0
- Ace Pijper = 6+3