POOLE regained the BSN Series title after a dramatic 52-38 (94-86 on aggregate) win over the Redcar Bears. The Pirates wrapped up the title in heat 14 as Cooper Rushen rode the boards on the opening lap to oust Jake Allen and take the win to secure Poole’s first trophy of 2026.
Both skippers top scored for their respective sides with Zach Cook hitting 11 whilst Charles Wright, who was unbeaten until his last ride, hit 14 for the Bears.
Redcar boss Gavin Parr praised his side’s efforts across the tie. Parr said, “The lads battled so hard but we fell just short across the 30 heats. The team spirit was excellent and all of them gave everything.”
Heat one saw the Pirates gate but with Wright coming to grief on the opening bends, the race was stopped and all four riders were invited back for the re-run. The re-run saw Wright win convincingly, and with Jake Mulford repeating the trick from 24 hours previously and keeping Richard Lawson at the back, Redcar increased their aggregate lead to eight points.
However, Poole levelled matters on the night in heat two as Slater Lightcap, (returning to the saddle after a hand injury kept him out of the first leg) won, and with Kyle Newman 3rd ahead of Simon Lambert, the hosts had their first heat advantage.
After Jake Allen continued from where he left off at the ECCO Arena to win a shared heat three, Poole struck the first seismic blow in heat four as Cook opened his account with a comfortable win, and with Newman holding off Jason Edwards, Wimborne Road rose to their skipper and the local lad as they reduced the arrears to two points on aggregate.
Nevertheless, the Bears were in determined mood and they re-established their six point aggregate lead in heat five as Wright won again, and with Mulford riding intelligently to hold 2nd, the visiting support had plenty to cheer as the Bears hit back.
Lawson opened his account for the evening as he closed out Edwards to win heat six, and with William Cairns just getting the better of Lambert (after the Bear briefly wrestled 3rd away from the young Brit), the Pirates were two ahead on the night.
After Cook continued his unbeaten start to win a shared heat seven, the temperature was turned up a notch before, and after a controversial heat eight.
As the riders prepared their starting ruts, Mulford and Cairns were not giving an inch as they went elbow to elbow. Mulford pulled back after packing his rut for his start, and as Mulford was away from the tapes, Cairns pulled into the Redcar man’s gate, enraging Mulford who kicked Cairns’ bike with Cairns then removing Mulford’s cut-out.
In response to the starting gate drama, the referee put on the red lights and Newman pulled away from the tapes. After things had seemed to settle down, all four riders prepared to start the race, only for SCB referee Christina Turnbull excluding Newman for missing the two minutes!
Whilst Poole boss Neil Middleditch remonstrated with the referee, he replaced Newman with Lightcap and the Pirates responded with a 5-1 as Cairns won, with the crowd going wild as Poole levelled the meeting on aggregate.
The fiery atmosphere seemed to benefit Poole as Lewi Kerr and Cooper Rushen both passed Edwards to send Poole into a priceless four point aggregate lead with a statement 5-1, and suddenly, the Pirates had the upper hand for the first time in the tie.
Heat 10 saw Lawson win, and with Cairns using every inch of the Wimborne Road track to ensure Jody Scott remained in 4th, Poole secured a 4-2 and a six point aggregate advantage.
However, the Bears were not done yet, and Wright continued his perfect evening with a heat 11 tapes to flag win, and with Mulford backing up his skipper in 3rd, Redcar were back within striking distance of Poole on aggregate.
After two unsatisfactory starts to heat 12, Jody Scott gave many onlookers flashbacks to the 2025 BSN Series Final as he rode the boards and every inch of the track to try and pass both Pirates riders.
Newman and Kerr gated on a 5-1 but Scott passed Kerr entering lap two, only to go slightly wide on the opening bends of lap two, allowing Kerr back through. However, Scott looked quicker than both of his opponents and he cut back on successive laps to wrestle 2nd from Kerr but Newman held on to win, and with Kerr comfortably 3rd, Poole were six ahead and on the brink of the BSN Series crown.
Heat 14 saw Rushen manoeuvre past Allen on the outside to win, and with the Pirates six ahead with one heat remaining, the crowd erupted as their side had regained the BSN Series title.
The final race of a pulsating final saw Allen and Wright gate and the Bears looked set to finish their season on a high. However, Allen crashed and was excluded from the re-run. The restaging saw Lawson take the win to lower Wright’s colours as the Pirates celebrated their triumph.
Poole Pirates = 52 (94)
1. Richard Lawson = 10+1
2. Will Cairns = 7
3. Lewis Kerr = 6
4. Cooper Rushen = 7+2
5. Zach Cook = 11
6. Slater Lightcap = 5+1
7. Kyle Newman = 6+1
Redcar Bears = 38 (86)
1. Charles Wright = 14
2. Jake Mulford = 5+1
3. Jody Scott = 3+1
4. Jake Allen = 9
5. Jason Edwards = 4
6. Simon Lambert = 0
7. Ace Pijper = 3+1