Polish League Round Up of Pirates Performances (Sunday 10th August) - Polish champion Adam Skornicki celebrated his title with a fine 5 ride paid maximum (13+2) score for PSZ Milion Team Poznan in their 56-36 win over GTZ Grudziaz. Zibi Suchecki who began the season with Poole before an injury to him forced the Pirates to re-declare, also scored 9+1 for the home side.
Dave Watt scored 8 points for Marma Polskie Folie Rzeszow as they lost at home to Unibax Torun 33-58. Watt was the only home rider to beat Chris Holder who scored 13+1 for the visitors.
Magnus Zetterstrom's rich vein of form around the globe continued also. The newly crowned Swedish champion scored 10 points from 5 rides and his Poole skipper Bjarne Pedersen, who had withdrawn from the second round of the Danish Championship to rest a knee injury, scored 13+1 as GKZ Lotos Gdansk slenderly won their venture into Latvia against Lokomitiv Daugvapils.
Other Polish results - Ekstraliga: Czestochowa 56 Leszno 36; Wroclaw 53 Gorzow 39; Zielona Gora 63 Tarnow 29. Liga I - Bydgoszcz 56 Rybnik 37 (Antonio Lindback scoring 21 of those points!); Rawicz 26 Ostrow 65

Double Champions Night for Pirates A 15 point maximum in the Polish Final from Adam Skornicki and a declared result in Sweden gave the Poole Castle Cover Pirates two more National Champions to add to their honours board. Already this season Chris Holder had won the Australian Championship to make it a unique record of 3 different national champions in the same British team.
Skornicki sensationally went through the card in Leszno to win the Polish championship by two clear points over Jaroslaw Hampel with Poole asset Grzegorz Walasek finishing 3rd on 12 points.
Magnus Zetterstrom won his first Swedish championship in a rain affected meeting at AvestaMasarna on Saturday evening. "Zorro" was very much on-song as he claimed three wins and a third place from his first four rides. He was then headed home by Poole asset Antonio Lindback in heat 17 leaving the situation that his total of 12 points could be equalled, but not bettered, by Jonas Davidsson, Thomas H Jonasson and Sebastian Alden. Indeed Davidsson managed that feat by beating Jonasson and Poole rider Freddie Eriksson in heat 18 but that was the last action to happen as the track was quickly deluged by an extreme downpour that left all the 2114 crowd totally soaked.
The enforced abandonment of the meeting meant that the Svemo authorities had to declare the result with the positions held by the riders from their first four completed rides. That meant outright victory for Zetterstrom (10) from Jonas Davidsson (9) and Jonasson (9) with fellow 9-pointer Sebastian Alden just missing out on a rostrum berth
Zetterstrom, Poole Castle Cover Pirates' hero on Thursday night with their win at Swindon, was delighted with the result as the trophy was presented to him in the relatively dry confines of the press room afterwards. "I am pleased to have won this at last" admitted Zetterstrom but confessed that any celebrations would have to be muted as he was preparing for an early start on Sunday with his Polish club who are racing in Latvia. "It has been a bit of nightmare for me over the last few days logisitically, ensuring I have the right equipment in the right places but sometimes that can help you as you don't spend time deciding what you are going to ride you just get on what you've got and go for it.

Pirates Rock the Robins - Poole Castle Cover Pirates strengthened their position at the top of the Sky Sports Elite league with a well-deserved victory over Swindon on Thursday night. It was the second time this season the Pirates have plundered the league bounty from the home of the Wiltshire club and this 51-42 success was generally down to a good all-round team performance with Magnus Zetterstrom arguably the rider of the night for the Pirates. Zetterstrom dropped just one point from four outings that to the maximum machine that is Leigh Adams but the Pirates dominance over the latter half of the meeting was such that they could even afford for Adams to win a tactical ride and still have breathing space on their way to victory.
In truth, the only real back-up that Adams had on the night was from latest Robins signing Jurica Pavlic, the young Croatian scoring paid 13 on his home debut. Indeed, the Pirates margin of victory could have been even greater had ill-fortune not fallen upon them for the second match in succession during the reserves race (heat 2). For after Freddie Eriksson had cracked a cylinder head on Wednesday night costing the Pirates a sure-fire 5-1 over Lakeside, the misfortune fell on race leader Daniel Davidsson at Swindon. With the Pirates heading for a 4-2 advantage Davidsson dropped a primary chain, consequently the 4-2 advantage being turned into a 4-2 loss which gave the Robins an early lead. But the Pirates immediately levelled things up through a speedy ride from skipper Bjarne Pedersen and a valuable third place from Adam Skornicki. After Pavlic had won his second ride of the night, this time with a tapes to flag lead over Davey Watt, whose partner inches ever nearer to giving birth to their second child, the Pirates stormed ahead through Holder and the solid Zetterstrom although a second win from Adams supported by James Wright over Watt and Eriksson in heat 6 served to halve the Pirates lead. That two point advantage was held until Watt and Eriksson came out again next and this time claimed a heat 9 maximum 5-1 over Korneliussen and McGowan, but Leigh Adams' third win ensured the teams went into the interval break with just 6 points between them (27-33).
Whatever was said in the Poole camp during the break worked wonders as the Pirates came out breathing fire and registered back to back 5-1 advantages in heats 11 and 12, firstly through Zetterstrom and Holder and then courtesy of Pedersen and a brilliant last to second slicing move from Eriksson in heat 12. Adams was then given the chance to haul the Robins back into the match but with Batchelor unable to add to his skipper's fine win Poole only conceded a net 3 points through the tactical ride to lead by 11 with two heats remaining. Many expected the Robins to try and salvage the meeting through use of a second tactical option, which would have had to have been off 15 metres, but the only change the Robins made was to surprisingly replace the scoring Hauzinger with Pavlic leaving McGowan, without a point to his name in heat 14. Pavlic again made a good start by Daniel Davidsson ensured he was going home with a pay cheque by superbly passing the youngster to give the Pirates their 6th heat advantage on the night. Through Pavlic and Adams the Robins gave the supporters a consolation heat 15 maximum heat score but it was the Poole fans who were happiest having seen their heroes collect their 7th away league win of the seasonand extend their unbeaten run to 9 matches.
Scorers: Swindon 42 - L.Adams 17+1 (paid Max), J.Pavlic 12+1, M.Korneliussen 5, M.Hauzinger 3+1, J.Wright 3, T.Batchelor 2, T.McGowan 0
Poole 51 - B.Pedersen 11, M.Zetterstrom 10+1, C.Holder 9+2, D.Watt 8+1, F.Eriksson 7+3, A.Skornicki 3+1, D.Davidsson 3.

Robins Next Up Table-topping Poole Castle Cover Pirates face a stern encounter on their travels this evening when they venture to the home of the side currently third in the Sky Sports Elite League - the Swindon Robins.
Following their 8th consecutive league win the Pirates, who overtook Lakeside in the league standings last night, will be hoping for a repeat result to their 51-39 win in Wiltshire back in May. Such an outcome would put further distance between the Pirates and the chasing pack. But apart from that earlier defeat to the Pirates the Robins, led by former Poole star Leigh Adams, the Robins have been unbeaten at home this season and they welcome back another former Pirate, Troy Batchelor, after a sickness bug, for tonight's affair. There will be many a keen eye on the performance of their latest recruit, Jurica Pavlic who makes his home debut for the Robins.
The young Croatian rider made a memorable club debut on Monday evening at Wolverhampton with a terrific 12 point return and could prove to be a danger tonight for the Pirates.
hilst Poole will certainly want to ruffle the Robins feathers tonight by stealing another away win they will also be hoping that Swindon do them a favour on Friday night when the Robins visit Lakeside.
Poole still have Dave Watt anxiously awaiting news on the imminent birth of his child but are expected to field a full strength seven this evening
Teams - Swindon - L.Adams, J.Wright, M.Korneliussen, T.McGowan, T.Batchelor, M.Hauzinger, J.Pavlic
Poole - C.Holder, M.Zetterstrom, B.Pedersen, A.Skornicki, D.Watt, F.Eriksson, D.Davidsson.

Pirates Back On Top The Poole Castle Cover Pirates moved swiftly back to the top of the Sky Sports Elite league table on Wednesday night with an 8 point fixture over previous incumbents Lakeside Hammers. The victory in front of a bumper crowd was well deserved by the Pirates but made that little more easier for them as the Hammers were hit with misfortune and ill-timing. The Essex side went into the meeting with number one Andreas Jonsson ruled out through paternity leave and their plight worsened when Jonas Kylmakorpi suffered a dislocated shoulder in a first turn heat 6 crash. Kylmakorpi had already notched up two second places from two outings and the Hammers found it a stretch to cover for him and the rider replacement facility for Jonsson.
Steadily the Castle Cover Pirates built up a lead with a string of mid-meeting 4-2 advantages although the Hammers never caved in and struck back with a heat 7 similar scoreline themselves to restrict the Pirates to a 4 point lead at the halfway point. But through Bjarne Pedersen and a determined Adam Skornicki (pictured) the Pirates doubled their advantage with a heat 9 5-1, the first maximum score of the evening and then held the ground over the next two heats. With the Hammers restricted to the use of Leigh Lanham and a reserve in heat 13 the might of Dave Watt, who is also on the verge of fatherhood, and Chris Holder proved too strong indeed and for the first time on the night the Pirates' lead was extended to double figures.
The Hammers sensed an opportunity for a last gasp smash and grab raid by using former Pirate Jonas Davidsson as a tactical option in heat 14. Their cunning plan looked as though it might yield the late recovery needed as he and Ricky Kling sped from the tapes and into the first turn clear, but Adam Skornicki had different ideas and he superbly forced his way to the front to secure the table topping win for the Pirates.
Scorers: Poole 50 - C.Holder 11+1; B.Pedersen 11+1; D.Watt 10; M.Zetterstrom 7; A.Skornicki 6+1; D.Davidsson 4; F.Eriksson 1+1.
Lakeside 42 - A.Shields 14; J.Davidsson 12+1; R.Kling 9+1; J.Kylmakorpi 4; L.Lanham 2+1; L.Tomicek 1+1.

No "Hold"-ers Barred! Despite overnight doubts Poole's Chris Holder has been confirmed as a definite starter just hours ahead of tapes-up for tonight's top of the table Sky Sports Elite League clash between the Castle Cover Pirates and the Lakeside Hammers Holder, who has been unbeaten in his last two meetings at Wimborne Road, suffered a crash in Sweden on Tuesday night and rumours quickly spread that he would have to miss this important meeting, the first of two this week, for the Castle Cover Pirates. But Holder has declared his intention to ride as the Pirates seek the opportunity to retain top spot in the Sky Sports Elite League. They are currently one point shy of this evenings visitors Lakeside who are enjoying a string of successes both home and away and promise to be exceptionally tough opponents. Then tomorrow the Pirates hit the road themselves with a trip to third placed Swindon

Fixture Changes Poole have announced some changes to their forthcoming fixtures and their scheduled meeting on Monday 18th August will now see them host the visit of Belle Vue, and not Peterborough as originally announced. Peterborough will now visit Wimborne Road a week later on Monday 25th August, the Pirates having two home matches that week with Swindon the opponents on Wednesday 27th August. As a consequence Wednesday 3rd September now becomes a reserved date, as cover for any rain-offs.

Top Sides Meet as Riders Expect! Castle Cover Pirates co-promoter Matt Ford is urging the sport's Grand Prix hierarchy to fast-track Poole's 20-year-old Australian sensation Chris Holder into next year's world championship series. Holder missed out on qualification for next year's GP after suffering an exclusion and two engine failures in Lonigo, Italy earlier in the season, but Ford believes there are exceptional circumstances in selecting the young Australian into next year's competition. Ford raved: 'Anyone who has seen this kid will understand what I'm talking about. I have absolutely no doubt Chris Holder would light up the world championship.'
The Pirates supremo was talking up Holder ahead of Poole's top of the table clash with Lakeside at The Stadium tomorrow night, where the Aussie - in only his first full season of Elite League racing - is currently on an incredible run of 12 rides unbeaten by an opponent at Wimborne Road, stretching back three meetings when he fell in Heat 10 against Coventry. Since then the 20-year-old has reeled off two wins in Heats 13 and 15 against the Bees and then two consecutive 15-point maximums against Belle Vue and Eastbourne.
Ford continued: 'From a greedy point of view it would be better from a Poole perspective if he wasn't in next year's Grand Prix, but that's not the point here. I'm looking at it from a broader perspective. Chris Holder is one of the sport's glittering talents and is ready to be unleashed on the GP stage. He would be a huge asset for the series and the way in which he is improving could prove a major surprise in the competition.'
The Poole management are requesting that regular supporters get to the Stadium earlier than usual for tomorrow's blockbuster top of the table Sky Sports Elite League clash between Pirates and new league leaders Lakeside. And Ford believes the meeting will attract the biggest crowd of the season to the Stadium for the clash of the top two teams in the table - victory for the home side would take the Pirates back above the Hammers in the league. Both clubs have lost just one league match in their last eight - with the Essex team the only side to remain unbeaten side at home in the Elite League table.
Ford said last night: 'It doesn't get much bigger than the two in-form teams in the league, the clubs first and second in the division meeting in a heavyweight head to head clash. We're expecting our biggest attendance of the season and would suggest regulars get the track earlier than usual to ensure they get their usual vantage point.'
At the time of going to press, both teams are expected to be at full strength although in a strange quirk of fate both Poole's Davey Watt and Lakeside's Andreas Jonsson are expecting the arrival of new babies at any time. Watt's wife Fiona is expecting their second child tomorrow while Jonsson's partner is six days late. Both riders could be on parade, but could boss miss the fixture if either goes into labour.
Ford added: 'I think it's a first in speedway - the possibility that TWO riders are missing because their respective partners are both in labour!' Lakeside are currently top of the Elite League table by one point, following their home win against Eastbourne on Monday night, with a match in hand.
Poole Speedway will be holding their annual collection for the Speedway Riders Benevolent Fund during Wednesday's meeting. The SRBF caters for riders of all grades who through their dedication to the sport may have become disadvantaged. There will also be a second half challenge fixture featuring an Academy level Poole side against a side representing Rye House. The six heats will follow the main Elite league meeting. Castle Cover Pirates : Chris Holder, Magnus Zetterstrom, Bjarne Pedersen ( captain ), Adam Skornicki, Bjarne Pedersen, Freddie Eriksson, Daniel Davidsson.
Lakeside : Andreas Jonsson, Leigh Lanham. Adam Shields ( captain ) Jonas Davidsson,Joonas Kylmakorpi, Ricky Kling, Lubos Tomicek

Zabik Back in BritainKarol Zabik is back racing in England again as part of the Peterborough Panthers team changes which have been forced on them by the wanted departure of Hans Andersen. Zabik, who started the campaign with the Castle Cover Pirates before injuries took their toll on him which led to the Pirates re-declaring their line-up, links back up with his first British club Peterborough as part of a combination that also takes Ryan Sullivan back to the Showground.
These changes have made it possible for Hans Andersen, runner-up in Saturday's Grand Prix in Prague to join struggling Coventry.
As well as team changes the Panthers have also had a couple of their results being changed, under an announcement made by the Speedway Control Bureau. In an official statement the SCB ruled that the Panthers' use of Ty Procter as a number 8 during their match against Coventry was invalid and as a result his points have been deducted changing the 48-42 score to that of 48-39. Further, the Panthers ineligibly used Ryan Fisher during the fixture against Swindon in which the Robins also fielded an ineligible rider, Krzysztof Stojanowski so the 49-44 result has been amended to 43-36 after deduction of both rider's points.
Poole fans will have a keen eye on the outcome of this evening's Sky Sports Elite league encounter between Lakeside and Eastbourne. If Lakeside maintain their proud 100% home league record then they will snatch pole position from the Pirates ahead of Wednesday evening's meet between these top two clubs.

New AveragesPoole skipper Bjarne Pedersen has regained his place as the Castle Cover Pirates' official number one under the August green sheets which become effective from today, with a figure of 8.84. Chris Holder is on 8.31 and Dave Watt 8.04. Magnus Zetterstrom rides on a 5.86 average, Freddie Eriksson continuing at reserve on 5.43 and Daniel Davidsson still on his assessed 3.56.

No Sliding for LakesideThe Lakeside Hammers proved yet again that they intend to be a mighty threat to the Castle Cover Pirates for top spot in the Sky Sports Elite League table as they banked three more valuable league points on Thursday (31st July) night. A 9 point win at Ipswich, their first league visit of the season to Suffolk, hoisted the Hammers to within one point of the Pirates as the two sides prepare for next Wednesday's showdown at the Wave 105FM Wimborne Road venue. Monday night (4th August) sees the Hammers hosting Eastbourne, the side that the Pirates emphatically beat in a highly entertaining meeting last Wednesday. and a win for the Essex based club would leapfrog them over the Pirates in the table.

Chris Has the Winning Bug Chris Holder proved yet again that the number one race jacket for table-topping Castle Cover Pirates has no fears for him. For the second successive week Holder stormed around the Wimborne Road circuit unbeaten by an opponent, this time around he has also set the fastest time of the season by a Poole rider of 58.41 seconds.
During a bitty July, as far as Poole team meetings have been concerned, Holder rode in 20 races for the Pirates, won outright 13 of them and also banked 4 paid wins (all at Coventry on July 4th) to prove that he really has that winning bug about him. Since being handed the number one race jacket Holder has a highly impressive statistic, for one so young and only in his first year of Elite league racing, of 50 rides, 27 outright wins and 6 paid versions, effectively therefore having remained unbeaten by an opponent in two thirds of his outings.
Holder's efforts on Wednesday was just one factor towards the Castle Cover Pirates sweeping aside their Sussex rivals Eastbourne (4th placed in the table) with their second highest score differential of the season. The 27 point margin (60-33) has only been bettered by the Poole side once this year so far, that when they thrashed Wolverhampton 62-31 back in April
Whilst this week's home win was emphatic the Pirates will be only too aware that their next opponents (Wednesday August 6th) are likely to be a totally different proposition, as it will be the Lakeside Hammers who moved into joint 2nd place in the table last night with their 19 point win over Coventry.

At the Top Pirates Well on TopTable-topping Poole Castle Cover Pirates weighed in with the kind of performance against their seaside rivals Eastbourne that suggested that they mean to stay at the top. Up from his sick bed Elite league rookie Chris Holder sensationally stormed to his second successive full maximum and his third of the season to steal the limelight from an all-round impressive Poole performance. Such was the dominance of the Pirates they restricted the Eagles to just three race wins all night - an early win from Lee Richardson in heat 3, a second one when as a tactical ride in heat 7 and a consolation victory for the out-of-luck Cameron Woodward in heat 14.
Whilst Holder scooped the Rider of the Night award, and deservedly so especially for the manner in which he completed his 5 ride maximum skating round Lee Richardson in heat 15, there were some splendid rides from his team-mates too. Magnus Zetterstrom delivered a storming ride to pass former Pirate Edward Kennett in heat 6; Dave Watt was emphatic in his resolve to close out the meeting with the Pirates fifth 5-1 as he produced a splendid turn of speed to get by Richardson in that exciting heat 15.
The 60-33 scoreline was just desserts for the Castle Cover Pirates who have now gone 7 league matches without defeat and extended their lead at the top of the Sky Sports table to 4 points. Lakeside, the Pirates' next opponents have moved into joint second following their home win over Coventry with the Hammers, crucially having 3 matches in hand over the Pirates.
Scorers:
Poole 60 - C.Holder 15(5); D.Watt 13+1(5); B.Pedersen 9(4) M.Zetterstrom 72(4); F.Eriksson 6+3(5); A.Skornicki 5+2(4); D.Davidsson 5(3)
Eastbourne 33 - L.Richardson 14(5); S.Nicholls 7(5); C.Woodward 4+1(4); E.Kennett 4(4); L.Bridger 3+1(4); S.Gustafsson 1(4); J.Brundle 0(4)

A Possible Dress Rehearsal?Castle Cover Pirates supremo Matt Ford is billing tomorrow night's Sky Sports Elite League clash between Poole and Eastbourne as potentially one of the great track battles.
Ford admitted: 'Both teams have named full-strength teams, it's a local derby against an Eastbourne team who have riders with past experience of riding for the Pirates, we're unbeaten in our last six league matches, Eagles are undefeated in their last five. It's currently first against fourth in the table and could be a rehearsal to either the play-off semi or final later in the season. It's set up perfectly for a head to head clash. The last time we tasted defeat in the league was at home against Peterborough on June 4. Since that depressing defeat, the team has taken on a new tougher stance and has won impressively at Coventry, Ipswich and Wolverhampton.But Eastbourne have found a second wind after losing home matches against the Pirates and Ipswich. They believe a play-off place is still well within their grasp. I'm sure they will see a possible win at Poole as a result that would help them considerably in their quest. It has all the ingredients of being a wonderful encounter against our old foes. The likes of former Poole men Scott Nicholls, Lee Richardson and Eddie Kennett are certainly going to keep us on our toes.�
Ford also took time out to lavish praise on home hero, Aussie sensation Chris Holder, after his 15-point maximum last Wednesday against Belle Vue. He added: 'Over the past four months we have watched Chris take impressive strides to professional maturity. Last week was another example of how he has taken a next step up with his second full score of the campaign. Without question, the sky is the limit for him, but it's nice to be able to sit back and watch a rider who has the ability to reach the sport's summit riding so well in the skull and crossbones.�
Castle Cover Pirates : Chris Holder, Magnus Zetterstrom, Dave Watt, Adam Skornicki, Bjarne Pedersen, Freddie Eriksson, Daniel Davidsson.
Eastbourne : Scott Nicholls, Lewis Bridger, Lee Richardson ( captain ) Cameron Woodward, Eddie Kennett, Simon Gustafsson, James Brundle.

Polish Round-Up Sunday July 27th Bjarne Pedersen was the pick of the bunch as far as the individual performances in Poland were of the Castle Cover Pirates. A 5-ride maximum for Pedersen steered GKZ Lotos Gdansk to a 55-35 win over GTZ Grudziaz in the I Liga. Also for the Gdansk side Magnus Zetterstrom was in impressive form dropping just one point to an opponent as he registed a 12 plus 2 score. In the same division Adam Skornicki scored 9 points from 6 outings, including a joker second place as PSZ Millon Team Poznan went down on away soil at Latvian club Lokomotiv Daugvapils (58-34). Early season Pirate Zibigniew Suchecki scored 3+1 for Poznan
In the Ekstraliga it was a none-too profitable day for Davey Watt who failed to score in three attempts for Marma Polskie Folie Rzeszow as they went down 62-30 at Atlas Wroclaw, but there was success on the road for Chris Holder's Unibax Torun as they beat ZKZ Kronopol Zielona Gora 32-58 with Holder scoring 7 plus 3.

Watt has spell with Witches Australian Davey Watt found himself up against his off-track friend Adam Shields for the second time this week on British tracks as the Poole man took a guest booking for Ipswich at Lakeside on Friday night. Watt, who had collected a paid maximum on Wednesday night for the Castle Cover Pirates in their victory over Belle Vue who had Shields guesting for Jason Crump, scored 6 points for the Witches as he stepped in for missing Pole Jaroslaw Hampel. The home side (Lakeside) ran out convincing winners in the end, 55-38, after the Witches had kept in touch during the first half of the meeting.

Swindon Close In Poole's lead at the top of the Sky Sports Elite league table was cut in half on Thursday night when Wiltshire rivals Swindon overcame dark horses Ipswich with a 49-44 home win. The Castle Cover Pirates, having ridden 22 of their 32 fixtures head the pack by 2 points from the Robins who have now ridden one more match than the Pirates. Lakeside are in third place and have 6 points to make up on the leaders with 5 matches in hand. However, just two of those are at their favoured Essex circuit where they have yet to lose in the league this season, but three of them are on their travels. The Hammers also have a second visit to the Wave105FM Wimborne Road track to contend with at the beginning of August.
Poole's next opponents are currently fourth placed Eastbourne Eagles, the Sussex side travel to Dorset this coming Wednesday (July 30th) but their place in the top four looks vulnerable as Ipswich, presently 5th, are just one point and one place behind them. The target for the Elite league clubs is to make the top 4 to reach the play-offs, the sides finishing first and second will have home advantage in the single leg play-off semi-finals.
Poole boss Matt Ford has set his charges a challenging 52 point finishing total which means that they need 18 more points from their remaining 6 home (v Eastbourne, Lakeside, Peterborough Swindon, Belle Vue and Ipswich) and 4 away (Swindon, Eastbourne, Peterborough and Ipswich) fixtures.

Pirates Emphatic The Poole Castle Cover Pirates regrouped for the first time since July 4th and produced an awesome performanc against the Belle Vue Aces which keeps them pinned firmly at the top of the Sky Sports Elite league table.
Chris Holder (left) weighed in with a perfect five ride perfomance whilst fellow Australian Davey Watt was also in the maximum bracket, he picking up a paid maximum from four rides. Skipper Bjarne Pedersen enjoyed three smooth wins and a paid win in heat 15 but had a rare blob on his scorecard despite a massive effort in heat 13. It was a close run thing to the line for 3rd and 4th place but the Aces veteran Joe Screen just managed to hold on for the point behind his team-mate for the night Adam Shields, who was standing in for the injured former Pirate Jason Crump.
On a night when the Poole club formerly announced that Matt Ford was now the sole investor in the club, following Mike Golding's departure to concentrate solely on his business with the Somerset Rebels, Ford was hoping that the Pirates would show no rustiness for the third time this season after an interrupted schedule. His boys responded in perfect fashion, restricting the visitors to just one heat advantage all night and that as late as heat 14 by which the destiny of the league points had already been confirmed.
Adam Shields apart the only other true threat from the Aces came in the shape of their new young reserve Patrick Hougaard who started his night with a win and closed it in similar fashion, showing that he has real talent, yet another promising youngster from the hotbed of Danish Speedway.
Speedway World Cup winner Bjarne Pedersen was presented with a special gift of some Pirate cufflinks to commemorate the part he played in bring success to Denmark at the weekend whilst Dave Watt was also presented with a cheque for £125 from the club's Fanzine PEP TALK to help offset some of the additional expenses he incurred on the weekend of his disastrous world championship trail, having opted to ride for the Pirates at Coventry just 24 hours before the event.
Scorers: Poole 59 C.Holder 15(Max); D.Watt 11+1(Paid Max); B.Pedersen 11+1; D.Davidsson 7+1; M.Zetterstrom 6+2; F.Eriksson 5 and A.Skornicki 4+2
Belle Vue 33 - A.Shields 9; P.Hougaard 8+2; B.Forsberg 7; J.Screen 5+2; C.Gjedde 4+1; N.Simmons 0; rider replacement operated for L.Jankowski.

Crump Ruled Out of Aces' Visit Elite league racing returns to the Wave 105FM Wimborne Road stadium on Wednesday night for the first time since the beginning of the month with Poole boss Matt Ford airing a word of caution to his side. On previous occasions this season when the Pirates have come back from a lay-off they have lost their fixture, not once but twice and Ford is anxious that the Castle Cover Pirates buck the trend.
They lost at home to Ipswich in May after their meeting seven days earlier against Belle Vue was abandoned and the defeat at home against Peterborough, also in May, saw the previous week's meeting against Eastbourne called off.
This time the club have had a break for the World Cup and the meeting two weeks ago against Ipswich rained off, so Ford is hoping tomorrow night will prove to be third time lucky. Ford admitted: "At the moment we're top of the table, but Lakeside are closing in with games in hand. We'll be rallying the team in the wake of what's happened earlier this season statistically. It's a bit strange the way in which the lack of racing has affected us so badly previously."
Belle Vue arrive in Dorset tomorrow night on the back of a comfortable win on Monday night against Peterborough, and have hastily sought Adam Shields as a replacement for double world champion and former Pirate Jason Crump (pictured) who suffered a wrist injury in last Saturday's World Cup Final. Top British star rider, and Wimborne Road track specialist, Chris Harris was lined up but he was involved in a crash at Coventry on Monday night, so is ruled out.
Castle Cover Pirates team manager Neil Middleditch said: "It's a shame Jason won't be here. But we must not get lulled into a false sense of security. It will be great to hear the roar of the bikes back at the Stadium after three weeks. But another two league points are imperative to maintain our push for a key play-off place."
The Poole club will also welcome back hero and captain Bjarne Pedersen, who was part of the triumphant Danish World Cup winners last Saturday. Ford added: "Poole Speedway is proud of its image as one of the flagship clubs in British Speedway and to have a world champion back in our midst is special for everyone connected with the club. Only recently I mentioned that I believed Bjarne was arguably riding better than at any time in his career. His equal highest score in the World Cup Final, just a couple of weeks after finishing equal top scorer in qualifiers during the British Grand Prix underlines this. I'm sure he'll be given a rapturous return tomorrow night by the fans."
Teams:
Poole Castle Cover Pirates: 1. C.Holder; 2. M.Zetterstrom; 3. D.Watt; 4. A.Skornicki; 5. B.Pedersen; 6. D.Davidsson ; 7.F.Eriksson
Belle Vue Aces: 1. A.Shields; 2. R/R for L.Jankowski; 3. C.Gjedde; 4. B.Forsberg; 5. J.Screen; 6. N.Simmons; 7. P.Hougaard

Zibi Back with a Double! Poole Castle Cover Pirate Zibigniew 'Zibi' Suchecki returned to the track today after his lengthy lay-off following his track crash back in April. Suchecki scored 11+1 from 5 rides, winning outright 3 of his heats and being paid for a win in another for PSZ Million Team Poznan in their 66-23 trouncing of Kolejarz Rawicz. Adam Skornicki scored paid 13 for the home side.
Magnus Zetterstrom scored 9 points and Poole skipper Bjarne Pedersen, after his SWC success, scored 11 but it couldn't prevent GKZ LotosG Gdansk losing at RKM Rybnik by a score of 50-40.
In the Ekstraliga, Chris Holder attained 8 points for Unibax Torun but they suffered a home defeat at the hands of Zlomrex Wlokniarz Czestochowa, 34-59. Davey Watt struggled for points, scoring just 1+1 for Marma Polski Folie Rzeszow as they also lost at home, 33-59 to ZKZ Kronopol Zielona Gora.
In the II Liga Freddie Eriksson returned paid 16 for Orzel Lodz but they narrowly lost at home to Speedway Miszkolc, 44-46
The Castle Cover Pirates are due to regroup on Wednesday night for a home Sky Sports league fixture against Belle Vue. The visiting Aces have a huge injury doubt over 2007 Pirate Jason Crump. The Australian suffered a wrist injury in the World Cup final in Denmark on Saturday.He is seeing a specialist to determine the full extent of the damage and has already been ruled out of the Aces home match against Peterborough on Monday night.
A host of Poole riders from the past attended a special speedway open day at the Sammy Miller Museum today. Organised by enthusiast Andy Scorey the event marked the 80th year of Southampton Speedway and 60th year of Poole Speedway,attracting a large crowd. Bruce Cribb, Mike Vernam, Ken Middleditch, Brian Crutcher, Neil Middleditch, Pete Smith, Bill Holden, Colin Gooddy and Kevin Smith were amongst the ex-Pirates to attend. The event raised monies for the Speedway Riders Benevolent Fund.

Danes Reclaim Fundin Trophy - Pre-tournament favourites Denmark lived up to the billing and reclaimed the Ove Fundin Trophy in front of a capacity crowd in a wet Vojens stadium on Saturday night. The home nation gained revenge for having the trophy snatched from their grasp last season by Poland, as both teams spearheaded this final that saw Australian Jason Crump forced to withdraw with a suspected broken wrist.
The Poles saw a mid-meeting lead wiped out by the strong Danish side who had a slender 1 point lead going into the last batch of rides. Crucially for Poland Jaroslaw Hampel hit a bit of unprepared track and lost control which denied Poland any points from heat 21 but it seemed as though they might have got away with things when Nicki Pedersen couldn't reproduce the sort of passing that he had showed in the first staging of the heat. A powercut interrupted proceedings for a while but Poole skipper Bjarne Pedersen kept his cool to superbly win heat 22 which further doubled the Danes' advantage to four points. Poland seem content to allow Bjerre collect his second win of the night and for the in-form Jagus to gain third place as that gave them the option of using the joker. A task that Tomasz Gollob was happy to undertake but he struggled on the tricky conditions as Chris Holder made a sensational start before pulling out, but it was Niel-Kristian Iversen who was there to seize the opportunity that assured the Danes as the winning nation.
Denmark 49:N.Pedersen 3,3,3,1,1,=11, B.Pedersen 2,3,1,2,3,=11, K.Bjerre 1,0,2,3,3,=9, N.Iversen 1,0,1,2,3,=7, H.Andersen 2,2,3,3,1,=11
Poland 46:R.Holta 1,2,1,0,1,=5,W.Jagus 3,3,3,2,1,=12, T.Gollob 3,2,2,3,4,=14, G.Walasek 0,0,1,0,3,=4, J.Hampel 3,3,2,3,X,=11
Sweden 39:A.Jonsson 0,1,2,1,3,2=9, D.Nermark 0,N,0,N,N,=0, P.Ljung X,0,2,F,2,=4, F.Lindgren 3,X,6,3,2,2=16, J.Davidsson 0,1,3,3,2,1=10
Australia 21:L.Adams 2,2,1,1,0,0=6, C.Holder 1,2,0,F,x,1R=4, J.Crump 2,1,N,N,N,=3, R.Sullivan 2,1,R,0,2,=5, D.Watt 1,1,0,0,1,0=3

Fixture News Poole Speedway can confirm that their planned visit to Ipswich on Saturday 26th July in the Sky Sports Elite league has now been deferred. A revised date has yet to be finalised for this fixture. The deferment of this fixture now means that the Poole Castle Cover Pirates have just two meetings remaining in July, both at home. They host Belle Vue on Wednesday 23rd and Eastbourne seven days later.

Lions Miss out on SWC Final Team GB found it a step too far in Thursday's Race-off of the SWC in Vojens. Whilst weighing in with a much improved all-round performance the Lions, underlined by a marvellous SWC debut appearance for 17 year old Tai Woffinden, still couldn't outpoint the might of Sweden (winners) and Poland (runners-up).
Woffinden bagged 9 points towards the cause of Team GB including a hugely impressive and emphatic win from heat 6, only his second ride in the competition, but Team GB's hopes fell apart after their joker option, used riskily in heat 15 when Scott Nicholls was off the difficult inside gate, netted only 2 points through his third place behind Jonas Davidsson (Swedish winner) and Wieslaw Jagus (Polish 2nd)
Sweden turned on the form over the course of the final two batches of rides to steal the show and send out a stark message to Australia and title favourites Denmark that they will have a task on their hands on Saturday night.
Sweden 53:J.Davidsson 2,2,3,2,1,=10,A.Jonsson 3,2,3,3,2,=13, P.Ljung 1,3,0,3,3,=10,F.Lindgren 3,2,3,3,3,=14,D.Nermark 0,R,3,0,3,=6
Poland 50:T.Gollob 3,1,2,2,2,=10,W.Jagus 2,2,2,3,2,=11, R.Holta 3,3,2,1,R,=9,G.Walasek 1,3,3,1,4,=12,J.Hampel 2,1,1,1,3,=8
GB 36:L.Richardson 0,2,1,N,1,=4,T.Woffinden 1,3,1,1,2,1=9, C.Harris 2,3,2,2,2,0=11,E.Kennett 2,X,1,0,N,=3,S.Nicholls 3,1,2,2,1,=9
Russia 17:D.Gizatulin 1,1,0,0,0,1=3,S.Darkin N,N,N,N,N,=0, D.Ivanov 0,1,0,0,0,0=1,R.Gafurov X,0,0,R,1,0=1,G.Laguta 1,0,2,3,X,6=12
Draw for Final - Denmark (Red); Australia (Blue); Sweden (White); Poland (Yellow).

Lions See Red - The draw has been made by the official jury for this week's SWC Race-off, to be held in Vojens on Thursday (17th) and it sees Team GB drawn in red with their fellow opponents from event two drawn in blue. Poland, who narrowly missed out on direct qualification for Saturday's final will wear the white helmet colours whilst Russia will be in yellow.
The top two sides from this meeting will progress to the final where Australia and championship favourites Denmark await
Once again on-line live updates will be covered on this website from 18:30hrs on Thursday. Visit Live Scores to follow all the results as they happen. Members of the PoolePiratePostbag can also join in a discussion thread on the forum here

Early Scandinavian Scrap before Danes Dominate - Event Two didn't share the same climax as the opening event of this year's SWC competition but the two Scandinavian nations produced some excellent speedway with title favourites Denmark coming out on top comprehensively in the end, as Sweden lost their way in the latter stages.
Sweden's demise coincided with a recovery from a well below par Team GB performance, the home nation having to wait 17 heats before they were able to celebrate a race winner. Hopes were that Scott Nicholls was going to deliver that first win as he gated well in heat 16 but he was caught out by Niels-Kristian Iversen although Nicholls' efforts appeared to spur the Lions on. Chris Harris darted out to win heat 17 beating two previously unbeaten riders, Kenneth Bjerre (Denmark) and Jonas Davidsson (Sweden) in doing so.
In his next outing Harris was involved in the closest finish of the tournament for second and third place with Fredrick Lindgren, both behind the runaway winner of Bjarne Pedersen who was in great form for the Danes and was the producer of some of the best passing on the night. With the verdict between Harris and Lindgren non-dividable they shared the three points, one and half each but there was little else to cheer from a home nation perspective, although their mid-meeting shrug off of the Czech Republic did secure their place in the Race-off. As team manager Jim Lynch stated "nobody rode well for us this evening and we have now got to re-group and focus on putting in a much improved performance on Thursday night"
Denmark's route through to the final was, in the end, emphatic enough,producing 15 of the 25 race winners and only once failing to score something in a heat, so they now join Australia in the final and will watch on with interest at the Race-off on Thursday (17th July) in Vojens as Sweden and Team GB join Poland and Russia in the quest for the final two places.
Denmark 63: N.Pedersen 3,3,2,3,3=14,N.K.Iversen 3,2,2,3,2=12, K.Bjerre 3,3,3,2,3=14,H.Andersen 2,0,2,3,3=10,B.Pedersen 3,3,2,3,2=13
Sweden 50.5: F.Lindgren 2,3,2,1.5,3=11.5,P.Ljung 1,2,1,1,2=7, A.Jonsson 1,2,3,1,2=9,J.Davidsson 3,6,3,1,3=16,D.Nermark 1,2,3,1,X=7
GB 25.5: S.Nicholls 1,0,X,2,1=4,C.Harris 2,1,1,3,1.5,L=8.5, L.Richardson 2,1,0,2,1=6,S.Stead 0,1,1,N,0=2,O.Allen 2,0,1,2,0=5
Czech Republic 13: M.Kus 0,0,N,N,1=1,A.Dryml 0,0,0,0,0=0, A.Rymel 0,1,3,X,0,2=6,F.Sitera 1,1,0,0,0,0=2,L.Tomicek 0,2,1,0,1=4
For a full list of heat by heat scores click HERE

Loyalties Divided in Event Two of SWC - British Poole fans will have their loyalties tested to the hilt tonight at Team GB go into SWC action against the mighty Denmark at Coventry.
Both nations will be seeking a chance to follow Australia directly to this Saturday's SWC Final in Vojens, Denmark, and the right to that is to win tonight's event two of the competition.
Poole skipper, the ever popular Bjarne Pedersen (left) lines up for the strong-looking Danes whilst Team GB hopes rest on the home track knowledge. Current Coventry riders Chris Harris, Simon Stead and Oliver Allen are all included together with former Bees Scott Nicholls and Lee Richardson.
Teams from Sweden and Czech Republic complete the line-up for tonight's action, live updates from which can be followed HERE
Teams:

Aussies win run-off to avoid Race-Off - Leigh Adams took Australia directly into the final of the SWC next Saturday by winning a dramatic 26th heat in Leszno, Poland on Saturday night.
Adams was very much the Australian hero, with a great display of speedway racing on his 'home' Polish track but he saved his very best for the crucial run-off against previously unbeaten Jaroslaw Hampel, another Leszno rider, after the top two nations had levelled on 56 points. Adams had put the Australians back on level terms with a joker ride , replacing Davey Watt in heat 19, his double points being even more profitable as Jagus packed up before the first turn. Then Chris Holder inched the Australians ahead with a heat 20 victory, but the meeting was still very much in the balance.
Wins for Jason Crump and Adams left the Australians four points up over Poland and even when the impressive Emil Saiftudinov won his joker ride for Russia ahead of Rune Holta it seemed that Ryan Sullivan's point could be vital to the Australian cause. And so it was as Tomasz Gollob cleverly 'nursed' Russian Grzegorz Laguta into second place at the expense of Dave Watt which left the Poles a strong chance of pulling off victory on the night. Australians hopes rested on young Chris Holder, who had ridden well all night, but the unbeaten Hampel was singularly focussed on the win that took the event into that dramatic 'extra-time'.
Australia 56+3 :L.Adams (3,2,3,3,6,3)=20+3 J.Crump (3,1,2,2,3)=11,C.Holder (3,2,1,3,2)=11, R.Sullivan (2,3,1,1,1)=8,D.Watt (2,3,0,N,1)=6
Poland 56+2:J.Hampel (3,3,3,3,3)=15+2,R.Holta (2,3,3,3,2)=13, T.Gollob (3,3,2,1,3)=12,K.Kasprzak (1,2,3,2,2)=10,W.Jagus (1,2,2,R,1)=6
Russia 36:E.Saifutdinov (2,2,2,2,N,6)=14, D.Gizatulin (0,1,3,2,1)=7,G.Laguta (1,1,1,2,N)=7, D.Ivanov (1,1,1,1,1)=5,R.Gafurov (1,1,N,0,1)=3
Hungary 10:M.Ferjan (2,0,1,2,4)=9,J.Tabaka (0,0,0,1,0)=1,S.Tihanyi (T,x,0,0,0)=0, N.Magosi (0,0,0,0,0)=0,L.Szatmarti (0,0,0,0,N)=0

Pirates Sit on 2-Point Cushion - Going into the SWC week break the Poole Caste Cover Pirates find themselves perched at the top of the Sky Sports Elite league nursing a 2 point advantage over closet rivals Swindon. Both sides have ridden 21 matches a-piece which is five more than Lakeside who would appear to be the biggest threat to the leaders at this stage of the season, although four of those matches in hand for the Hammers are on away shale.
Swindon missed the opportunity to rein in the Pirates over the course of the last 72 hours. With Poole's home match against Ipswich having been postponed early on Wednesday the Robins could only salvage a single point in a home draw against Belle Vue on Thursday and then saw an earl 12 point lead whittled away at Coventry on Friday.
The Elite League takes a break now whilst the SWC is contested, beginning today (Saturday 12th July) in Leszno. www.poolespeedway.net will be bringing Live heat bulletin and score updates from the event which features Australian, Russia, Hungary and Poland.

FIXTURE NEWS - Poole have provisionally set Wednesday 10th September to stage their outstanding home league fixture against Ipswich Witches. The two sides were due to have met on Wednesday of this week (9th July) but torrential and relentless rain left the Poole club with no option than to postpone the meeting prior to 8am. The Castle Cover Pirates have also now confirmed that Peterborough will visit the Wave 105FM stadium on Monday August 18th. This date had been provisional in the fixture list for the past few weeks but has now been firmed up.
The next home action for the Castle Cover Pirates is post Speedway World Cup week, on Wednesday July 23rd when Belle Vue provide the opposition.

Pirates Aussies Pair Prepare for SWC - Starved of action following Wednesday's early postponement night, two of the top Poole Castle Cover Pirates performers, Davey Watt (extreme left) and Chris Holder (left) are preparing for Speedway World cup action on Saturday night. This year's event opens in Leszno, Poland on Saturday with Australia up against Russia, Hungary and defending title holders Poland.
The two 2008 Pirates link up with three former Pirates, Ryan Sullivan, Leigh Adams and Jason Crump in the Australian side, under the management of Poole legend, the recently retired Craig Boyce. Australia ran out winners in last year's Race-Off against Poland and GB but then felt the full force of the home Polish side in last year's championship so it will be a massive boost if they can win in Poland on Saturday night
The winners from event 1 will earn the right to ride in the SWC Final in Vojens, Denmark on July 19th whilst the second and third placed sides will go into the Race-off on July 17th where they will meet the two runners-up sides from event 2 which takes place at Coventry next Monday (July 14th) and features GB, Sweden, Czech Republic and Bjarne Pedersen's Denmark side, who were overall runners-up last year.
Recent SWC history -

Score to Settle Proudly sitting 3 points clear at the top of the Sky Sports Elite League with over half the league fixtures completed the Castle Cover Pirates know that their advantage at the top could have been even greater had it not been for this week's opponents steal of the points on their previous visit. Seven weeks ago the Ipswich Evening Star Witches rolled into town and sprung a major shock, claiming their sixth consecutive league win with a highly convincing performance. Whilst the Pirates were able to end the Witches unbeaten run with a revenge win at Foxhall Heath on June 9th the Dorset side are still sore from having surrendered to the Suffolk side and will be keen to avoid a repeat on Wednesday (July 9th at 7.30pm).
The Castle Cover Pirates will be looking for their 13th league win of the season and put further distance between themselves and second placed Swindon and such a victory for the Pirates would see them extend their unbeaten league form to 6 successive victories, a sequence which ironically began with that Suffolk win.
The last time the Witches were in town they benefit ed from the averages in place at the time that facilitated them the use of a guest for the injured English international Chris Louis, with Chris 'Bomber' Harris deputising, but this time around the configuration of the Ipswich side means that the absence of Louis can only be covered by rider replacement. Also, the Castle Cover Pirates will have their inspirational captain Bjarne Pedersen in the line-up, the Dane having missed the earlier fixture as he was sidelined through injury.
Supporters attending the meeting will have an opportunity to 'chip in' to a collection being held for Dave Watt, after his expensive weekend due to non-arrival at his GP qualifying semi-final round in Sweden on Saturday having delayed his trip to ride for the Pirates at Coventry the previous night. As reported earlier this week the club's Fanzine PEP TALK has already pledged a donation towards affraying some of Watt's costs, but the club has agreed to site collection boxes at the turnstiles to allow all supporters to make further donations.
As well as the Ipswich Elite league fixture there will also be a supporting second half junior challenge between the two clubs, with the night getting underway with the special "Play Your Colours Right" quiz, open to all-comers from just after 7pm (see below for details).
Line-ups: Poole Castle Cover Pirates - 1. C.Holder; 2. M.Zetterstrom; 3. D.Watt; 4. A.Skornicki; 5. B.Pedersen; 6. F.Eriksson; 7. D.Davidsson
Ipswich Evening Star Witches - 1. P.Swiderski; 2. Rider Replacement; 3. J.Hampel; 4. S.Johnston; 5. R.Miskowiak; 6. T.Kroner; 7. C.Shramm
Junior line-ups: Poole - 1. M.Bates; 2. B.Johnson; 3. K.Newman; 4. A.Mcleod
Ipswich - 1. S.Campus; 2. J.Knight; 3. O.Rayston; 4. J.Jacobs.

Win Face's 2007 Team Jacket Poole fans will have the chance to WIN Craig Boyce's 2007 Team uniform jacket if they are keen enough to take part in the pre-meeting runaround style quiz hosted by top meeting presenter Nigel Leahy on Wednesday night. The popular "Play Your Flags Right" quiz which has been running throughout the season but normally reserved for the children will be open to all ages this Wednesday night, ahead of the Castle Cover Pirates home Sky Sports Elite League fixture against Ipswich Witches.
As well as this special prize, generously donated by Craig Boyce himself, the winner of the competition, in which all is needed is either tremendous general knowlege or good guesswork and a slice of luck, will also win the right to officially launch the meeting by hoisting the Jolly Roger, join the parade vehicle for the presentation of riders, become the proud owner of a Castle Cover cap and have the opportunity of having their photograph taken with their favourite Pirate.

Fanzine To Help Out Davey Luckless Australian Davey Watt will receive a financial boost on Wednesday when he will receive a donation from the club's Fanzine "PEP TALK". The donation is to help towards the costs incurred by Watt over the weekend who had a frustrating trip to Sweden for his world championship semi-final.
Watt had decided to forego Friday's practice session so that he could take his place in the Poole side that was riding at Coventry and made travel arrangements to fly out early Saturday morning. But unknown to Watt his flight from Amsterdam to Linkopping had been overbooked and Watt was one of a few passengers that were refused boarding. The Australian immediately attempted a contingency plan by flying to Stockholm but delays with that flight meant he was late arriving in Sweden and had no chance of getting to the Motala circuit in time for sign-on.
Under FIM rules Watt is liable to a fine for failing to attend on time a meeting, along with the additional expense he incurred, so the Fanzine has stepped forward with small donation to help affray some of that expense. The editor of the Fanzine, Steve Allen, said "Davey showed tremendous club loyalty on Friday by putting the team before his own personal glory. For it to go the way it did for Davey is a great pity and we at PEP TALK would just like him to know how much the fans appreciate him putting Poole first".

Polish Round Up - Sunday July 6thAfter his delayed trip to Sweden on Saturday, Dave Watt was in Poland on Sunday riding for his Extraliga club Marma Rzeszow at Wolkniarz Czestochowa. Watt scored 6 points from 5 rides as his side were defeated heavily 65-26. In the I Liga match between Lotos Gdansk (48) and Intar Lazur Ostrow (42) Magnus Zetterstrom scored 11+1 and Bjarne Pedersen 10 for the home side. Both those meetings had afternoon starts whilst Adam Skornocki's match for PSZ Million Team Poznan at Polonia Bydgoszc was a later start at 19:00 hrs. Skornicki took full advantage of a joker rider to win heat 10 but his side still went down 58-35 with Adam scoring 16.

FIXTURE CHANGE The Castle Cover Pirates will be making a rare Saturday night visit to Ipswich on Saturday 26th July, it has been confirmed. The Pirates were originally scheduled to make the trip on 18th September but the date has now been brought forward.

Watt Misses GP Qualifier Australian Davey Watt's chosen stance of club loyalty cost him a chance of progressing towards the 2009 GP series. Watt, the Castle Cover Pirates Rider of the Night on Wednesday against Coventry opted to miss Friday practice and travel out on the day of his semi-final round so that he could ride in the return match at Coventry on Friday night. But his travel plans came unstuck when flight delays meant he missed the crucial connection and with the Motala meeting starting at 4pm he missed the sign-on time for the meeting.
Watt was replaced in the meeting by Kenneth Bjerre, and the Dane took full advantage of the opportunity by qualifying for the GP challenge in Zielona Gora. The meeting was won by Peter Karlsson with Jonas Davisson, Niels-Kristian Iversen, Daniel Nermark, Grzegorz Walasek, Tomasz Jedrzejak and Matej Ferjan the others to qualify. The second semi final in Terenzano was won by Britain's Lee Richardson with Jesper B Monberg, Peter Ljung, Sebastian Ulamek, Matej Zagar, Charlie Gjedde, Ryan Sullivan and Adrian Miedzinski all booking their places in the final, which makes them 5 rides away from the GP 2009 series.

Pirates Make it 6-Ahoy Poole Castle Cover Pirates pulled three points clear at the top of the Sky Sports Elite league after completing a swift 'double' over Coventry. For the second time in 48 hours the Pirates comprehensively overcame a Bees side, this time showing no compassion for a side further depleted with injuries.
Starting with just three of their regular 7 starters the Bees' injury jinx struck again when Oliver Allen took an awkward heat 9 fall. The British world cup rider was forced to withdraw from the rest of the meeting nursing a left arm injury and the doctor was kept busy as guest Tai Woffinden was struggling with a shou injuty. He too was signed out of the meeting, by which time the Pirates had steadily constructed a six point lead, a strong enough foundation from which to register four maximum heat scores from the final five heats to finish off the Bees.
Magnus Zetterstrom (pictured, in photo coyrighted photo by Aaron Lupton) and Bjarne Pedersen were both in fine form, 'Zorro' only losing to fellow Swede and Coventry guest Freddie Lindgren whilst Pedersen dropped his only point to Coventry's other guest Piotr Swiderski. Dave Watt enjoyed a solid pay night with a paid 9 score to compensate for missing the practice session for his world championship qualifying meeting which is being held tomorrow in Sweden.
Fellow Australian Chris Holder and reserve Freddie Eriksson also enjoyed bumper pay nights whilst Adam Skornicki gave his usual solid performance. Poole's 19 point margin of victory would have been even greater had the luckless Daniel Davidsson not experienced a heat 2 engine failure whilst heading for a near certain second 5-1 of the night for the Pirates.
Scorers: Coventry 37 - F.Lindgren 15+2 (2',3,1',2,6,1); P.Swiderski 8 (3,2,1,1,1,0); T.Woffinden 5 (1,2,2,0); O.Allen 4 (0,3,1,Fx),A.Messing 3+2 (1',0,1',0,1); S.Burza 2 (2,0,0,0,0)
Poole 56 - B.Pedersen 14 (2,3,3,3,3); F.Eriksson 10+1 (3,1',1,2,3); M.Zetterstrom 11 (3,2,3,3); C.Holder 8+4 (2',0,2',2',2'); D.Watt 8+1 (1,3,3,1'); A.Skornicki 5+2 (0,1,2',2'); D.Davidsson 0 (R,0,0)
More Photos from Aaron Lupton here

Fixture News It is has now been confirmed that there will be NO meeting at the Wave105FM stadium on Wednesday July 16th.
user This means that the Castle Cover Pirates will entertain Ipswich this coming Wednesday (July 9th at 7.30pm) and then there will be no speedway action at the stadium until the visit of Belle Vue on Wednesday 23rd July.


Adam Reaches Polish Final Adam Skornicki successfully negotiated his Polish semi-final on Thursday night at Gorzow with a score of 11 points that puts him through to the Polish final.He levelled on scores with two riders who have also seen service with Poole, Adrian Gomolski and Krzysztof Kasprzak in a meeting won by Jaroslaw Hampel with 12 points, equal to that of Rune Holta. Joing those riders from the Gorzow round will be Piotr Protasiewicz and former Pirates Robert Kosciecha and Grzegorz Walasek. From the other semi-final the 8 qualifiers were Tomasz Gollob, Krzysztof Jablonski, Sebastian Ulamek, Tomasz Jedrzejak, Adrian Miedzinski, Michal Szczepaniak, Slawomir Drabik and Piotr Swiderski
Both Skornicki and Swiderski will be back in England tonight for the Coventry Buildbase Bees versus Poole Castle Cover Pirates league match at Brandon (8pm). Swiderski will be questing for the Bees who have Chris Harris and Billy Janniro ruled out through injury and Rory Schlein and Simon Stead taking advantage of practice ahead of tomorrow night's Grand Prix qualifying semi-final in Motala, Sweden. It is an option that Poole's Dave Watt has declined and he will be taking his place in a full-strength Poole side this evening.
Teams: Coventry: Chris Harris R/R, Tai Woffinden, Fredrik Lindgren, Olly Allen, Piotr Swiderski, Stan Burza, Andreas Messing.
Poole: Chris Holder, Magnus Zetterstrom, Davey Watt, Adam Skornicki, Bjarne Pedersen, Freddie Eriksson, Daniel Davidsson

Pirates First for Watt Australian Davey Watt (left) who top scored for the Castle Cover Pirates on Wednesday night against Coventry has put his team first ahead of individual glory. Watt, who scored 11 points on Wednesday despite taking a knock on his knee, has opted to miss practice in his world championship semi-final qualifier meeting on Friday in Motala, Sweden as the Castle Cover Pirates ride at Coventry in a return league fixture.
It means that the Pirates will be at full strength whilst the Bees, already without injured Chris Harris and Billy Janniro, will have Rory Schlein and Simon Stead in the same meeting as Watt. The Bees will use rider replacement for Harris, and have called in Wolves captain Fredrik Lindgren and Ipswich's in-form Piotr Swiderski to guest for their absent heat-leaders, whilst one-time Poole target and British Under-21 Champion Tai Woffinden deputises for Janniro.

Pirates Hit Top Spot Again Poole Castle Cover Pirates moved back to the top of the Sky Sports Elite league after overcoming a depleted Coventry side that showed plenty of determination. The Pirates 54-36 victory came after they conceded a 5-1 in the opening heat as Rory Schlein and Oliver Allen fired a stark warning to the Pirates that they could pay heavily if they rested on their laurels. It was perhaps the reminder that the Pirates needed and once they levelled the match through Swedish reserves Freddie Eriksson and Daniel Daniel Davidsson in heat 2, they were quick to open an advantage which they were never in the mood to relinquish, despite the Bees' tireless efforts.
Australian Chris Holder took a heat 10 fall that fortunately did more damage to the airfence than himself, and then skipper Bjarne Pedersen had the misfortune of an engine failure at the start of 11 which ensured the Bees were still in contention going into the final few heats, trailing by just 6 points.
A 4-2 from Watt (the Pirates' top scorer, pictured) and Davidsson preceeded a wrapping up 5-1 from Holder and Pedersen in heat 13 and then Freddie Eriksson and Adam Skornicki superbly put paid to any faint hopes the Bees may have had as the Poole pairing kept tactical rider Daniel King, guesting for Billy Janniro, at bay to seal the win
Scorers: Poole 54 D.Watt 11, C.Holder 10, B.Pedersen 8+1, F.Eriksson 7+1, M.Zetterstrom 7, D.Davidsson 6+1, A.Skornicki 5+2
Coventry 36 R.Schlein 14, O.Allen 9+1, S.Stead 6, S.Burza 4+1, D.King 3+1,A.Messing 0, (rider replacement for C.Harris)

Make Bjarne the Bees Knees, requests Poole boss Castle Cover Pirates boss Matt Ford is urging Poole Speedway fans to give home captain Bjarne Pedersen a huge reception on his return to Wimborne Road tomorrow (Wednesday) following the Danish rider's brilliant British Grand Prix performance at the weekend. Pedersen finished equal highest scorer on Saturday night at the Millennium Stadium in front of 45,000 fans, but was robbed of a place in the final after Polish referee Marek Wojaczek excluded the Poole man in the semi final after his namesake, Nicki Pedersen, fell at the first turn when Bjarne was clear.
Ford admitted: "Bjarne has been with us at Poole for seven years and I don't think I have ever seen him ride as well in that time. He is absolutely at the peak right now and possibly the worst ever decision by a referee on Saturday robbed Bjarne of the British GP crown.”
“ Everyone who watched that meeting knows just how hard Bjarne had worked to get the inside gate for the semi final and the way in which he shot away from the start, he was set for another win and choice of gate positions for the final. As a club, we all feel totally deflated for our captain, but I know Poole fans will do their bit to lift him before tomorrow night's meeting."
Pedersen switches to the No 5 race jacket as Pirates return to league action against last year's Treble winners Coventry. A win for the home team will put the Pirates back on top of the Sky Sports Elite League table albeit on points difference ahead of rivals Swindon. In another switch in the averages, Magnus Zetterstrom moves into the team at No 2 - with fellow Swede Freddie Eriksson partnering Daniel Davidsson at reserve.
Ford added: "Whatever happens, we believe we have the most prolific reserves in the Elite League. With Daniel finding form over the past couple of weeks, we are confident Dan and Fred will be trump cards at the back end of the side."
“ Coventry have been hit by injuries with England star Chris ‘ Bomber ‘ Harris unable to take his place in the Bees line-up after suffering a broken nose, plus shoulder and leg injuries in an horrific British GP crash with Denmark's Niels-Kristian Iversen at the weekend (rider replacement covers) and then losing the services of Billy Janniro at Lakeside on Monday, for whom Daniel King will guest. Despite the Bees' problems we're taking nothing for granted. Everyone said it was a foregone conclusion that we would qualify through to the Craven Shield Final after building up a big semi-final first leg win against Coventry six weeks ago. But we lost Bjarne at a crucial stage of the meeting and ended up losing on aggregate.”
"We've got to win as many home victories between now and the end of the season and add some more victories on the road to try and nail a top two place in the table. That's the aim. The team's got a good shape at the moment with Chris Holder and Magnus Zetterstrom back together as a partnership plus Davey Watt and Adam Skornicki, a terrific middle order. Bjarne has the opportunity to mop up the rest of the points with the reserves."
Teams:
CASTLE COVER PIRATES: 1 Chris Holder, 2 Magnus Zetterstron, 3 Davey Watt, 4 Adam Skornicki, 5 Bjarne Pedersen (Capt), 6 Daniel Davidsson, 7 Freddie Eriksson. Team Manager: Neil Middleditch.
COVENTRY BUILDBASE BEES: 1 Rider Replacement (for Chris Harris), 2 Oliver Allen, 3 Rory Schlein, 4 Daniel King (guest for Janniro), 5 Simon Stead, 6 Stanislaw Burza, 7 Andreas Messing. Team Manager/s Colin Pratt and Peter Oakes.

Harris Could Miss Trip to Poole The appearance of regular visitor Chris Harris to Wimborne Road on Wednesday night seems to be in jeopardy. Harris (pictured in , known throughout the sport as 'Bomber' was programmed to ride in Wednesday night's encounter between the Castle Cover Pirates and the Coventry Bees but he was injured during the controversial British GP at Cardiff on Saturday.
Harris, the 2007 British GP champion, has been ruled out of the Bees' televised Elite league trip to Lakeside, a rehearsal for the Craven Shield final, tonight and is doubtful for Wednesday night but the Coventry camp are "hoping that Harris will not be ruled out for too long".
Harris crashed in heat 20 of the GP sustaining facial injuries including a broken nose, and some knee damage, but battled on through to the semi-final stages, but in far less controversial circumstances than the Poole skipper Bjarne Pedersen, who was penalised for a rider riding into the back of him.
The Bees will operate rider replacement to cover the absence of Harris but do welcome back Billy Janniro into the team and Andreas Messing at reserve, whilst the new July averages sees a team re-shuffle for the Castle Cover Pirates.
Wednesday's provisional line-ups: Poole: Chris Holder, Magnus Zetterstrom, Davey Watt, Adam Skornicki, Bjarne Pedersen, Freddie Eriksson, Daniel Davidsson. Coventry: C.Harris or Rider Replacement, Oliver Allen, Rory Schlein, Billy Janniro, Simon Stead, Stanislaw Burza, Andreas Messing

BJARNE ROBBED IN CARDIFF Poole skipper Bjarne Pedersen was robbed during his best GP performance for some time by some much controversial refereeing decisions that left the majority of the 40,000 crowd incensed. Two strange refereeing decisions, both involving GP leader Nicki Pedersen and both going in his favour despite him being the first turn faller on both occasions. Polish referee Marek Wojaczek, using the video replay but seeing something that few others managed, chose to exclude the rider leading at the time.
The first decision was ruled against Leigh Adams in heat 17 and that denied the Australian a shot at the semi-finals. But the second time proved even more critical as it cost Bjarne Pedersen a chance of making the final and on the form that he was showing on the night, a top favourite to lift the British GP as well as claim a place in the end of season Super Prix in Germany, contested by the winners of the Gothenburg, Copenhagen,Cardiff and Gelsenkirchen rounds.
Instead Nicki Pedersen rode his luck to reach his 9th consecutive grand final where he was joined by British hope Scott Nicholls, Jason Crump and the ultra-fast Greg Hancock. British dreams of two successive years were dashed when Nicholls rode through the tapes in his eagerness to get away and the last heat was as dramatic as many others with Pedersen crashing out down the home straight of the opening lap and collapsing on the in-field whilst Hancock and Crump fought out a real tussle. It was Crump though who eventually triumphed, ending his long drought of championship wins.
The wins moves Crump (70) to within 10 points of Nicki Pedersen (80), with Hancock overall third on 64. Bjarne Pedersen's brilliant 14 points moves him on to 25 for the series
Standings: N.Pedersen 80, J.Crump 70, G.Hancock 64, T.Gollob 62, L.Adams 49, H.Andersen 48, A.Jonsson 46, F.Lindgren 41, R.Holta 39, S.Nicholls 34, N.Iversen 32, C.Harris 30, B.Pedersen 25, K.Kasprzak 21, L.Dryml 17.

Crump Unbeaten as Boyce Signs Off Former Castle Cover Pirate Jason Crump strung together four impressive unbeaten rides in the Craig Boyce Farewell meeting but his performace couldn't prevent the Bournemouth Bedding Centre side, team-managed by former World Champion Sam Ermolenko, from winning the meeting with a massive 38 points. They, Krzysztof Kasprzak, Chris Holder, David Howe and Jason Doyle were the only side to have race winners all-round. The night itself though was all about saying farewell to Craig Boyce who has worn his kevlars for the final time and admitted that it was an 'awesome night and was indebted to hundreds of people for making his racing career such a happy time but he saved his special thanks to Neil Street. "'Bill' is a grandfather figure to me and if it wasn't for him I would never had been given the chance to get over here when I did. It has been a great time and I am very grateful to him. There were times tonight when I wished I had included myself in one of the sides but the match races were fun and I have another job to do tomorrow. But I will still be seen here at Poole quite regularly as I am helping a number of the boys with their engines."
Scorers: Bournemouth Bedding Centre 38 (K.Kasprzak, C.Holder, J.Doyle 10 each, D.Howe 8); Argon Welding 24 (J.Crump 12, J.Frampton 5, D.King 4, C.Gathercole 3); Inter-Estate 22 (D.Watt 8, L.Bridger 6, C.Woodward 5, R.Schlein 3); Sharp Retail Systems 12 (E.Kennett 7, L.Richardson 3, S.Johnston 2, J.Holder 0).

Pirates in Sweden Round Up (June 23rd) Five of the current Castle Cover Pirates team were in action in the Swedish Elitserien on Tuesday night with the Poole reserve pairing of Magnus Zetterstrom and Daniel Davidsson rivals on the night. Zetterstrom's Indianerna side won 54-42 over Davidsson's Elit Vetlanda with Zorro scoring 6 points and Davidsson 3. Freddie Eriksson also scored 3 points for Hammarby as they lost at home to Smederna 47-49 whilst both Bjarne Pedersen and Dave Watt amassed 12 points each for their sides. Watt's 12 were a large contribution towards his struggling MasarnaAvesta side's total of 36 as they lost heavily at Dackarna (60). Pedersen's Vastervik side lost away at Piraterna 47-49. In the only other match Rospiggarna beat league leaders Lejonen 50-46
The Castle Cover Pirates take a break from team racing tomorrow night as the club hand over the reins to the Craig Boyce Farewell Meeting, which features a four team tournament and celebratory match races involving the legend himself Craig Boyce.

Pirates in Poland Round-up Freddie Eriksson dropped his only points of his meeting in the II Liga for Orzel Lodz against KSM Krosno to Jan Jaros. Eriksson was twice beaten by Jaros but delivered a revenge win when they met in heat 14. Eriksson scored 10+3 from his five rides as Lodz won 52-38.
In the I Liga Magnus Zetterstrom and Bjarne Pedersen both enjoyed multiple race wins for GKZ Lotos Gdansk during their visit to basement side Kolejarz Rawicz, which ended in a 53-37 win for the away side. Pedersen went through his six-race card unbeaten for to record an 18 point maximum whilst Zetterstrom, after a first ride last place strung three winning rides together for 9 points.
An electricity fault caused a lengthy delayed midway through the match between PSZ Milion Team Poznan and RKM Rybnik. Once power had been restored the home side went on to win by 47-44 with Adam Skornicki's heat 15 victory being enough to secure the victory. Skornicki scored 12 from 5.
Lokomotiv Daugavpils beat league leaders Polonia Bydgoszcz 47-43 whilst the other I Liga fixture was a later start with the scores level at 21 each between Intar Lazur Ostrow and GTZ Grudziaz when the meeting was delayed due to an incident involving Mariusz Puszakowski.

Young Australia Qualify for Speedway World Cup - Craig Boyce's young Australian side have successfully qualified for the U21 Speedway World Cup final to be staged in Holsted, Denmark on September 21st, despite being heavily outpointed by Poland in their semi-final. The Australians scored 47 points in the semi-final in Diedenbergen this afternoon, thus overcoming the Czech Republic's 38 points from the first semi final. Poland (63) won the semi-final with hosts Germany scoring 36 and Slovenia being well outclassed mustering just 4 points.
The final will be contested between Poland, Sweden, Australia and seeded hosts Denmark. Individual scores: Poland 63 (R.Kasprzak 14; A.Gomolski 14; M.Janowski 14; M.Szczepaniak 11; G.Zengota 10)
Australia 47 (C.Holder 13; K.Smith 13; R.Ksiezak 9; T.Proctor 8; A.Summers 4)
Germany 36 (R.Speiser 10; F.Facher 10; K.Wolbert 8; M.Dilger 6; E.Pudel 2)
Slovenia 4 (A.Conda 1; M.Duh 1; A.Remih 1; D.Bot 1; M.Voldrih 0).

Holder Misses Out on GP Road - Chris Holder hit a 'road-block' along the Grand Prix qualifying route on Saturday night in Lonigo, Italy, enduring a frustrating night. A first heat exclusion and retirements in his second and fourth rides resulted in Holder finishingin 9th place in the fourth qualifying round. When he did complete the distance Holder achieved a second place to Simon Stead in his third ride and a win in his final outing to finish on 5 points, three points adrift of the lowest of the 8 qualifiers.
Two former Pirates, Matej Ferjan and Ryan Sullivan, both ex-GP riders, dominated the meeting. Ferjan beat Sullivan when the pair met in the fourth rides before dropping a point to Simon Stead in his final outing. Sullivan won his final ride to force a run-off, in which he gained revenge over Ferjan for that heat defeat to win the meeting. Peter Ljung contested and won a 3rd/4th place run off against Mads Korneliussen (both 12 points) whilst positions 5th to 8th were decided by a four man run off, won by Jesper B Monberg from British due of Daniel King and Simon Stead with Italian Mattia Carpanse in fourth.
Full scorecard click here

ZORRO BACK ON TRACK - Magnus Zetterstrom has made his track return following the injury he sustained to his hand on Tuesday night in Sweden. Zorro was ruled out of the Castle Cover Pirates KO cup triumph over Swindon but returned to the saddle in the Edward Jancarz Memorial Meeting held in Gorzow, Poland on Saturday evening. He scored 3 points, with the meeting being won by former Pirate Jason Crump with Nicki Pedersen second and Poole asset Krzysztof Kasprzak in third. Karol Zabik also appeared in the meeting and scored 4 points. Nicki Pedersen was unbeaten in the heats but he lost out on the title when Jason Crump beat him in the Grand Final.

Another semi-final against the Bees - A 19 point home win for Coventry against Belle Vue in the second leg of the KO Cup on Friday night has set-up another Coventry v Poole semi-final. The two sides met in the semi-final of the Craven Shield earlier in the season when the Bees sensationally overcame a 24 point deficit to book their place in the final of that competition.
But the KO Cup draw brings the two sides together again, with the dates having been set for Monday 11th August at Coventry and the second leg at Poole just 48 hours later. And the two sides will have something of a rehearsal for that as it is the Bees that provide the next opposition to the Castle Cover Pirates, during the first week of July. With Craig Boyce staging his farewell meeting at the Wave 105FM Wimborne Road stadium on Wednesday the Pirates have a mini-break for team business, and they will re-group for the home league match against Coventry on Wednesday July 2nd before meeting the Bees again on July 4th.
In the other quarter final cup tie completed last night Lakeside booked their semi-final place having achieved the double of Peterborough. The Hammers had won at Peterborough on Thursday (59-31) and sealed the tie with a 50-42 score. Poole skipper Bjarne Pedersen guested for Peterborough scoring 15 points from 6 rides.

Book Prize Winner - www.poolespeedway.net proudly announces that the winning entry in the prize competition for a signed copy of Brian Crutcher's biography - "Brian Crutcher: The Authorised Biography" was submitted by Mr Peter Gundry.
Lots of correct answers to the question "Brian Crutcher finished second in the 1954 World Final at Wembley, which rider was crowned champion that year?" were received but it was Mr Gundry's entry that was the one randomly selected by the computer. The correct answer being Ronnie Moore.