Steve Shovlar

Trouble is Edinburgh are just a two man team to be fair. If masters allows a 5-1 against him in heat one it sets the tone. Worrall, Howarth and Morris have the beating of Pickering so it as always a Leicester win. This is the easy semi final and it shows. Sunday a completely different affair.

No wonder Leicester picked Edinburgh. The Monarchs are cccrrraaaaapp!

You think? I think Glasgow are stronger with the more experienced Starke, especially so at reserve. I was gutted Danyon was not in this years team as he is a great lad and has improved a lot this season. But Paul Starke has been there and got the t-shirt. At reserve he could get double figures and come in for an under performing top five rider. All the Pirates need to put it on the line on Sunday. They don’t want to leave Glasgow without giving 100% effort and Havvy will no doubt expect maximum effort. If we come up short, we’ll so be it. But no silly tapes exclusions or falls.

Starke was always nailed on, and at reserve will be a serious force to be reckoned with. He goes very well at Poole. But I am sure the Pirates will be well up for this and it will be a very tight couple of meetings. Glasgow go into it as favourites and we need to hold them to 8-10 points to stand a chance of making the final.

Championship league leaders and odds on favourites for the title Leicester Lions got their paws clipped tonight by a battling Poole Pirates. It was a very good meeting on a well prepared track and lots of very entertaining heats. I think when Poole had opened a 10 point league Stewart Dickson told his team to not take risks. No point chasing something that had got away from them and a bigger meeting at Edinburgh on Friday. Thing is, Steve Worrall had bike issues in his first two rides. What would the score have been had he not had these issues? All the Poole boys are riding well, and I include Nathan in that. He’s battling to the best of his ability. But it was refreshing to see both Drew Kemp and Zack Cook bring their A game. Rider of the night was Ben Cook, with an amazing pass of Howarth on the very last bend which brought the house down. Richard Lawson also unbeaten. Pirates head to Scotland on Sunday for a very tough and challenging meeting in the first leg of the Championship Semi-Finals. Back to Poole next Wednesday for the second leg. If, and it’s a big if, Poole were to meet Leicester in the final, the two meetings this week will be meaningless. Now Pirates meet Redcar in the KO Cup final.

He would do a good job at reserve for any team but I feel he needs to lose quite a bit of weight to progress. His battles are nearly always from the back. Ten kilos lighter would help his starts. He said tonight he had to lose some weight to get riding again. He lives right up north and said it was a 7 hour drive to Plymouth.

Gary said he had aggravated a shoulder injury. They knew at mid day so got Roynon in. I thought it was an entertaining meeting. The track rode well and there was some good passing. Nicholls and Lawson excellent, but rider of the meeting was Complin with his never say die wall of death blasts around the outside. What a shame he turned his back on the sport for 11 seasons. He was a talent in his youth and one wonders what career he would have had had he not quit.

Has Ostergaard ridden since end of July? Heard they can use Starke or Etheridge in place of Hume, which would be a hell of a guest.

Pirates need to be on top form to keep it close. We are capable but need to hold it to ten points. With no tacs allowed, reserves play an even more important role and this is where we can come unstuck. But I am sure we will be fired up and giving it our best shot!

I think Torpoint has answered his own post. When Poole got the draw at Glasgow, Brennan was missing. He is now on top form. How can Poole be favourites? I think it will be two great meetings and close. A shame it’s now so expensive to travel up. £140 for flights, plus travel to Bristol, plus car park. Then £18 bus to Glasgow centre, and £80 for hotel. £300+ to go up. Alternatively drive which would be £150+ in fuel + hotel. Or watch on BSN.

No excuses. Glasgow finished in second and so proved themselves over the course of the season to be a more consistent team, along with Leicester. We are third favourites and the most likely final will be between Glasgow and Leicester. Edinburgh might cause a shock but it would need a couple of riders to really step up to backup Pickering and Masters. Don’t think they have the depth even though heats 13 and 15 are virtually nailed on for Edinburgh at home. If Poole make it through to the semis, these two meetings should be very exciting and close.

Should be a good couple of meetings should we beat Plymouth on aggregate tonight. Too far to watch live though. If it was the final I would come up but it’s going to be on BSN. Pirates need to hold it to ten points to be in with a chance but it makes a change to not be favourites to go through to the final.

3000 feet above Blandford Forum, flying between the clouds towards Swanage.

Had no idea this was on until I saw a post on Twitter congratulating Bewley. I just watched it on catchup and Bewley was head and shoulders above everyone else. Congrats to him. With a Polish bike he is so fast compared to the rest. Just goes to show the level that British youngsters have to get to, to compete at the top level. A shame the top three were all “Belle Vue” riders. Home advantage helping them get there. Not that Bewley needed it. Well done to Danny King making the final on what were clearly slower bikes than anyone else. A decent meeting. Not great not bad. A shame the crowd was not great. Lots of empty seats in the grandstand when the weather is dry and OK on a Sunday afternoon. Where was Lambert? where was Woffinden?

Poole were on a 5-1 in heat 13. Otherwise what would Poole fans be shouting for Morris to clear the track? From Poole Twitter: Heat 13 Pirates edge into first and second but Morris takes heavy fall off turn 4 and race stopped. To be rerun without Morris and after fence repairs

All the posts from people there said Poole had worked to ease through to a dominant 5-1 when Morris fell, causing a rerun. Without the fall Poole would have won the meeting. Perhaps some Poole fans were infuriated on what they saw as gamesmanship? It certainly worked as Howarth gated to win a rerun he was no where near winning first time around?

Pirates are riding far better than when Leicester came to us and won. And it looks after tonight we are heading to Glasgow in the playoffs, as I said a few weeks ago. Would Leicester risk chosing us in the semi finals? Hope Nick Morris is OK.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why Leicester would never pick us in the playoff semi finals. Great rally and we should have won it. Heat 13 and on a 5-1 when Morris fell. Howarth gated in rerun. Zack falling on a 4-2 and in heat two Ablitt falling when leading. Silly errors which cost us the win but Leicester now have to come to Poole and win or draw.

Forgot this was on. Looks like we are having a bit of a kicking. Oh well can’t win them all. Looking like a 52-38 type meeting unless we can rally. We have thrown some silly points away.

A shame this isn’t being streamed. The meetings are filmed but dvd sales would be a fraction of what a stream would bring in. Is there a reason why Leicester won’t live stream?

Sounds like security should have kicked the idiot out.

Was watching Andersens scoring and he seemed he had it in his head that he didn’t want any last places, which he succeeded in doing. Flint might have said nothing online but his mannerisms on track were clear.

Good to see a contingent of Plymouth fans on the second bend. I thought the meeting itself was far better than the scoreline. Summers was a decent guest and got Plymouths only heat winner in heat 14 with a third to first ride. Good stuff. Complin was also very good value with his around the fence rides, which worked at times and didn’t in others. What was it with Hans in heat 13 that he fenced Flint down the back straight on lap three for third when the Poole riders were well gone? Flint certainly displayed his displeasure at Andersens actions. The result was as expected looking at the strengths of the two teams. Our top three were untouchable. Special mention to Nathan Ablitt who was named rider of the night for his ride in heat 12. He was unlucky in heat two when he tried to go around the outside of Complin but was squeezed against the fence which sent him to the back.

Yes it has. The weather system pepped up. No issues with the call off but this morning first thing it looked different. At least tomorrow is looking much better and we should see some action.

It was a ridiculous decision and both clubs should have used neither.