REPORT: Poole Pirates v Redcar Bears - Play-off Semi Final 1st Leg

16/09/25

Pirates have a slender six point advantage to take with to Redcar at the beginning of October after being held to a 48-42 score at Wimborne Road.

The semi-final started strongly for the defending champions as Richard Lawson and Tobias Thomsen struck big time with a 5-1 over Charles Wright and Jake Mulford but if Poole fans thought that would be the pattern of the night they had a rude awakening when Ace Pijper and Jody Scott, did just what their team manager Gavin Parr, had threatened, restoring parity to the scores with a fairly comfortable 5-1 of their own. Trading continued with Zach Cook and Lewis Kerr investing in another for Poole. Anders Rowe, after earning a warning for premature movement at the start, produced a battling ride to oust Danny King (no mean feat) whilst Will Cairns backed up in third place at the expense of Pijper. But having put at least a heat advantage between themselves and Redcar, the Pirates were quickly brought back under control as Wright and Mulford took advantage of Cook running too wide at the first turn. (16-14)

It was a similar fate for Thomsen in heat six, going the slower and longer way round the first turn, but fortuitously for Poole, Lawson knows only too well how best to ride the Poole track and he took the honours with King and Scott sharing the spoils. There were jeers of derision when Paul Starke was adjudged to have fallen unaided at the first turn, suffering a disqualification, but Rowe was more than up for the challenge, producing a brilliant tactic on the first lap, to initially line up his prey Jason Edwards at the pits turn then whistle by him off the fourth turn, to make it a personal two from two success rate for the Poole number five who had promised that he was going to go back to the drawing board after some uncharacteristic Pirate performances of late. Cairns gated marginally ahead of the two Bears in heat eight but both Pijper and Mulford recovered the ground, unlike Thomsen who made a right mess of his first turn. Pirates restored the initiative with Kerr blasting away into the distance and Cook holding off King early doors in heat nine and then came the talking point of the meeting. Thomsen moved ahead of the tapes release in heat ten but the race was allowed to continue. On the apex of the first arc, Edwards went down and reviewing the evidence was deemed to have been at fault and so was disqualified. But on checking the start again, the referee recognised that Thomsen had actually touched the tapes so then disqualified him, but at the same time rescinded the original decision to disqualify Edwards, deeming the starting offence took precedence. Cairns came in to replace Thomsen and tried his best to replicate Lawson's scything pass of Edwards and Nick Morris, but the youngster did not quite have the guile of the rampant Rocketman and just dropped off to the back. (31-29).

Rowe delivered yet another sublime ride to get by Wright and putting a significant distance between them, Starke not being too far off from also getting past the Bears number one but having to settle for a 4-2, key advantage. After the break, Starke was called on again, at the expense of Cairns but ran a last this time. Crucially though, Kerr was able to get by Edwards and the respond successfully when Edwards came back at him, to secure the win. There was more brilliance from Lawson, in heat thirteen, but Rowe couldn't quite make his attempt to go through at a similar stage work and so it was another drawn heat chalked up. It was a real cat and mouse (or should that be possum and moggie given they are both Australian) affair between early leader Cook and passer Morris, in heat fourteen. all the while Starke was backing up in third. Morris' win confirmed that Poole wouldn't achieve a double figure lead and ultimately had to settle for just half a dozen points 'in the bag' when Lawson completed his maximum with another win over King, courtesy of some well placed elbows at the entry to the first turn, as Cook was not able to pull away quick enough from a responsive King at the pit turn.

POOLE 48
Richard Lawson 3,3,3,3,3=15 (5)
Tobias Thomsen 2',0,0,XE=2+1 (4)
Lewis Kerr 2',1,3,3=9+1 (4)
Zach Cook 3,0,2',2,1=8+1 (5)
Anders Rowe 3,3,3,0=9 (4)
Paul Starke 1,FD,1,0,1'=3+1 (5)
William Cairns 0,1,1,0,RS=2 (4)

REDCAR 42
Charles Wright 1,3,2,1',0=7+1 (5)
Jake Mulford 0,2',2',0=4+2 (4)
Jason Edwards 0,2,2,2=6 (4)
Nick Morris 1,1',1',3=6+2 (4)
Danny King 2,2,1,2,2=9 (5)
Jody Scott 2',1',0,1'=4+3 (4)
Ace Pijper 3,0,3,0=6 (4)

Ht 1: R.Lawson, T.Thomsen, C.Wright, J.Mulford 5-1 5-1 [60.21]
Ht 2: A.Pijper, J.Scott, P.Starke, W.Cairns 1-5 6-6 [60.2]
Ht 3: Z.Cook, L.Kerr, N.Morris, J.Edwards 5-1 11-7 [59.67]
Ht 4: A.Rowe, D.King, W.Cairns, A.Pijper 4-2 15-9 [59.58]
Ht 5: C.Wright, J.Mulford, L.Kerr, Z.Cook 1-5 16-14 [59.45]
Ht 6: R.Lawson, D.King, J.Scott, T.Thomsen 3-3 19-17 [59.63]
Ht 7: A.Rowe, J.Edwards, N.Morris, P.Starke [fell exc] 3-3 22-20 [60.42]
Ht 8: A.Pijper, J.Mulford, W.Cairns, T.Thomsen 1-5 23-25 [60.63]
Ht 9: L.Kerr, Z.Cook, D.King, J.Scott 5-1 28-26 [60.36]
Ht 10: R.Lawson, J.Edwards, N.Morris, W.Cairns, T.Thomsen [tapes exc] 3-3 31-29 [61.24]
Ht 11: A.Rowe, C.Wright, P.Starke, J.Mulford 4-2 35-31 [60.56]
Ht 12: L.Kerr, J.Edwards, J.Scott, P.Starke 3-3 38-34 [61.12]
Ht 13: R.Lawson, D.King, C.Wright, A.Rowe 3-3 41-37 [60.11]
Ht 14: N.Morris, Z.Cook, P.Starke, A.Pijper 3-3 44-40 [61.93]
Ht 15: R.Lawson, D.King, Z.Cook, C.Wright 4-2 48-42 [61.1]

SGB Referee Mr Chris Durno