REPORT:Poole v Berwick KO Cup Semi Final 1st Leg

The Pirates will have a lot of work to do on Saturday if they are to reach the cup final this season as they managed just a 4 point home win on a luckless night for the Pirates against a resilient Berwick side

POOLE 47
Chris Harris 2,1',3,0,0=6+1 (5)
Fraser Bowes F,2,RS,NS=2 (2)
Lewis Kerr 3,F,3,3,1=10 (5)
Cooper Rushen 2',3,R,FD=5+1 (4)
Zach Cook 0,3,3,2=8 (4)
William Cairns 3,1,3,1,0,3=11 (6)
Kyle Newman R,2,1,2'=5+1 (4)

BERWICK 43
Leon Flint 1,2,1',3=7+1 (4)
Jye Etheridge 3,1',0,2,3=9+1 (5)
Victor Palovaara 1,2,RS,1=4 (3)
Lasse Fredriksen F,0,0,2=2 (4)
Nick Morris 1,3,2,1,2'=9+1 (5)
Jack Smith 1',0,1',RS,1'=3+3 (4)
Jordan Jenkins 2,3,2,2,R,RS=9 (5)

Ht 1:  J.Etheridge, C.Harris, L.Flint, F.Bowes [fell] 2-4 2-4 [60.59]
Ht 2:  W.Cairns, J.Jenkins, J.Smith, K.Newman [rtd] 3-3 5-7 [60.91]
Ht 3:  L.Kerr, C.Rushen, V.Palovaara, L.Fredriksen [fell] 5-1 10-8 [awd]
Ht 4:  J.Jenkins, K.Newman, N.Morris, Z.Cook 2-4 12-12 [60.34]
Ht 5:  C.Rushen, L.Flint, J.Etheridge, L.Kerr [fell] 3-3 15-15 [59.7]
Ht 6:  N.Morris, F.Bowes, C.Harris, J.Smith 3-3 18-18 [60.77]
Ht 7:  Z.Cook, V.Palovaara, W.Cairns, L.Fredriksen 4-2 22-20 [60.47]
Ht 8:  W.Cairns, J.Jenkins, K.Newman, J.Etheridge 4-2 26-22 [60.96]
Ht 9:  L.Kerr, N.Morris, J.Smith, C.Rushen [rtd] 3-3 29-25 [60.03]
Ht 10:  C.Harris, J.Jenkins, W.Cairns, L.Fredriksen, F.Bowes [NS] 4-2 33-27 [60.02]
Ht 11:  Z.Cook, J.Etheridge, L.Flint, W.Cairns 3-3 36-30 [60.5]
Ht 12:  L.Kerr, K.Newman, V.Palovaara, J.Jenkins [rtd] 5-1 41-31 [60.11]
Ht 13:  L.Flint, Z.Cook, N.Morris, C.Harris 2-4 43-35 [60.33]
Ht 14:  W.Cairns, L.Fredriksen, J.Smith, C.Rushen [fell exc] 3-3 46-38 [61.99]
Ht 15:  J.Etheridge, N.Morris, L.Kerr, C.Harris 1-5 47-43 [60.83]

SGB Referee Mr Paul Carrington 

Berwick manager Stewart Dickson claimed that he would not allow his side to enter Wimborne Road with the mindset that they were already beaten and the message appeared to get through immediately as skipper Jye Etheridge made all the running in heat one. The battle of the 'number one guests' went Bomber Harris' way for Poole as he made his way inside Leon Flint on the third turn of the first circuit. Two laps later Bowes suffered the last thing he needed as he was already suffering with back pain from his crash earlier in the season, but he fell when out of contention. 
Kyle Newman left it until the last minute before he appeared at tapes but his preferred bike didn't want to play in the heat and he lasted less than half a lap in a race that William Cairns was commanding out front. Lewis Kerr had made a terrific start from gate four and he and Cooper Rushen were controlling the lines and the pace. At the fourth turn for his second time Lasse Fredriksen fell but the other three riders were well into the third lap and the outcome as near a certainty as a speedway race can be, so the result was declared in Poole's favour. 
Kyle Newman had switched machines and this one was competitive as he squeezed his way between both Bandits as they hit the first turn. Zach Cook had to go wide and ended up in no-man's-land -- unable to get back into contention. Out of turn two  Jenkins edged clear of Newman but the Poole lad kept the pressure on. A stunning move by Rushen in heat five saw him negotiate a route that took him from third to first. Whilst he was completing the heat in a personal best Wimborne Road time (59.70) hi partner Kerr was delivered a crushing blow when he lost his second place due to a chain dislodging, bringing him crashing on his front on the fourth turn, (15-15).

A brave ride from Bowes in heat six,  sticking to his guns, as he went out wide from gate four and managed to get round the turn safely,  but was behind leader Nick Morris. Jack Smith had struggled round that first turn and his race was effectively over. Captain Cook made a super move on Fredriksen with an inside snatch whilst Cairns was preferring the wider option but kept coming up short and the birthday-eve boy had to settle for the minor heat advantage after a moment of pressure from Palovaara that came to nothing. An inspired reserve introduction by Neil Middleditch to bring in Cairns saw him get outside of Jenkins and pull clear enough to take control. Newman had been left to slug it out with Etheridge, a challenge he was more than up for making his wide second-lap pass stick.
There were problems for Rushen, who clearly thought he had been impeded on the first turn. But the race progressed and Kerr made a great move on Morris just to earn a share of the heat. News filtered through that Bowes had been forced to withdraw from the meeting meaning a second covering ride for William Cairns. Berwick also rang the changes calling on Jordan Jenkins to replace Victor Palovaara. It was Harris who who emerged clear from a tightly contested second turn that had Jenkins just edging out Cairns and the Poole reserve then came under pressure from Fredriksen but he showed true grit and established the third place that allowed Poole to extend their lead for the third time in four heats - 33-27.
 
Cook found some sparkling form in heat eleven but his three points were Poole's only bounty in this one as Cairns' efforts to try and get inside of Flint just failed.
An incredible effort on the opening lap of heat 12 saw Newman attempting a long straight which would have taken him from last to second but Jenkins was just able to stop him. Then a lap later,  disaster struck Jenkins, as he pulled up on turn four and Poole snatched the 5-1 - only their second of the night. The double figure advantage didn't last long as Berwick instantly hit back with Flint getting clear of Cook who just couldn't land a blow. Harris, running fourth, kept Morris in his sights but was unable to find the veteran Bomber that we all love to see. The danger man, Jenkins, was substituted by Smith in heat fourteen and the Poole fans were hoping for a big Pirate finish. The penultimate race had barely taken shape when Smith - the rider coming in - lifted in a very tight race around the northern bend. Making contact with Rushen both riders ended up in the fence and having watched the replays from the streaming service and after Smith had been checked over on the track, the decision came to disqualify Rushen which was met with derision and a host of flailing arms. Sole representative Cairns didn't make a career-best gate but he produced a very mature ride, picking his time to pass Fredriksen with perfection. Holding a lead of eight, Poole were desperate to see a 5-1 but both Bandits gated sharply, and only Kerr was able to get close enough to put doubt in Morris' mind but there was to be no change of positions allowing Berwick to halve the deficit and leave the second leg delicately poised with just four points between the sides. 

MEETING REACTION

Photo credits Tony Hartmann & Liam Cockwell