BIRTHDAY CHEQUE FOR CZECH MILIK

 Czech star Vaclav Milik was the only Pirate to take in action on Saturday following the postponements of Poole's trip to Lakeside, Leszno's visit to Gdansk, which Przemyslaw Pawlicki was involved in and Stoke's hosting of Scunthorpe where Ben Hopwood was due to be on duty.

Milik, who turned 21 on Thursday, was representing the Czech U21 team in the European Team Championship in Plzen and scored 14 points to steer the staging nation into the final at Herxheim, Germany on June 28th.

The young Czech who has been impressing with the Pirates was the beneficiary of a £500 donation from the Riders Equipment Fund (REF) prior to Wednesday night's meeting against Coventry. The organisers agreed with a suggestion from member Rob Dyer that being the eve of his 21st birthday the timing was perfect to show how much the fans have appreciated the efforts of the happy-go-lucky young Czech,

Fund organiser Stan Vatcher said "It is our mission to help all the Pirates throughout the course of the season and when Rob came up with the suggestion we were fully supportive of it. Vaclav has done well for us so far this season and he is popular amongst the fans that's for sure. He was surprised by the early birthday present but very appreciative of the gesture. Of course these presentations wouldn't be possible without the tremendous support we receive from our members and we are always looking to increase the membership, so if anyone else would like to join up then they should contact me or Val on 01202 691143."