REACTION: EARLY SEASON DOUBLE FOR PIRATES IN ALL-ROUND PERFORMANCE

Poole's first league double over the season came as a welcome relief to club promoter Dan Ford, who watched his side grind out a six point victory over the Oxford Cheetahs at a packed Cowley Stadium.

The Pirates missed out on the maximum four points for an eight point or more away win when Troy Batchelor headed home Richard Lawson for the second time on the night and Steve Worrall couldn't prevent Scott Nicholls banking the third place that denied Poole the heat share they were looking for in heat fifteen.

Ford said afterwards "Our mission was to come here tonight and get the win and as a team we did that. It would have been nice to have taken all four points, and we will see at the conclusion of the league programme whether or not that is a costly point dropped but for now we will take the positives from this meeting. There were contributions right throughout the side and that was encouraging, but I still feel there is more to come from all of our riders. That bodes well as we can certainly up our game further, and that is a good thing to be able to say when you are already winning points."

The Pirates who were pegged back at the halfway stage when they conceded the first 5-1 of the meeting and then went behind for the first time. But a swift recovery came immediately after the heat ten break as Steve Worrall and Zach Cook fired in Poole's first maximum heat score . The Pirates might have been worse off in heat thirteen when Danny King fell in the early stages. He quickly got himself back on his machine and went in pursuit of the other three riders who were well clear. But a late in race engine failure for Cheetahs' skipper Scott Nicholls meant King's efforts were not totally wasted as he was able to complete the distance and convert Steve Worrall's win over Batchelor into a heat advantage, giving Poole a four point lead. Drew Kemp, who twice earlier had suffered falls, then masterminded sealing off the match with a fine win, backed up closely by Ben Cook, who like his brother Zach, had a far more profitable evening than that they experienced at the weekend in Leicester.

The Pirates now have a week's break before they return to Wimborne Road next Wednesday (April 27th) for a league encounter against Birmingham.

OXFORD 42 ,T.Batchelor 12 (0,2,3,2,2,3) ,D.Ruml 9+4 (3,1',NS,2',1',NS,1',1) ,K.Newman 8 (2,2,3,1,0) ,J.Thomas 8 (0,0,3,3,2) ,S.Nicholls 5 (2,1,1,R,1) ,N.Stoneman 0 (0,0,NS,0,NS) 
POOLE 48 ,R.Lawson 11 (3,0,3,3,2) ,D.King 9 (3,3,2,1) ,S.Worrall 9 (1,2,3,3,0) ,Z.Cook 7+2 (3,1',1,2') ,B.Cook 5+1 (1,2,0,2') ,D.Kemp 5 (2,XD,0,0,3) ,N.Ablitt 2+1 (1',1,0,NS)

Full match report available here