REACTION: BEN COOK'S UP A MAXIMUM

A maiden maximum for Ben Cook helped the Pirates maintain their 100% record in the SGB Championship Jubilee League competition as they racked up their biggest score this season, defeating an injury ravaged Birmingham side that to their credit, summonsed up some defiance, especially during the early stages.
 

Cook, who had come close to breaking his maximum duck on Wednesday at Perry Barr, only missing out in heat fifteen, was unbeaten in five rides in Friday's return, recording a personal best time around Wimborne Road and making some impressive moves on his way to his best ever showing for Poole, as the Pirates overcame a slow start to run out 59-31 winners, against a side that had just one of their declared one-to-seven available for the meeting!

The down-to-earth Cook summed his night up by saying "everything is working good at the moment so I can't complain. The bikes are good and I am making starts so it's great. I am getting more and more comfortable and because I am lighter than some riders I do tend to lift a bit out the tapes, but today I made a few adjustments after the first one and made some good starts"

Twice Cook featured in maximum heat scores with Richard Lawson, who dropped a single point, that,  when beaten by the Brummies' only regular, Justin Sedgmen in heat four, whilst Poole skipper Danny King dropped his only points when former Pirate Paul Starke, one of five Birmingham guests, won heat five.  Ben completed his paid maximum with his brother Zach in tow in heat fourteen, one of three 5-1 scores that the Pirates finished the night on.

Poole boss Neil Middleditch paid tribute to the challenge that the opposition put up, admitting "we did our job tonight but they made us work for it. Just as I always tell our lads, never ever underestimate the opposition and we didn't but I looked at the scores at one stage and we were only leading by two when you would have thought we should have been doing so by ten. But we then put the pedal down and got the result but fair play to those lads that turned out for Birmingham they gave us something to think about."

Poole's heat-leader trio of Steve Worrall, Danny King and Richard Lawson all now head for the National Speedway Stadium in Manchester on Monday night in search for individual honours in the British Final, before regrouping at Sandy Lane, Oxford on Tuesday with the Pirates, when a victory would secure qualification to the three-team final at Sheffield later in the season.

POOLE 59 ,Ben Cook 13+2 (3,2',3,2',3) ,Richard Lawson 13+1 (2,3,3,3,2') ,Danny King 13+1 (3,1',3,3,3) ,Steve Worrall 11+1 (2,1,3,2',3) ,Zach Cook 8+2 (2',2,1,1,2') ,Connor Coles 1+1 (1',0,0,0,0) 
BIRMINGHAM 31 ,Justin Sedgmen 10 (3,3,0,2,1,1,0) ,Paul Starke 9+1 (1,3,1,2,1',1) ,Lee Complin 9 (2,2,2,0,2,1) ,Ben Morley 3+2 (1',1,1',0) ,Tom Woolley 0 (0,0,0,RS) ,Danno Verge 0 (0,0,RS,0,0)

Meeting report and full heat details