PIRATES HEAD OFF ON TOUGH LOOKING LEAGUE TOUR

With two league points on the board from their opening CAB Direct Championship fixture the victorious Pirates immediately have to look to doing something on their travels if they are going to add to that tally and as they set sail for for a Northern tour incorporating Edinburgh (Friday) and Berwick (Saturday) this weekend, they know they are going to have to be on top-form.

Maximum man from that win over Scunthorpe, Anders Rowe is looking forward to the tour, which for him  and Lewis Kerr begins after their Thursday duties with Sheffield. Pleased with his unbeaten Wimborne Road performance, Rowe admitted "we move on now to Edinburgh and Berwick and I am looking forward to it. I really like Edinburgh and Berwick so we will see what we can do."

Friday's meeting against the Monarchs will see them face one of the most in-form reserves in the SGB Cab Direct Championship, Victor Palovaara. The Swede, who was a Poole target,  has scored 64 (paid 69) points from thirty rides for the Scottish capital city club this season, including a massive 19 point haul last time out at Armadale, and only failed to score in two of his rides whilst having been unbeaten by an opponent seventeen times, providing a solid lower end to a side that includes the experience of Justin Sedgmen and Michele 'Paco' Castagna.

From Armadale the Pirates will cross the border back into England as they head to Shielfield Park, Berwick, where they will encounter a trio of former Pirates in Sam Hagon, Drew Kemp and Danyon Hume. As with Edinburgh, the Bandits have a reserve in good form. Since Jack Smith  was drafted into the side  at the beginning of the month, after resting Bastian Borke, who was still struggling from the injuries he sustained at Poole last season, Smith has netted paid 27 from 17 rides in his four meetings so far.

The Pirates will be hoping that Richard Lawson's incredible achievement of 121 winning rides at the Borders track will be extended but with Craig Cook, nine unbeaten rides at Shielfield in fifteen rides providing direct opposition there promises to be some tough battles forthcoming. It will also see a return to Berwick for Lewis Kerr who was a Bandit last season.

With the Pirates having no action next Wednesday and then a knockout cup encounter on May 28th they will have a second northern tour (Glasgow and Workington) before they race another home league fixture.
Teams
Edinburgh (TM Alex Harkess) 1 Justin Sedgmen 2 Kye Thomson 3 Joanatan Grahn 4 Michele Castagna 5 Oskar Polis 6 Victor Palovaara 7 Dayle Wood
Poole (TM Gary Havelock) 1 Richard Lawson 2 Tobias Thomsen 3 Anders Rowe 4 Zach Cook 5 Lewis Kerr 6 Paul Starke 7 Darryl Ritchings

Berwick (TM Stewart Dickson) 1 Craig Cook 2 Sam Hagon 3 Drew Kemp 4 Danyon Hume 5 Peter Kildemand 6 Dayle Wood 7 Jack Smith
Poole (TM Gary Havelock) 1 Richard Lawson 2 Tobias Thomsen 3 Anders Rowe 4 Zach Cook 5 Lewis Kerr 6 Paul Starke 7 Darryl Ritchings