REACTION: FIRST FOR ROWE AS PIRATES SINK SCUNTHORPE

Anders Rowe celebrated his first SGB Championship meeting as a 23-year old with his first ever tier two full maximum as the Pirates overcame an early stubborn resistance from Scunthorpe, to eventually run out winners by 55-35.

Rowe, who had to really dig deep in his opening heat to steal the win from Connor Mountain as the final flag dropped, showed riding skills beyond his age throughout the meeting and his ability to get by former Poole captain Steve Worrall in heat fifteen to maintain his unbeaten performance was exceptional.

"I was given the choice of gates in heat fifteen tonight and I thought I had messed it up as I didn't get away from two and but I got into second and then Richard let me through. Things weren't quite how I would have liked them early on and I am still fine tuning some things."
Gracious Richard Lawson had no qualms about slowing up to allow his partner through in that final heat. "He had gone through the card with four wins and it was always going to be nice for him if he could get a full maximum. When he chose gates and sent me off four it was not good, but I was prepared for it and I actually made a better one than I expected. Stevie (Worrall) was heading for the dirt and I knew I had to squeeze under him, which I did and blocked his run and Anders came through. But then he had a battle with Connor (Mountain) and I kept checking on that and when I saw he had second I thought right we have got to give him the full max, it is a special thing, it's a good feeling for a rider and Anders deserved it."

For the first third of the meeting the contest was pretty even, with the scores set at 15-all after five heats, but then the Pirates knuckled down and apart from the free-scoring Kennedy brothers at reserve, Scunthorpe had little to offer from heat six onwards.
Steve Worrall had, by his Wimborne Road standards, a poor evening, his points restricted in heat eleven when he suffered a disqualification for a second starting offence of the evening. His fellow heat leaders, Jake Allen and Simon Lambert had nights to forget too.
Poole's debutant Darryl Ritchings earned the praise of the Poole faithful when he battled hard for his first point in Poole colours, getting by Declan Kennedy well before Kennedy fell causing the race to be awarded. Ritchings, who himself felt the hardness of the track circuit when he slid off in the first staging of heat twelve, admitted, "I'm alright, a bit sore but we will go again. I'm happy to be here at Poole and I am here to score and I wasn't going to go home with a duck , so yeah, we will build on that."

POOLE 55 Anders Rowe 15 (3,3,3,3,3) ,Richard Lawson 13+1 (2,3,3,3,2') ,Lewis Kerr 8+2 (1,2',2',3) ,Zach Cook 8 (1,3,3,1) ,Tobias Thomsen 6+1 (0,1,3,2') ,Paul Starke 4 (3,0,0,0,1) ,Darryl Ritchings 1 (0,0,RS,1)
SCUNTHORPE 35 Connor Mountain 8 (2,2,1,2,1) ,Zaine Kennedy 7+2 (1',2',2,2,0) ,Steve Worrall 7 (3,0,XE,2,2,0) ,Declan Kennedy 6+1 (2,2,1,1',FD) ,Luke Harrison 3+1 (1,1,1',NS) ,Jake Allen 3 (3,R,R,0) ,Simon Lambert 1+1 (0,1',0,TS)

The Pirates now face two tough away meetings as they head for Edinburgh on Friday and on to Berwick on Saturday, both in the SGB Cab Direct Championship.

Heat Details and Report

Photo: Tony Hartmann & Liam Cockwell