PREVIEW: Oxford Cheetahs vs Poole Pirates BSN Series – Southern Group

Two sides coming off away defeats meet at Oxford Stadium on Wednesday evening, as the Poole “Wessex Marine” Pirates contest their penultimate Southern Group fixture in the BSN Series.

Poole were beaten at Scunthorpe on Friday, although they still secured progression to the quarter-finals of the MAXiCAB Knockout Cup on aggregate. Oxford, meanwhile, suffered a 25-point defeat at Plymouth in their opening Southern Group fixture.

Despite changes in personnel over recent seasons, Poole promoter Dan Ford is confident his side can maintain their strong record at Cowley.

“In our last four visits there we have been unbeaten, and if we can keep that sequence going this time then we will be assured of progress from the group. That is certainly our intention. We have a winning mentality at Poole and, whilst we’re pleased to have reached the KO Cup quarter-finals, we were disappointed not to win on Friday at Scunthorpe. The team is blending well, and the more time we spend together the stronger that will become. The lads will be heading to Oxford with a victory firmly in their sights.”

Oxford’s start to the season has been disrupted by issues relating to the stadium’s greyhound operation, but team manager Peter Schroeck remains focused on a swift response.

“It was our first away meeting, so we’ll brush ourselves off and move on. It’s early in the season and we won’t get too carried away. We’ve got a big meeting at home on Wednesday against Poole and a chance to put things right. The BSN Series is very short, with only four meetings, so after this slip-up it’s vital that we get a result.”

The Pirates will face former team member Anders Rowe, who featured in Poole’s double-winning campaign last season and was also part of their 2023 BSN Series triumph. Rowe forms part of a strong Oxford heat-leader trio alongside the ever-consistent Sam Masters and Erik Riss, who returns from illness. They are supported by promising Australian youngsters Luke Killeen and Mitch McDiarmid, while reserves Darryl Ritchings and Dayle Wood complete the line-up.

Team Line-ups Oxford Cheetahs (TM: Peter Schroeck) 1 Sam Masters (Captain) 2 Luke Killeen 3 Anders Rowe 4 Mitch McDiarmid 5 Erik Riss 6 Darryl Ritchings 7 Dayle Wood
Poole Pirates (TM: Neil Middleditch) 1 Richard Lawson 2 Kyle Newman 3 Zach Cook (Captain) 4 Fraser Bowes 5 Lewis Kerr 6 William Cairns 7 Cooper Rushen