REACTION: POPPED PLUG FOILS MAXIMUM FOR COOPER

For the second week running the Poole 'Wessex Marine' Pirates hit fifty-five points , this latest achievement coming at the expense of their arch-rivals Glasgow Tigers, and maintains Poole's early position as league leaders.
 

The six-man Pirates -- they were operating rider replacement for Fraser Bowes --  hit the  Tigers hard, racing rapidly to a 12 point lead within the first five heats to set up the 1,270th all-time league victory.
As a unit the Pirates showed great tenacity in front of a large half-term crowd and Lewi Kerr, who rose into 90th position in the all-time Poole scorers list with his paid 12 score return admitted:

"It's going really well for me at the moment, but it was a good team performance. What was it,  a twenty point victory? That's a very good win."

Number one Richard Lawson confessed:

'Things didn't go all my own way tonight, but when Bomber (Chris Harris)  is up against you then you know it is going to be tough and he was riding well. He did me a couple of times but you can't win them all, although I want to. But it was a good night.  There was tough, hard racing and yeah, a nice competitive win for the team. I just think we are two class teams and, you know, they say the cream always rises and I wouldn't be surprised we will see them at the end of the season again"

Scooping the Rider of the Night award, Cooper Rushen, who would have scored a paid maximum had he not suffered a retirement whilst convincingly leading heat six,  explained, 

"My spark plug just popped out, which is, you know, just one of those things that happens in speedway.  It always happens when you're having a good race, and when they're not bad ones, it is just frustrating, but we move on and next time make sure it's all better."

Scores:

POOLE 55 -Zach Cook 11+1 (3,2',3,3,0) ,Lewis Kerr 11+1 (3,2,3,1,2') ,Richard Lawson 11 (3,3,2,1,2) ,Cooper Rushen 9+3 (2',2',R,2',3) ,William Cairns 9 (3,3,0,1,2) ,Kyle Newman 4+2 (1,1,1',0,1')
GLASGOW 35 -Chris Harris 15 (2,3,3,2,2,3) ,Leon Flint 7 (2,0,3,1,1) ,Kyle Howarth 5+1 (1,2,2',0) ,Luke Harrison 5 (0,1,1,3) ,Freddy Hodder 2 (1,0,1, ,0) ,Jack Smith 1+1 (FD,1',TS,0) ,Sam Hagon 0 (0,0,0,0)

• The Pirates are next in action on Friday when they travel to Edinburgh for the first leg of the BSN Series semi final. Poole make the trip still without Bowes, but Workington's Tate Zishcke has been booked as a guest for the night.