DAVEY Watt may no longer be a Poole rider but he is still doing his bit to bring on the next crop of possible Pirates stars.

The Australian international, who played a pivotal role as the Dorset club carried off the Elite League title last year, might have been farmed out on loan to Eastbourne this season.

But he still found time to put Bournemouth rider Matt Bates on the right track to success while running a winter training school at Weymouth.

Bates, a Pirates asset who will line up for their nursery Buccaneers side in the National League this term, said: “Davey has been working on my gating, and it seems to be paying off.

“He’s probably the most helpful person I’ve met.

“I’ve never been a particularly good gater so he spent the whole day with me wearing out the clutch.

“He has a great approach towards youngsters.

“A lot of riders talk quite aggressively, but he built an individual bond with us and helped us with our weak points and tried to make our strong points even stronger.

“Since the training school, I’ve ridden the New Year Classic at Poole and at Weymouth last Saturday, when I had the chance to practice what Davey taught me.

“I used to have a habit of being okay at the starts when the trainer was next to me.

“Then when he wasn’t there, I would go back to my old bad ways.

“But I seem to have got past that now, so hopefully it will continue through the season.

“I feel a lot more confident and comfortable on the bike.

“Each rider has a style and I haven’t found it yet, but with Davey’s help I think I could be beginning to find it.”

Exeter-based Bates, who is still only 19 despite making his Conference debut for Weymouth as far back as 2004, comes into Bournemouth’s team at reserve.