PROMOTER Matt Ford saluted Pirates skipper Hans Andersen after he had led from the front in their Easter Sunday cracker at Swindon.

Andersen racked up 13 points from five rides for Volvo Cars-sponsored Poole at the Abbey Stadium and was involved in a thrilling last-heat decider against his former club.

The Dane, who captained the Robins to the Elite League championship in 2012, claimed a crucial heat 13 victory over local favourites Nick Morris and Jason Doyle.

And with Pirates defending a slender two-point lead going into the final heat, he again got the better of Doyle, splitting him and Morris, with his second place ensuring the visitors would leave Wiltshire with two precious SGB Premiership points from a 45-45 draw.

Ford, who also said he had been “very proud” of Lewis Kerr’s efforts, told the Daily Echo: “Hans was something else.

“I know he started last season well but this is the best I have seen him ride for a few years.

“In my opinion, Jason Doyle, on merit, should have been world champion last year so for Hans to beat him twice on his own track was exceptional.

“He is the captain and is doing a real captain’s job.”

Trailing by eight points after seven heats, Pirates managed to reel in the Robins and established a four-point lead going into the final two heats.

Two wins for Andersen, coupled with victories for Nicolai Klindt, Krzysztof Kasprzak and Kerr, saw them register five heat triumphs in six to turn the tide ahead of a gripping finale.

Ford added: “It was an exceptional meeting and, hopefully, fans from both teams went home feeling they had been entertained.

“We let ourselves down a little in the first part of the meeting, certainly in the first few races.

“But it is early days. It has been a good Easter for us and we picked up six points so I am content.

“If you were writing a school report about our start to the season, you could say ‘could do better’.

“We lost in the Knockout Cup but won the Shield.

“Now it is down to the real business, which is the SGB Premiership and trying to win the league. That is the most important thing and has always been the priority.

“We need to make sure we are successful for the next four to five months and get into the play-offs in September.

“It is a long, hard run but from what I have seen in our first few meetings, we can certainly be there or thereabouts.”

Despite his victory in heat 11, spearhead Kasprzak, who missed the Good Friday double-header with Somerset, could only manage a couple of third places and will be looking to find his form when Pirates host Coventry in a Challenge on Wednesday.

James Shanes, who was unavailable to face Swindon and replaced by guest Darryl Ritchings, returns against the Bees.

HEAT DETAILS AND RIDER SCORES

RIDER SCORES

SWINDON 45: 1 Jason Doyle (3-3-3-1*-1) = 11+1, 2 Bradley Wilson-Dean (2*-1-1-0) = 4+1, 3 Adam Ellis (1-0-0) = 1, 4 David Bellego (3-3-2-3) = 11, 5 Nick Morris (2-3-rtd-2-3) = 10, 6 Emil Grondal (1*-0-2-1-1) = 5+1, 7 Zack Wajktnecht (2-1*-0-0) = 3+2.

POOLE 45: 1 Krzysztof Kasprzak (1-1*-3-0) = 5+1, 2 Jack Holder (0-2-2*-1) = 5+1, 3 Lewis Kerr (0-1*-1*-3) = 5+2, 4 Brady Kurtz (2-2-2-2-0) = 8, 5 Hans Andersen (3-2-3-3-2) = 13, 6 Nicolai Klindt (3-0-3-1-2*) = 9+1, 7 Darryl Ritchings, guest (0-0-0) = 0.

HEAT DETAILS 

HT 1: Doyle, Wilson-Dean, Kasprzak, Holder, 66.84 (1-5)

HT 2: Klindt, Wajktnecht, Grondal, Ritchings, 67.89 (4-8) 

HT 3: Bellego, Kurtz, Ellis, Kerr, 66.95 (6-12) 

HT 4: Andersen, Morris, Wajktnecht, Ritchings, 67.32 (9-15)

HT 5: Bellego, Holder, Kasprzak, Ellis, 66.86 (12-18) 

HT 6: Doyle, Andersen, Wilson-Dean, Klindt, 67.86 (14-22)

HT 7: Morris, Kurtz, Kerr, Grondal, 67.14 (17-25)

HT 8: Klindt, Holder, Wilson-Dean, Wajktnecht, 68.31 (22-26)

HT 9: Andersen, Bellego, Klindt, Ellis, 67.74 (26-28)

HT 10: Doyle, Kurtz, Kerr, Wilson-Dean, 67.90 (29-31)

HT 11: Kasprzak, Grondal, Holder, Morris (rtd), 68.52 (33-33) 

HT 12: Kerr, Klindt, Grondal, Wajktnecht, 68.21 (38-34)

HT 13: Andersen, Morris, Doyle, Kasprzak, 67.61 (41-37) 

HT 14: Bellego, Kurtz, Grondal, Ritchings, 67.90 (43-41)

HT 15: Morris, Andersen, Doyle, Kurtz, 69.30 (45-45)