7:00am Wednesday 23rd April 2008
By Phil Chard
MAXIMUM man Chris Holder has promised Pirates fans more fireworks after jumping straight to the top of their green sheet averages.
The Elite League new boy reeled off his first 15-point maximum for the club in their big 53-39 home win over Coventry last week.
Now the Aussie ace hopes to do the same against high-riding Eastbourne at Wimborne Road tonight (7.30pm).
The 20-year-old dynamo has increased his starting average of 5.05 to 8.14, leapfrogging Bjarne Pedersen (9.05 to 7.86) and Davey Watt (8.06 to 7.86) at the summit of Poole Castle Cover's team.
Holder, favourite to lift this year's world under-21 title, switches race jackets from number five to three for tonight's mouth-watering Elite League clash with the Eagles at Wimborne Road.
Pedersen stays at one, Watt switches from three to five and Freddie Eriksson leaps into the team's main body.
Adam Skornicki drops to reserve, based on the averages from Poole's opening six league matches of the season.
Holder bagged his first Pirates maximum in only his sixth league appearance for the club.
And asked if there were more to come, he said: "Definitely.
"Every time I ride at Poole I want to score as well as I can.
"Maximums are the ultimate and you want to do that every week.
"It takes a long time to be like Leigh Adams, but as long as you have good starts and a good engine underneath you, it's possible."
Holder added: "I was really happy with 15 against Coventry last week.
"I wasn't going to ride the bike I was on, but before the start of the meeting I had a problem with the bike I was going to ride.
"The bike I ended up riding was the one I used the week before (when Holder scored eight paid nine in a 54-38 home triumph over Lakeside) and I wasn't happy on it.
"But I have changed my motor now and it was perfect.
"I wasn't going to get it going again because I didn't like it, but it's staying now!"
Holder also wrestled the fastest winning time by a Pirate this season back from Karol Zabik with 58.69 seconds.
The Aussie said: "I was looking through the programme three weeks ago and I had it (59.00), but Karol Zabik had a quick one against Lakeside (58.79) on April 9.
"I'm happy because I wanted it back again. I rode better, and had enough to lower it. I'm just using my head a lot more, trying to calm down a bit and try to be smooth.
"If you're smooth you will be fast."
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