POOLE Pirates are up to third in the SGB Championship table, after a 50-40 victory at Berwick Bandits.

The win, combined with Poole’s 54-36 home victory in the reverse fixture, sees the Pirates add three points onto their league tally.

Richard Lawson (12+1) and Steve Worrall (11) led Pirates to glory at Shielfield Park, 24 hours on from their abandoned meeting at Edinburgh Monarchs.

With Poole 21-9 up, the meeting was brought to halt following a freak incident, where Edinburgh rider Craig Cook’s bike flew over the air fence and injured a member of the Monarchs’ media team, photographer Peter Hill.

He is now recovering from head and back injuries.

Pirates were forced into one change to their line-up from that meeting at Edinburgh. Adam Roynon crashed out at Armadale, and was taken to hospital for checks on a shoulder injury. Lee Complin stepped in as a guest at reserve.

Following the updated August averages, Kyle Newman came into the main body of the team, with Anders Rowe dropping to reserve.

Berwick handed debuts to former Poole Pirates pair Hans Andersen and Steve Boxall.

After a shared opening heat, Rowe then combined with Complin for a maximum in heat two.

Berwick hit straight back, levelling the contest up at 9-9 as Jye Etheridge and Leon Flint impressed to battle past Ben and Zach Cook.

Andersen then held off a strong challenge from Worrall to keep scores level, before Lawson then separated the Bandits pair in heat five.

Trailing by two points, Poole would then pull clear with three heat advantages in succession.

Zach Cook got away and clear from Andersen in heat seven, before Newman and Complin led Pirates home for a 5-1.

The arrears were reduced to 31-29 after a well-timed tactical substitute in heat 10. Andersen came in for Jonas Knudsen and, alongside Rory Schlein, defeated the Cook brothers.

But that sparked a surge from Poole, storming to three maximums of their own.

Lawson was part of two, alongside Newman and then Worrall, while Ben Cook and Rowe eased to a 5-1 in heat 12.

With defeat already assured, Berwick reduced the arrears in the final two heats, Schlein and Flint taking the honours, but the damage was already done.

Pirates return to action on Wednesday, hosting league leaders Oxford Cheetahs, looking to close seven-point gap between the two in the table.

Berwick 40 (76): Schlein 11, Knudsen 2+1, Etheridge 7, Flint 10+2, Andersen 8+1, Boxall 2, Coles 0.

Pirates 50 (104): Lawson 12+1, Newman 5+1, B Cook 4, Z Cook 7, Worrall 11, Rowe 5+2, Complin 6+2.