POOLE Pirates put pressure on league leaders Oxford Cheetahs with an emphatic 59-31 win over Edinburgh Monarchs.

The hosts did not lose a single heat in the contest until the final race, with Steve Worrall leading the way with 12 points.

Joe Thompson returned to guest, although the youngster will soon be a permanent Pirate after it had been announced he will replace Adam Roynon for the rest of the season.

The away side were without number one Craig Cook due to injury, electing to use a rider replacement for each of his rides in the absence of an available guest.

Paco Castagna took a spill coming out of the first corner of the opening heat, the Italian allowed to return in the re-run.

He kept Richard Lawson honest after the restart, taking second behind the Pirates number one, whilst Kyle Newman managed to seal third from the back of the pack.

The second heat was even more comfortable for Poole, Anders Rowe cruising over the line with Thompson following in tow for a first 5-1 of the night.

Pirates maintained control with another maximum in the following heat, Cook brothers Ben and Zach taking first and second in that order.

But it was not plain sailing for the hosts, Josh Pickering reminding Pirates that nothing was certain as he overhauled Steve Worrall in the final lap of race four.

Hopes of stretching the lead further in heat five took a blow when Ben Cook’s bike buckled underneath him as he looked to pressure Castagna.

That sent him and his bike to the floor, but he quickly cleared the shale in order to allow the race to continue, ensuring his brother Zach picked up a first win of the evening.

Another Pirate fell in the next heat, Newman adjudged to have been sent into the airfence by the actions of Edinburgh’s Josh Pickering.

Monarch skipper Pickering was barred from the re-run, allowing Poole to rack up even more points, Lawson leading Newman over the line with ease, before slowing to allow his teammate to take a race win.

The riders were finding it hard to keep upright on the shale of Wimborne Road, with Castagna the latest to suffer a nasty collision with the airfence.

He was excluded for the re-run which saw Max Clegg salvage two points after starting slowly from the gates, Newman winning a second race of the evening.

The Cook brothers combined to temper Pickering’s race win in heat nine, before Newman fought his bucking bike to hold on to second and reinforce Lawson’s first-placed finish in race 10.

Whilst Worrall looked comfortable throughout heat 11, Rowe had to battle from behind to take second and mathematically confirm the two points.

After a tied heat 12, Pirates roared back in race 13 with a 5-1 courtesy of Worrall and Lawson.

Rowe took home a second race win of the evening in the penultimate heat, but Lawson’s bike went kaput at the start of the final race, allowing Edinburgh to at least return to Scotland with one race win.

Pirates 59: R Lawson 10+2, K Newman 9+1, B Cook 8, Z Cook 7+2, S Worrall 12, A Rowe 9+2, J Thompson (guest) 4+2.

Edinburgh 31: P Castagna 5, K Thomson 8+1, B Borke 2, J Pickering 11+1, D Wood 1, M Clegg 3.