BRILLIANT Ben Cook produced a phenomenal 15-point maximum for the first time as Poole Pirates stormed back to the top of SGB Championship table, with a comfortable 57-33 win over Birmingham Brummies.

Poole, who were being team managed on the night by Danny Ford in the absence of Neil Middleditch, also picked up the bonus point for winning 111-69 on aggregate.

Pirates now have one regular league meeting remaining, away at Edinburgh Monarchs next Wednesday, and sit two points clear at the top of the table.

Second-placed Oxford have two fixtures remaining, against Scunthorpe Scorpions and Glasgow Tigers.

Richard Lawson declared himself fit to feature, despite visibly still carrying an ankle injury picked up during a crash at Redcar on Sunday.

Birmingham named three former Pirates in their line-up in Stefan Nielsen, Troy Batchelor and Paul Starke.

Pirates got off to a dominant start, storming into a 10-point lead after three heats, with Lawson, Anders Rowe and Ben Cook all picking up race victories.

Brummies skipper Justin Sedgmen helped reduce the arrears to 16-8 with a win in heat four, the visitors’ first heat advantage of the night.

Normal order was quickly restored, although the Cook brothers had to work hard to claim their second maximum of the night.

Nielsen held a shock lead, only for both Ben and Zach Cook to come up the inside of him around bend two.

Nielsen would go from first to last, also overtaken by Brummies guest Josh Pickering.

Lawson cruised to his second win of the night as Poole extended their lead to 25-11 in heat six.

Cardiff-bound Worrall then followed suit, Rowe getting ahead of Alfie Bowtell in the minor placings.

There was no stopping Pirates in the next two heats, with a pair of comfortable maximums. The first came from Kyle Newman and Joe Thompson, before Ben and Zach Cook again combined.

Brummies picked up just their second heat advantage of the night as Batchelor ended Lawson’s perfect record, while Bowtell held off Newman for third.

Heat 11 saw the spoils shared for the first time, boss Stewart Dickson’s tactical substitute paying off with Justin Sedgmen impressing to pick up his second win of the night, the arrears reduced to 44-22 heading into the interval.

Ben Cook racked up his fourth win from four in a 4-2 for Pirates on the restart, Thompson seeing off the challenge of fellow reserve Hagon.

Birmingham registered their first maximum of the night in heat 13, Sedgmen continuing his good night, partnering up with fellow Aussie Pickering.

But Poole hit straight back in kind, aided by the exclusion of Bowtell for a fall on bend three. Pirates then forced a maximum in the re-run, Zach Cook getting up the inside of Starke to join leader Rowe.

Ben Cook then capped his superb night with victory in heat 15. In an all-Aussie race, the 25-year-old did not lead out the gate, but was in front by the end of bend two and would not relinquish his lead.

Pirates 57 (111): Lawson 9, Newman 5, B Cook 15, Z Cook 8+4, Worrall 6+1, Rowe 9, Thompson 5+2.

Birmingham 33 (69): Pickering 5+1, Nielsen 0, Batchelor 9+1, Bowtell 1, Sedgmen 14, Hagon 1, Starke 3.