NEIL Middleditch has likened teenage sensation Darcy Ward to a young Tony Rickard-sson, who went on to lift the world title a record-equalling six times.

Pirates’ team manager, back for a 12th consecutive campaign in that role next year, has only seen the 17-year-old Aussie ride once in person.

But it was enough for Middleditch, a Poole rider from 1974 to 1984 and ex-Great Britain team boss, to realise Ward – then only just turned 16 – was the real deal.

Middleditch, delighted with Castle Cover Pirates’ early 2010 signings of Chris Holder, Ward and Leon Madsen, said: “I saw Darcy ride when he first came to Poole two seasons ago.“I knew then, after only one lap, he definitely is something special.

“These riders, like Chris and Darcy, come along so few and far between, like Tony Rickardsson and Michael Lee.

“So it’s a great coup for us to sign Darcy, especially as he was on everyone’s shopping list.”

Middleditch, 52, whose father Ken starred for Pirates in the fifties and sixties, added: “When you’ve been around speedway as long as I have, you can judge riders by just looking at someone on a bike.

“Even though he was so young, Darcy rode the bike, the bike wasn’t controlling him. He was in full control, which is rarely the case with riders of that age.

“He showed he was just an out-and-out racer. You could see from one lap the boy was something special.”

Ward’s lone appearance for Poole’s juniors at Wimborne Road was on August 8 last year when he went through the card from three rides against Rye House in an Academy Challenge.

In fact, the Queenslanders’ winning times of 61.16, 61.80 and 62.03 wouldn’t have looked out of place in Pirates’ 50-42 Elite League triumph over Lakeside earlier the same night.

Ward also banged in a five-ride maximum for Poole in a junior three-team tournament at Ipswich and a maximum nine points at Eastbourne in a challenge in 2008, so is unbeaten in 11 races while wearing a skull and crossbones race jacket.

But the youngest world under-21 champion ever has a long way to go before emulating Rickardsson, the ex-Pirates star who, astonishingly, failed to win the junior crown but lifted the senior world title six times from 1994 to 2005.

Middleditch added: “At 17, Darcy will be working alongside Chris at Poole, and dare I say it, because Chris is only 22, he’ll be learning from Chris’ experienced head.

“I think the main attraction for Darcy coming to Poole is that Chris is a mate. He told him how we work and Darcy wanted to be a part of it.

“Everyone is expecting great things from Darcy in his debut Elite League campaign, and if he upped his starting average of 4.56 by a couple of points you would have to be happy.

“Realistically, a six, six-and-a-half average is a great first season. But the way Darcy’s riding, I wouldn’t say I expect more, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it went up more than that.

“Although I’ve only seen him ride once, I have met him and he’s a good personable young man.

“I’ve been watching his career because he has been such a sensation for King’s Lynn in the Premier League. He’s just had an unbelievable start to his career.

“He just has to keep his feet on the ground and make full use of the talent he’s got.”

Meanwhile, Poole asset Krzysztof Kasprzak will line up for Lakeside next year, enhancing Bjarne Pedersen’s chances of a Pirates return in 2010.

Kasprzak’s move also means Davey Watt, Antonio Lindback or Grzegorz Walasek also have better odds of making a Wimborne Road comeback in a heat leader role.