DARCY Ward’s burgeoning talent is beginning to explode at Wimborne Road.

Pirates’ big-money winter signing from King’s Lynn had started his Poole career slowly since his high-profile £28,000-plus move.

But the young Aussie has burst into top gear this month by finally showing the class that enabled him to blast his way to the world under-21 title last year.

And Ward’s hot streak culminated in his scintillating first full Pirates maximum of 14 paid 15 as they ended their Belle Vue cup jinx last night.

Aces had beaten Poole on all eight previous occasions they had met in cup competitions. But with Ward pulling the strings, Pirates were able to overhaul Belle Vue’s 50-40 first leg lead.

The Dorset club’s 97-85 aggregate triumph propelled them into the cup semi-final and kept their ‘double’ hopes alive.

There was an edge to last night’s proceedings that hasn’t been seen at Wimborne Road for a long time, mainly because table-topping Poole have been rolling over their league opposition this term.

In the opening half of this contest, it was a different story. But then 18-year-old Ward rallied his side with four barnstorming rides that eventually swung the aggregate balance in their favour.

With Aces only 19-17 behind, Pirates were in desperate need of a 5-1 in heat seven.

Ward and Davey Watt got it, firing up their team with a superb win over the dangerous Patrick Hougaard.

The Poole reserve’s race nine triumph over Peter Karlsson was breathtaking, with Ward leading, PK diving under him on the fourth turn, then the Aussie swiftly charging inside the Swede on the second corner, second lap, back into the lead.

Bjarne Pedersen did everything to pass tactical man Karlsson, but narrowly lost out for second as PK grabbed a 4-4 to keep Aces level at 72-72 on aggregate.

A comprehensive Chris Holder-Leon Madsen 5-1 over Leigh Lanham in the next race finally propelled Pirates ahead on aggregate.

Watt’s textbook first bend cut-off of Hans Andersen on the inside allowed Ward to zoom round the boards and Poole’s duo banged in another 5-1 in heat 11.

That finally knocked the stuffing out of Aces before Ward completed his first top-tier full house in only his 21st Pirates appearance by winning race 14.

Hougaard led, but just when it looked like the Aussie would be squeezed out of second by Ulrich Ostergaard on the inside, Ward found space where there didn’t seem to be any to blast his way to the front off the second corner.

Not to be completely outdone by Pirates’ new boy, old hand Pedersen had conjured up a stunning third-to-first burst to triumph over Ostergaard and Hougaard in heat 12.

Pedersen notched 12 to increase his Poole tally to 3,333.5, only 16.5 behind the club’s third all-time leading points scorer Steve Schofield.

Pirates visit Ipswich in the league tonight (7.30pm).

Witches, who lost 46-44 to Poole at Foxhall in April, have dropped Oliver Allen and Carl Wilkinson, replacing them with Chris Slabon and Kozza Smith.

Ipswich: Nicholls, Slabon, King, A Dryml, Miskowiak, Stachyra, Smith.