PIRATES’ reserves performed a demolition job on their Wolverhampton counterparts to inspire a thrilling Premiership Shield triumph at Wimborne Road.

Danish charger Nicolai Klindt and top-flight rookie James Shanes roared to a combined 24 points, the latter claiming a dream paid maximum on his home debut.

And despite heading into the second leg some 10 points down, such was Poole’s dominance – the hosts claimed 11 heat advantages – that they had victory in the bag with three races to spare.

Pirates retained the same septet which had lost at Wolverhampton 48 hours previously, with new signing Lewis Kerr ineligible to replace the sidelined Kyle Newman. For the visitors, in came Polish veteran Adam Skornicki following a shoulder injury.

Jack Holder gated off the inside in the opener but Freddie Lindgren had the speed to squeeze past on the back straight. A ding-dong battle ensued between Kyle Howarth and Holder, with both nearly coming off at one stage, before Howarth slipped past on the inside.

Poole were swiftly level. Klindt, who plundered a bumper 16-point haul at Monmore, started where he left off with a tapes-to-flag victory.

A third maximum in as many heats followed and Brady Kurtz took centre stage with an expert blocking job on Sam Masters, forcing his countryman to eat dust as Hans Andersen enjoyed breathing space in front.

The Klindt-Shanes combination proved potent again and this time it was Shanes who enjoyed the moment as he kept out Jacob Thorssell – who had blitzed to a paid maximum in the first leg.

And the 20-year-old further endeared himself to the Wimborne Road crowd by stopping by the finish line and raising his hand to his ear as if to say: ‘I can’t hear you’, resulting in even louder cheers.

Klindt followed that up with his third win in four heats, this time rounding Howarth before taking over from Holder at the front.

There were notable scalps for Kurtz in heat six – Masters and Lindgren – but Wolves finally ended a run of four straight maximums.

However, Poole extended to 14 points their lead on the night thanks to Krzysztof Kasprzak’s first race win, Thorssell stopping yet another maximum when he appeared from nowhere to pick Andersen’s pocket.

After the track grading, Klindt and Shanes made it three maximums from as many starts together, with the latter given a free pass into second after Howarth was unfortunate to experience bike problems.

Holder secured his first win on Dorset shale and this time it was Klindt who was given a blocking brief, the ex-Leicester man nonetheless maintaining his bid for a paid maximum by keeping Thorssell at bay.

The Pirates onslaught was relentless and the home side inched closer to the 50-point mark thanks to a 4-2 from Kasprzak and Holder, despite Skornicki finally getting on the scoreboard.

Klindt was penalised for going early in heat 12 so started from 15m back, which resulted in a thrilling battle with the Wolves pair, the Poole rider eventually having to settle for third. Out in front, Shanes completed a stunning Wimborne Road debut and celebrated his first race win for Pirates in the now-familiar style.

The Shield’s destination had been decided and that rendered the final three heats academic. Andersen impressed with victory in heat 13 but Wolves took the honours in a relatively standard penultimate race.

Lindgren, who had experienced a mixed night, banked his second victory in heat 15 but it mattered not for the gleeful Pirates.

Poole fans caught their first glimpse of new man Kerr on the track in the Pete Ansell memorial race – an effective heat 16. The former King’s Lynn man was second behind Klindt, with Holder third.

Meanwhile, Kasprzak is tomorrow due to race in the Polish Golden Helmet semi-final at Rawicz.

RIDERS’ SCORES AND HEAT DETAILS

Pirates 58 (98): 1 Krzysztof Kasprzak (0-3-3-1) 7, 2 Jack Holder (1-2*-0-3-1) 7+1, 3 Brady Kurtz (2*-3-1-2-0) 8+1, 4 Kyle Newman r/r, 5 Hans Andersen (3-1-3-3-2) 12, 6 Nicolai Klindt (3-3-3-3-2*-1-0) 15+1, 7 James Shanes (2*-2*-2*-3) 9+3.

Wolverhampton 32 (82): 1 Freddie Lindgren (3-1*-2-r-3) 9+1, 2 Kyle Howarth (2*-1-r-0) 3+1, 3 Adam Skornicki (r-0-2-1) 3, 4 Jacob Thorssell (1-2-1-3-1) 8, 5 Sam Masters (1-2-0-2) 5, 6 Max Clegg (1-0-1-0) 2, 7 Nathan Greaves (f-0-0-2) 2.

HT 1: Lindgren, Howarth, Holder, Kasprzak, 61.41 (5-1)

HT 2: Klindt, Shanes, Clegg, Greaves (fell), 62.32 (6-6)

HT 3: Andersen, Kurtz, Masters, Skornicki (retired), 62.00 (11-7)

HT 4: Klindt, Shanes, Thorssell, Greaves, 61.91 (16-8)

HT 5: Klindt, Holder, Howarth, Clegg, 62.06 (21-9)

HT 6: Kurtz, Masters, Lindgren, Holder, 61.41 (24-12)

HT 7: Kasprzak, Thorssell, Andersen, Skornicki, 62.15 (28-14)

HT 8: Klindt, Shanes, Clegg, Howarth (retired), 61.85 (33-15)

HT 9: Holder, Klindt, Thorssell, Greaves, 62.03 (38-16)

HT 10: Andersen, Lindgren, Kurtz, Howarth, 61.78 (42-18)

HT 11: Kasprzak, Skornicki, Holder, Masters, 61.37 (46-20)

HT 12: Shanes, Greaves, Klindt, Clegg, 62.40 (50-22)

HT 13: Andersen, Masters, Kasprzak, Lindgren (retired), 61.63 (54-24)

HT 14: Thorssell, Kurtz, Skornicki, Klindt, 61.75 (56-28)

HT 15: Lindgren, Andersen, Thorssell, Kurtz, 61.66 (58-32)

ECHO STAR RIDER – JAMES SHANES

Unbeaten by an opposition rider, a feat which earned him a 12-point paid maximum, it proved a remarkable home debut for James Shanes.

Poole’s winter recruit proved an instant hit among the Wimborne Road faithful with a series of gutsy displays on the shale.

Nicolai Klindt may have scored more heavily at reserve but Puddletown-based Shanes had plenty of work to do behind him and he did it superbly.

The finish line celebration could become the stuff of legend.