Poole away win has a real Silver lining (From Bournemouth Echo)

Poole away win has a real Silver lining

10:36pm Friday 28th August 2009 in

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INSPIRATIONAL guest Andrew Silver pulled off one of the great top-flight comeback rides of all-time as relegation-threatened Pirates stunned Eastbourne tonight.

The 42-year-old, who made an astonishing comeback for Premier League outfit Rye House this term after a remarkable 15 seasons off a bike, hadn’t taken part in a competitive fixture at Arlington since 1993, the year before he retired.

But last night he returned to show speedway fans what they had been missing as he helped Poole Castle Cover finally record their first away league win of 2009.

Riding in place of injured Ben Wilson, unavailable Paul Fry and Pirates’ new number eight James Holder, the ex-Eagles star turned on the style to claim a stunning victory in heat two that fired up the whole Pirates camp.

And he did it the hard way – from the back after his bike lifted at the tapes and he was stranded in fourth place with, apparently, little hope of getting among the points.

But then ‘Hi’Oh’, who gained the highly appropriate nickname throughout a glorious 10-season career from 1983 until early 1994, reminded a disappointing low crowd why he’d become a National League Riders’ champion in 1987 – more than two decades ago.

Trailing in fourth, he quickly got past Pirates team-mate Steve Boxall but was still third entering the last lap.

Then Silver caught fire.

He bravely scorched outside Ricky Kling on the second bend and then stunned Eastbourne’s fans into silence when he manoeuvred to go wide, then cut back inside off the final bend to brilliantly pip Daniel Nermark to the chequered flag by less than a wheel’s length.

Pirates, for whom Rory Schlein was also an inspirational choice of guest for unavailable Hans Andersen, were aided by Lewis Bridger’s withdrawal from the meeting with concussion following a nasty self-inflicted race 10 tumble.

Eagles, now in deep relegation trouble themselves, were also unhappy with Leon Madsen’s last-lap fall when he went down while Pirates were on a 5-1 in heat 10 that would have taken them 10 points ahead and allowed Eastbourne to use a tactical rider in the next race.

But Schlein and Holder finished the job off in style with a 5-1 in a last-heat decider to give Poole four valuable league points.

Eastbourne 41: 1 Lewis Bridger (exc unfair riding-1*-fell exc) 1+1, 2 Simon Gustafsson (3-2-1-2) 8, 3 Davey Watt (1*-2-2-3-1) 9+1, 4 Cameron Woodward (2-1*-1*-3-fell exc) 7+2, 5 Lukas Dryml (3-fell exc-3-1) 7, 6 Daniel Nermark (2-2-1-2*-2*) 9+2, 7 Ricky Kling (0-0-fell exc-0) 0. Team manager: Trevor Geer.

Pirates 48: 1 (guest) Rory Schlein (1*-3-2-2*-3) 11+2, 2 Joe Screen (2-0-3-0) 5, 3 Leon Madsen (ret-1-fell exc-ret) 1, 4 Bjarne Pedersen (3-3-3-1) 10, 5 Chris Holder (1*-3-3-3-2*) 12+2, 6 (guest) Andrew Silver (3-0-0) 3, 7 Steve Boxall (1-2-2*-1-0) 6+1. Team manager: Neil Middleditch.

Referee: Christina Turnbull.

Match points: Eastbourne 0 Pirates 4.

Ht 1: (re-run) Gustafsson, Screen, Schlein, Bridger (excluded unfair riding), 55.6 (3-3).

Ht 2: Silver, Nermark, Boxall, Kling, 58.7 (5-7).

Ht 3: Pedersen, Woodward, Watt, Madsen (retired), 56.4 (8-10).

Ht 4: Dryml, Boxall, Holder, Kling, 56.5 (11-13).

Ht 5: Schlein, Watt, Woodward, Screen, 55.7 (14-16).

Ht 6: Holder, Gustafsson, Bridger, Silver, 55.5 (17-19).

Ht 7: (2nd re-run) Pedersen, Nermark, Madsen, Dryml (fell excluded), 56.8 (19-23).

Ht 8: (re-run) Screen, Boxall, Gustafsson, Woodward (fell excluded), 57.5 (20-28).

Ht 9: Holder, Watt, Woodward, Silver, 56.0 (23-31).

Ht 10: (2nd re-run) Pedersen, Gustafsson, Madsen (fell excluded), Bridger (fell excluded), awarded, no time (25-34).

Ht 11: Dryml, Schlein, Nermark, Screen, 56.4 (29-36).

Ht 12: Watt, Nermark, Boxall, Madsen (retired), 57.6 (34-37).

Ht 13: Holder, Schlein, Dryml, Kling, 56.6 (35-42).

Ht 14: Woodward, Nermark, Pedersen, Boxall, 57.3 (40-43).

Ht 15: (re-run) Schlein, Holder, Watt, Woodward (fell excluded), 57.9 (41-48).