Pirates blown away by title favourites (From Bournemouth Echo)

Pirates blown away by title favourites

10:06pm Monday 31st August 2009 in

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CONTROVERSY might have reigned after Pirates had lost 56-39 at Swindon in May, with Poole’s performance coming under the spotlight for alleged rider average manipulations during that meeting.

But there was nothing unusual about tonight’s affair as title-favourites Swindon completely demolished a poor Poole side hovering just above the relegation play-off zone.

Three months ago, Peterborough’s Mick Bratley and Coventry’s Allen Trump accused Pirates of trying to doctor their riders’ averages in the Swindon meeting to try and fit Hans Andersen into their team.

Poole, of course, were later cleared of any wrong-doing by the Speedway Control Bureau.

Tonight, in front of a bumper Abbey Stadium crowd of about 2,800 and a live Sky television audience, Pirates had no answer to Swindon’s dominance, and were completely blown away in the opening eight heats.

It was a dismal performance that was the complete opposite to the fighting display Poole produced at Eastbourne when they won 48-41 on Friday.

The value of the Dorset club’s unexpected triumph at Arlington can not be underestimated because it looks as though it could be the key to them avoiding the relegation play-off.

That was clearly apparent last night as Pirates, with Hans Andersen seemingly still being hampered by an injury to his fingers despite his 11-point haul, slumped to another double-figure loss in Wiltshire.

Robins, with a big-hitting well-balanced team not too dissimilar to Poole’s 2008 title-winning line-up, tore into Poole early and led 34-16 at the midway point.

Leigh Adams set the tone by storming to a new track record in race one.

His time of 63.86 seconds beat Andersen, Ryan Fisher and Joe Screen and clipped 0.35 seconds off his previous best from 2007.

Andersen stemmed the flow by digging deep to pass Travis McGowan on the third lap to grab second in heat five and salvage a 4-4.

But Pirates simply had no answer to Adams and Co as they conceded seven heat deficits out of the opening eight.

Chris Holder stopped the rot with a brilliant race-nine triumph in the black and white helmet, before the Aussie headed Adams superbly home in heat 13.

Leon Madsen, on his first visit to Blunsdon, made up for an earlier fall by brilliantly lowering Adams’ colours in race 10.

But after this poor performance, Poole, it seems, will have to beat Belle Vue and Peterborough at home to avoid bottom spot.

Swindon 55: 1 Leigh Adams (3-3-2-2-3) 13, 2 Ryan Fisher (1-1-3-0) 5, 3 Simon Stead (3-3-1*-3-0) 10+1, 4 Travis McGowan (2*-1-2-2) 7+1, 5 Matej Zagar (3-3-3-0) 9, 6 Paul Hurry (1-2*-1-1*) 5+2, 7 Morten Risager (3-1-1-1) 6. Team manager: Alun Rossiter.

Pirates 40: 1 Hans Andersen (2-4^-2-1-2) 11, 2 Joe Screen (0-0-0) 0, 3 Leon Madsen (0-fell exc-3-2) 5, 4 Bjarne Pedersen (1-1-1-3) 6, 5 Chris Holder (2-2-6^-3-1*) 14+1, 6 Paul Fry (0-0-0-0) 0, 7 Steve Boxall (2-ret-2-0-0) 4. Team manager: Neil Middleditch.

Referee: Phil Griffin.

League points: Swindon 3 Poole 0.

Ht 1: Adams, Andersen, Fisher, Screen, 63.86 (new track record), (4-2).

Ht 2: Risager, Boxall, Hurry, Fry, 65.93 (8-4).

Ht 3: Stead, McGowan, Pedersen, Madsen, 64.40 (13-5).

Ht 4: Zagar, Holder, Risager, Boxall (retired), 66.43 (17-7).

Ht 5: Stead, Andersen^ (tactical rider, double points), McGowan, Screen, 66.24 (21-11).

Ht 6: Adams, Holder, Fisher, Fry, 65.48 (25-13).

Ht 7: Zagar, Hurry, Pedersen, Madsen (fell excluded), race awarded, no time, (30-14).

Ht 8: Fisher, Boxall, Risager, Screen, 68.15 (34-16).

Ht 9: Holder^ (tactical rider, double points), McGowan, Stead, Fry, 65.83 (37-22).

Ht 10: Madsen, Adams, Pedersen, Fisher, 67.37 (39-26).

Ht 11: Zagar, Andersen, Hurry, Boxall, 66.83 (43-28).

Ht 12: Stead, Madsen, Risager, Fry, 67.11 (47-30).

Ht 13: Holder, Adams, Andersen, Zagar, 66.27 (49-34).

Ht 14: Pedersen, McGowan, Hurry, Boxall, 68.33 (52-37).

Ht 15: (re-run) Adams, Andersen, Holder, Stead, 67.58 (55-40).