VICTORIOUS promoter Matt Ford dedicated Poole Pirates’ Elite League championship to talisman Darcy Ward and declared: “We wouldn’t have won it without him.”

Pirates became British champions for the sixth time in 12 years with an emphatic 53-37 victory over Coventry at Wimborne Road on Monday to complete a 90-71 aggregate success in the 2014 Grand Final.

They did so despite tracking two guests in each leg of the showpiece, notably at number one after Ward was suspended by the world speedway’s governing body – Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) – hours before the deadline for team declarations in the Elite League.

Ward also missed the start of the season through injury and competed in just 19 of their 36 top flight and play-off meetings, but Ford still hailed the impact of his main man who continued to show his support home and away as Pirates marched to the crown.

Ford told the Daily Echo: “I think it has been a huge thing for the club, the way we have battled on without Darcy. You can see in his demeanour that he’s really low at the moment but I have to say we wouldn’t be here without him.

“I appreciate that the guests have done a great job but he is one of the main reasons the club is where it is today. Along with Chris Holder, he has taken the place to another level since he came in. The two of them have kept us at the top of domestic speedway over the past few years.

“We owe a big thank you to those guys. Chris stepped in when needed and with Darcy we just have to wait until November when we expect his hearing to take place.

"People look at what we did without him (Ward) but I prefer to look at it another way – where would we have been without his massive contribution?”

Meanwhile, Ford said Poole’s latest triumph had not surpassed last year’s victory despite the testing nature of their campaign.

Asked if this championship had been his sweetest success, Ford added: “If I’m honest, no, not quite. It is pretty special but I think last year, after the hurt of getting beaten in the final of 2012, felt wonderful. It’s completely different when you win it back.

“We didn’t take it for granted by any means but I couldn’t say it was a better feeling this time.”