POOLE Pirates survived two injury scares as they continued their superb start to the Elite League campaign with a 48-41 triumph at Coventry.

Skipper Maciej Janowski withdrew from the meeting after two rides with a twisted knee while fellow Pole Kacper Gomolski sustained a damaged elbow.

The Daily Echo understands neither injury is serious - music to the ears of team boss Neil Middleditch following a third straight win in five days.

Pirates got off to a flier with three maximums in the first four heats. Chris Holder picked up where he had left off at Wimborne Road 48 hours earlier against Lakeside as he stormed unchallenged to the chequered flag.

Kyle Newman then lowered the colours of Jason Garrity and James Sarjeant, the Poole-born charger’s trapping skills once again serving him well off the outside gate.

An exclusion for Grand Prix ace Chris Harris did the Bees no favours in heat three, with Janowski the rider clipped. Dakota North and Janowski subsequently ran up a 5-1 and then Gomolski delivered a maximum in tandem with Newman.

Holding an 18-6 advantage after four heats, Pirates were held back in the next outing but guest Rory Schlein’s triumph ensured Coventry had failed to notch a heat victory in five attempts.

That run soon ended. Danny King and Joonas Kylmakorpi steamed away from the tapes on a gater-friendly oval and the lead was down to six points when the Bees clocked up a 4-2, aided by North’s spill.

A fifth re-run in eight heats ensued when Sarjeant charged into team-mate Kylmakorpi’s rear wheel and earned himself an exclusion, the latter doing a sterling job to save a 3-3 in the re-run.

The Poole reserve was soon back on the winning trail with an impressive win over Garrity but there was concern over Gomolski’s plight after an awkward fall during the battle for third.

Schlein pitched in with a heat win to help extend to eight points the advantage, the Aussie then backing up an easy win for countryman North after Janowski’s withdrawal from the meeting.

After Garrity had controversially been excluded in heat 12, Sarjeant finally got the better of Newman but it was only enough to prevent the extension of the Poole lead.

A bizarre contest followed when the off-colour Hans Andersen packed up when in front and Holder fell while in second, before Harris had just enough speed to pass North on the line.

Bees recorded an academic maximum in the penultimate heat and North took the chequered flag in a shared final outing.

RIDERS' SCORES AND HEAT DETAILS

BEES 41: 1 Hans Andersen (1-1-0-r) 2, 2 Cameron Heeps, guest (0-2- 1*-1) 4+1, 3 Danny King (1-3-0-3) 7, 4 Joonas Kylmakorpi (1-2*-3-2*- 1*) 9+3, 5 Chris Harris (x-3-2-3-2) 10, 6 Jason Garrity (2-1*-2-x) 5+1, 7 James Sarjeant (1*-0-fx-3) 4+1. TEAM MANAGER: Gary Havelock.

PIRATES 48: 1 Chris Holder (3-1-1-f) 5, 2 Rory Schlein, guest (2*-3-1*- 3-2*-0) 11+3, 3 Dakota North (3-f-3-2-1-3) 12, 4 Kacper Gomolski (3-2-f-0) 5, 5 Maciej Janowski (2*-r) 2+1, 6 Stefan Nielsen, guest (0-0- 1*) 1+1, 7 Kyle Newman (3-2*-2- 3-2) 12+1. TEAM MANAGER: Neil Middleditch.

HT 1: Holder, Schlein, Andersen, Heeps (1-5)

HT 2 (RE-RUN): Newman, Garrity, Sarjeant, Nielsen (4-8)

HT 3 (RE-RUN): North, Janowski. King, Harris (dsq) (5-13)

HT 4: Gomolski, Newman, Kylmakorpi, Sarjeant (6-18)

HT 5 (RE-RUN): Schlein, Heeps, Garrity, Nielsen (9-21)

HT 6: King, Kylmakorpi, Holder, Janowski (retired) (14-22)

HT 7 (RE-RUN): Harris, Gomolski, Andersen, North (fell) (18-24)

HT 8 (RE-RUN): Kylmakorpi, Newman, Schlein, Sarjeant (fell/dsq) (21-27)

HT 9: Newman, Garrity, Heeps, Gomolski (fell) (24-30)

HT 10: Schlein, Harris, Holder, King (26-34)

HT 11: North, Schlein, Heeps, Andersen (27-39)

HT 12 (RE-RUN): Sarjeant, Newman, Nielsen, Garrity (excluded) (30-42)

HT 13: Harris, North, Andersen (retired), Holder (fell) (33-44)

HT 14: King, Kylmakorpi, North, Gomolski (38-45)

HT 15: North, Harris, Kylmakorpi, Schlein (41-48)

ECHO STAR RIDER - KYLE NEWMAN

Pirates’ Mr Consistency was at it again with another explosive effort against one of the stronger reserve pairings in the top flight - on their own track.

Newman was only beaten by an opposition rider twice in five outings and his double-figure haul took to 34 paid 38 his tally across Pirates’ first three league meetings.

There can be few who dispute that the Poole-born rider has been the most valuable reserve in the league so far in the embryonic campaign.