PIRATES charger Adam Ellis insists competition at reserve is as fierce as it has been under the Elite League's fast track system.

Designed to cultivate young British talent, the scheme was brought in ahead of the 2014 season and has since undergone various tweaks.

Ellis is in a rich vein of form having followed up an 11 paid 12 haul for Poole in their Elite League opener against Swindon on Good Friday with the same score in guest bookings for Coventry and Leicester, respectively.

But despite his early-season success, the 20-year-old Lakeside asset is adamant it is far from easy for reserves to rack up big totals.

He told the Daily Echo: "When they brought the fast track in, the reserves were quite weak. There was a massive gap in ability and everyone thought it would work overnight but it didn't.

"But so many guys have improved and this year is going to be harder than it has been for the past couple of years.

"I think it's almost back to the level it was beforehand. All of the reserves can beat any rider in the main body of any team."

Elsewhere, Ellis's Poole team-mate Kyle Newman scored 14 points as a Plymouth select side suffered a 58-35 challenge match defeat against Somerset select at the Oak Tree Arena on Friday.

Newman's Premier League place is now looking more stable after the Devils were pulled back from the brink of closure.

Six investors were persuaded to put money into the club with cash due to be used to pay off a debt believed to run into thousands of pounds.

Meanwhile, Pirates favourite Chris Holder teamed up with fellow Grand Prix star Greg Hancock to win the first round of European Best Pairs for Monster Energy on Saturday.

There was an element of good fortune about the victory in Torun as Team Boll's Patryk Dudek and Martin Vaculik were on a maximum in the final. But Vaculik's retirement meant Holder and Hancock's second and third-placed finishes were enough for victory.

The second round is due to take place in Landshut, Germany on May 5 with the final round scheduled to be raced in Ostrow, Poland on June 4.