PIRATES chief Matt Ford has revealed he fought a failed battle for Adam Ellis's average to be reduced at the British Speedway Promoters' Association's annual meeting.

One of Poole's two draft riders in the season just gone, Ellis faces a tough task to find an SGB Premiership club for next year.

The 20-year-old is something of an unlikely exception given he was the only fast track rider not to ride in the Premier League during 2016.

Therefore he has been given a weighty 7.84 rating, a figure based on his top-flight average from the season just gone, rather than a second-tier average.

Ellis has already been told by Ford that he is highly unlikely to feature in the Pirates team next year.

And the Lakeside asset admitted his situation was "not ideal" in an interview with the Daily Echo yesterday.

Ford told the Daily Echo: "I fought a case with the Elite League promoters to take into account Adam's 2014 Premier League average, when he finished on 4.87.

"What clearly is a problem is that because Adam did not ride in the Premier League in 2015 and 2016, his 7.84 average is too high.

"There are number ones in the Premier League of a similar amount and some are actually below. That has to be restrictive upon Adam.

"He is the only rider in the whole of the draft system that this applies to.

"I did fight a case but one Elite League team in particular were very vocal in the respect of making sure it wasn't accepted.

"Sadly, that puts Adam out of reach for me and I think it's going to be a struggle for anyone to fit him in the league."

Ford added: "If it meant Adam was going to get a run in someone's team, I would willingly not have signed him myself.

"The point is, I'm not trying to gain any form of advantage, I just see there is a glaring error or anomaly in Adam's average.

"If Poole couldn't use him and another team could on a reduced average, I believe that's in all of our interests."