PIRATES are one victory from play-off speedway after their priceless win at King’s Lynn was followed by a torrential downpour which thwarted Rye House.

Neil Middleditch’s side banked a nerve-shredding 50-43 win over the Norfolk side at the Adrian Flux Arena which earned them four points and an eight-point advantage over fifth-place Rye in the SGB Premiership standings.

The Rockets had been due to face Lynn straight after the Dorset side but when the heavens opened, their plans were scuppered.

Fourth-place Pirates travel to Somerset tomorrow for their final regular-season meeting, knowing victory would guarantee them a top-four spot, while Rye host table-toppers Swindon ahead of another home clash with Leicester in four days’ time.

The Hoddesdon side must also reschedule their meeting with Lynn before the fixture cut-off date.

For Poole, the task remains considerable as they are set to take on the Rebels without Jack Holder – a fast negotiator of the Oaktree Arena track – and reserve James Shanes.

Rider replacement and Sheffield’s Georgie Wood, respectively, will be utilised in the duo’s absence.

Pirates welcomed back Paul Starke following his unavailability for yesterday's clash with the Stars due to Peterborough commitments, while Kai Huckenbeck and Simon Lambert were restored to the Lynn line-up.

Brady Kurtz took victory in a shared opening heat after diving under Thomas Jorgensen and the visitors were then handed a generous gift by Josh Auty, the Yorkshireman given a 15m handicap for riding on the centre green. Timo Lahti and James Shanes duly banked a maximum.

An easy win for Edward Kennett followed and in race four Poole captain Hans Andersen edged out Tomas H Jonasson to continue the run of Poole victories with a heat advantage alongside Shanes.

After Holder went through the tapes, Lynn made their first gains and a Lahti-led 3-3 in heat six meant Pirates’ lead stood at four points.

Kennett was again comfortable en route to the chequered flag next and Poole performed a good salvaging job in race eight, turning a Stars maximum into a shared heat after Holder nipped under Auty on turn three.

The Poole lead quickly went from four to eight and it was Lahti again who did the damage, the mid-season signing leading in Andersen.

Finland-born Lahti then won a shared heat 10 before Holder and Kurtz benefited from Jonasson’s retirement to roar to a 5-1.

However, a Michael Palm Toft tactical triumph reduced the gap and Robert Lambert burst into life in playing his part in a Stars 4-2 in heat 13.

Pirates had a seven-point advantage which they desperately needed to maintain, and did. First Lahti held off Huckenbeck for a fifth race win and then Andersen and Kurtz held their nerve to split the Stars in the closing showdown.

RIDERS' SCORES AND HEAT DETAILS

King’s Lynn 43: 1 Robert Lambert (1*-1*-1*-3) 6+3, 2 Thomas Jorgensen (2-2-3-2-3) 12, 3 Michael Palm Toft (1*-1-0-6^-0) 8+1, 4 Kai Huckenbeck (2-3-1-2) 8, 5 Tomas H Jonasson (2-2-r-1) 5, 6 Josh Auty (1-0-1-1-1*) 4+1, 7 Simon Lambert (0-0-0) 0.

Pirates 50: 1 Brady Kurtz (3-2-2*-0-1*) 8+2, 2 Jack Holder (0-tr-2-3) 5, 3 Paul Starke (0-1-1*) 2+1, 4 Edward Kennett (3-3-0-0) 6, 5 Hans Andersen (3-0-2*-2-2) 9+1, 6 Timo Lahti (3-0-3-3-3-2-3) 17, 7 James Shanes (2*-1-0) 3+1.

HT 1: Kurtz, Jorgensen, R Lambert, Holder, 59.47 (3-3)

HT 2 (re-run): Lahti, Shanes, Auty (15m hcap), S Lambert, 59.75 (4-8)

HT 3: Kennett, Huckenbeck, Palm Toft, Starke, 59.69 (7-11)

HT 4: Andersen, Jonasson, Shanes, S Lambert, 61.10 (9-15)

HT 5: Huckenbeck, Kurtz, Palm Toft, Lahti, Holder (tapes/rep), 60.34 (13-17)

HT 6: Lahti, Jorgensen, R Lambert, Andersen, 59.72 (16-20)

HT 7: Kennett, Jonasson, Starke, Auty, 61.00 (18-24)

HT 8: Jorgensen, Holder, Auty, Shanes, 60.09 (22-26)

HT 9: Lahti, Andersen, Huckenbeck, Palm Toft, 61.09 (23-31)

HT 10: Lahti, Jorgensen, R Lambert, Kennett, 61.06 (26-34)

HT 11: Holder, Kurtz, Auty, Jonasson (retired), 61.13 (27-39)

HT 12: Palm Toft (tactical), Lahti, Starke, S Lambert, unknown (33-42)

HT 13: R Lambert, Andersen, Jonasson, Kurtz, 60.90 (37-44)

HT 14: Lahti, Huckenbeck, Auty, Kennett, 61.10 (40-47)

HT 15: Jorgensen, Andersen, Kurtz, Palm Toft, 61.81 (43-50)

ECHO STAR RIDER: TIMO LAHTI

IN WHAT is becoming a familiar pattern, Timo Lahti again excelled at reserve and proved Pirates’ match-winner.

The mid-season recruit’s sterling efforts in the bottom two mean he will jump into the main body should his team make the SGB Premiership play-offs, with Paul Starke heading in the opposite direction.

And in the light of recent displays, there is little evidence Lahti would not hit big numbers even in a higher position.

Praise is also due to Hans Andersen for giving a captain’s display for the second time in 24 hours.