BUCCANEERS team manager Garry May felt his side had to beat “seven riders plus the referee” as they reached the National League play-off final.

The Wimborne Road outfit braved power cuts, controversial refereeing decisions and a biblical rain shower, which ended the meeting after 12 heats, to provail on aggregate.

With Bournemouth holding a 63-30 advantage from the home leg, their Dorset neighbours were always going to need a miracle to set up a final date with Plymouth.

But Wildcats fans started to believe they could achieve the unthinkable as they reduced the arrears to 17 points after race 10.

This heat left the Buccaneers contingent fuming after Kyle Newman fell on the back straight as Weymouth guest Taylor Poole was storming around the outside of him. Poole then ran into turn three and fell with Mark Baseby.

Referee Christina Turnbull rightly excluded Newman, but the Wildcat was somewhat fortunate not to be excluded himself for clashing with Baseby in the second incident.

Things then reached boiling point in the re-run when Baseby was controversially adjudged to have taken Poole down coming out of bend two.

Baseby was thrown out, leaving the Wildcats to romp to a 5-0 and the Buccaneers camp up in arms.

May said: “I was worried, especially when Taylor took Kyle off. Kyle could have got back on so why did she stop it there?

“Then Mark was in front of Taylor and Taylor fell off. We had to ride against seven riders plus the referee, but we did it.”

With the semi-final threatening to go in Weymouth’s favour, the heavens opened prior to the start of heat 11.

Buccaneers skipper Jay Herne braved the elements for a lion-hearted tactical ride win over James White-Williams and Benji Compton.

This 6-3 made Bournemouth certain winners, as only four 5-0s could have salvaged the home side a draw on aggregate.

But it looked like the meeting could be curtailed one heat short of the 12 needed for a result to stand.

With the rain lashing down, Turnbull consulted both sets of riders over whether they wanted to continue racing.

As Buccaneers were losing on the night, they were the only team eligible to call for a track inspection.

But the National League table-toppers had no intention of halting their victory charge when they only needed a point to triumph.

And in a farcical heat 12 which saw riders sliding about like drunks on an ice rink, Baseby brothers Aaron and Mark filled the minor places to put the Buccaneers through.

A relieved Herne said: “We certainly made hard work of it and a few decisions didn’t really go our way.

“We’ll have a full team against Plymouth home and away so I’m sure we’ll be strong enough to go through. We beat Weymouth quite well at home and I’m sure we can do the same to Plymouth.”