A 16-POINT salvo from Brady Kurtz salvaged Poole an SGB Premiership point as they slipped to a 49-44 defeat at Rye House tonight.

The Aussie has started the season in sensational form and produced four pivotal wins and 16 points to keep Pirates in the hunt during their first top-flight trip to Hoddesdon.

With Poole conceding a 5-1 in the reserves race, Kurtz hit back by seeing off Rockets’ former Grand Prix star Chris Harris to lead good friend Jack Holder to a 4-2 in heat three.

Pirates skipper Hans Andersen won race four, but Rye House maximums in races five and six put the visitors in tactical territory.

Kurtz stepped up with the black and white helmet and delivered a huge six points in heat seven, leading Holder to an 8-1 over Scott Nicholls and Robert Branford.

A 4-2 from Pirates pair Nicolai Klindt and guest Bradley Wilson-Dean in heat eight put Poole within a point.

But Harris and new Rockets signing Ricky Wells pulled Rockets clear with a 4-2 of their own in race nine, before ex-Pirate Edward Kennett and Stuart Robson inflicted Kurtz’s sole loss of the night with a maximum in heat 10.

The sides exchanged 4-2s in races 11 and 12 to leave Poole seven down, with Krzysztof Kasprzak winning heat 13 to share the spoils.

Kurtz then triumphed in race 14 to leave Poole requiring a heat advantage in the nominated race to rescue a point, which they duly delivered, with the Cowra-born star leading Kasprzak to a vital 4-2.

RIDER SCORES

Rye House 49: 1 Edward Kennett (2+3+3+1*+2) = 11+1, 2 Stuart Robson (1*+2*+2+2*) 7+3, 3 Chris Harris (2+2*+3+3+0) = 10+1, 4 Ricky Wells (0+3+1+2) = 6, 5 Scott Nicholls (2+1+2+2) = 7, 6 Robert Branford (3+0+exc+1*) = 4+1, 7 Ellis Perks (2*+1*+0+1) = 4+2.

Poole 44: 1 Krzysztof Kasprzak (3+1+1+3+1) = 9, 2 Bradley Wilson-Dean (0+fell+1+3) = 4, 3 Jack Holder (1+2*+fell+2) = 5+1, 4 Brady Kurtz (3+6+1+3+3) = 16, 5 Hans Andersen (3+1+2+0) = 6, 6 Nicolai Klindt (1+0+3+0+0) = 4, 7 James Shanes (0+0+0) = 0.

HEAT DETAILS

HT 1: Kasprzak, Kennett, Robson, Wilson-Dean (3-3) 3-3

HT 2: Branford, Perks, Klindt, Shanes (5-1) 8-4

HT 3: Kurtz, Harris, Holder, Wells (2-4) 10-8

HT 4: Andersen, Nicholls, Perks, Shanes (3-3) 13-11

HT 5: Wells, Harris, Kasprzak, Wilson-Dean (fell) (5-1) 18-12

HT 6: Kennett, Robson, Andersen, Klindt (5-1) 23-13

HT 7: Kurtz (t/r), Holder, Nicholls, Branford (1-8) 24-21

HT 8: Klindt, Robson, Wilson-Dean, Perks (2-4) 26-25

HT 9: Harris, Andersen, Wells, Klindt (4-2) 30-27

HT10: Kennett, Robson, Kurtz, Holder (fell) (5-1) 35-28

HT 11: Wilson-Dean, Nicholls, Kasprzak, Branford (exc) (2-4) 37-32

HT 12: Harris, Holder, Perks, Klindt (4-2) 41-34 HT13: Kasprzak, Nicholls, Kennett, Andersen (3-3) 44-37

HT 14: Kurtz, Wells, Branford, Shanes (3-3) 47-40

HT 15: Kurtz, Kennett, Kasprzak, Harris (2-4) 49-44

POINTS: Rye House 3, Pirates 1