PROMOTER Danny Ford watched Pirates claim 2019’s first piece of silverware and backed his side to find their home form after defeat on the night to King’s Lynn.

Pirates had taken a 10-point lead into the Premiership Shield second leg at Wimborne Road having turned over the Stars 50-40 in the first leg on Monday.

And that lead proved decisive as the Stars ran out 46-44 winners in Dorset, Poole securing the shield by an eight-point margin.

Ford said: “I’m absolutely delighted to get this first piece of silverware in the trophy cabinet and, over the two legs, I felt we deserved it.

“Any side that goes to King’s Lynn and racks up a 10-point lead deserves to see that through and we did just enough on the night to keep them at bay.

“Conditions were tricky and a few of our boys struggled to get dialled in, but it’s nothing some more track time won’t correct and we go into Monday’s first league meeting at Peterborough with confidence high.”

With the first three races of the night tied, Pirates aggregate advantage remained the same until Brady Kurtz secured a 5-1 alongside Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen in heat four, extending the lead to 14 points.

And with the next three heats also 3-3s, Poole maintained their grip on the season’s first piece of silverware.

The Stars, though, had other ideas and dented the margin thanks to a 5-1 in heat eight that came courtesy of Erik Riss and Kasper Andersen.

Heat 12 went Pirates’ way thanks to a 4-2 from Busk Jakobsen and fellow Dane Nicolai Klindt, but Jack Holder’s disappointing night continued when he could only follow Robert Lambert and Thomas Jorgensen home for a Stars 5-1 in the next race.

Nico Covatti and Richie Worrall saw off Lewis Kerr and Andersen in heat 14 before Lambert and Riss got the better of Kurtz and Josh Grajczonek in the final race to claim the win on the night.