PROMOTER Danny Ford hailed Pirates' emphatic response to their Good Friday nightmare on home shale.

Poole went down 53-37 against Swindon in the Supporters’ Cup at the start of the Easter weekend – a second successive Wimborne Road reverse after the class of 2019’s narrow 46-44 loss to King’s Lynn in the second leg of the Premiership Shield earlier last month.

However, after putting Championship side Somerset to the sword 56-34 at the Oaktree Arena on Wednesday, spoiling the Rebels’ 20th anniversary celebrations, the Pirates septet blitzed Belle Vue 55-35 in the SGB Premiership on Thursday night.

Ford, who watched in-form Brady Kurtz rack up 14 points and Dane Nicolai Klindt 10, said: “This was the response I wanted after what happened on Good Friday.

“We were all hugely disappointed with the way that meeting against Swindon panned out – both in terms of the track and our own performance. It simply wasn’t good enough.

“But the boys really did show up to prove a point at Somerset and they carried that on at home last night. It was an extremely ruthless and professional performance and I couldn’t be happier.”

Although Aces spearhead Max Fricke racked up 12 points at Wimborne Road, Kurtz stole the limelight from the newly-crowned Australian champion with an imperious display.

The Cowra racer was beaten just once on the night, his heat 11 defeat by Fricke the only blemish on an otherwise perfect scorecard.

Dane Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen, meanwhile, chipped in with paid 11 alongside compatriot Klindt’s contribution.

Those returns, coupled with 8 from Richie Worrall and 7+2 from Jack Holder, were too much for the visitors from Manchester, who managed only two heat advantages on the night.