TEAM boss Neil Middleditch heaped praise on his Pirates chargers after they got back to winning ways in the SGB Premiership at Ipswich.

Nicolai Klindt (13+1) and Brady Kurtz (12+1) banged in the double figures for the visitors at Foxhall as Poole picked up three league points with a 47-43 triumph.

Middleditch told the Daily Echo: “Ipswich wanted it as badly but we really needed that one after the past couple of meetings. People were getting a bit worried about us but it was a good team performance.

“We needed to get back on the winning track and that’s just what we’ve done.”

Success meant the defending champions kept pace with rivals Swindon for top spot – the Robins recorded an emphatic 65-25 home win over Peterborough.

Despite Thomas H Jonasson making his return for Pirates at reserve, Poole once again ran rider replacement – this time for the injured Josh Grajczonek.

Ipswich themselves made changes heading into the business end of the campaign. Grand Prix star Niels-Kristian Iversen and James Sarjeant came in to replace Krystian Pieszczek and Edward Kennett.

And Iversen had no hesitation of stamping his authority on things with victory in the opening heat.

He took the spoils after passing Poole’s Nico Covatti on the second lap. Ipswich’s Jake Allen was third with Pirates number one Jack Holder trailing at the back.

Jonasson and Ricky Wells gated well in the reserves’ heat but failed to stop Allen passing them both on the second bend. Swede Jonasson was then also passed by Sarjeant, meaning Ipswich recorded back-to-back 4-2s.

Klindt bagged Pirates’ first heat win with victory in a shared race three after both Chris Harris and Richard Lawson snuck up the inside of Covatti on bend two.

Aussie charger Kurtz then sealed victory from the gate in a shared heat four before Poole got back on level terms with a 5-1 in race five.

Holder and Covatti surged out of the gate and were never threatened by Harris and Lawson, with the former taking the chequered flag.

Kurtz then sealed his second win of the night after overcoming Witches number one Iversen in second. Sarjeant once again got the better of Jonasson for third, meaning the contest remained level at 18-18.

But after two last-placed finishes, Swede Jonasson came to the party when he teamed up with Klindt for a 5-1 in heat seven ahead of Danny King and Sarjeant.

Covatti won from the gate in a shared heat eight before Jonasson continued in the thick of the action in heat nine.

He fell and was controversially excluded after coming under pressure from Harris – Aussie ace Kurtz showed his determination to take victory in the re-run and keep intact Poole’s four-point lead.

And things got even better for the visitors in heat 10. Klindt and Kurtz powered out of the gate as they teamed up to topple Iversen and Allen – the 5-1 took Poole eight points up on the night.

Iversen replaced Sarjeant in race 11 as a tactical substitute but, despite Covatti trailing at the back, Poole’s Holder sealed the race victory ahead of his opposite number and King to earn a 3-3.

Despite Harris prevailing ahead of Scandinavian duo Klindt and Jonasson in race 12, the Poole pair occupied the minor placings to keep the commanding advantage intact.

The hosts did pull two points back in a star-studded heat 13 however. Kurtz was excluded after falling, Holder managed to split race winner Iversen and King in the re-run.

The Witches continued to rally and kept themselves in the hunt when Lawson and Allen paired up to prevail with a 5-1 over Jonasson and Wells in the penultimate heat – meaning there was just two in it going into the finale.

But it was Danish star Klindt who held his nerve in the nominated race to take the chequered flag ahead of Iversen, with Kurtz third ahead of Harris to earn Pirates a crucial victory.

Pirates 47: Jack Holder 8, Nico Covatti 7+1, Nicolai Klindt 13+1, Brady Kurtz 12+1, Thomas H Jonasson 5+2, Ricky Wells 2.

Ipswich 43: Niels-Kristian Iversen 12+1, Chris Harris 8, Richard Lawson 5+2, Danny King 6+1, James Sarjeant 3+1, Jake Allen 9+1.