PIRATES skipper Danny King produced an impressive display in tonight's thrilling draw at Berwick, but he did not have it all his own way at Shielfield Park.

Former British champion King ended the night with a score of 13+1 from five rides, only beaten by an opponent on one occasion.

Poole got off to a shocking start, trailing by 10 points after just six heats.

But Gary Havelock's charges rallied, even briefly taking a two-point lead at the end of heat 12.

Berwick hit back, to put themselves on the brink of victory at 44-40 going into the final heat.

However, King and Richard Lawson capitalised on mechanical gremlins for the in-form Chris 'Bomber' Harris to combine for a crucial 5-1 as the meeting ended 45-45, earning Poole two league points.

Discussing the final heat drama, which saw Harris pass King before his bike packed up, Pirates' captain said on the British Speedway Network: "I actually messed up a bit, I caught Lawson up too much mid-corner and I had to get off the gas and I could hear Bomber coming.

"You know when he's coming, he's coming. So I tucked in and tried to repay the move back.

"Obviously I did get underneath him, but his bike gave up at the same time I think.

"I got lucky myself because I got a puncture on the last bend! So it was all happening."

The result leaves Pirates third, now four points behind second-placed Glasgow Tigers, who visit Wimborne Road in a huge meeting on Wednesday night.

Asked if he was happy to come away with a draw against the SGB Championship's bottom side, King said: "We have to be happy with that.

"It's one of them. We'd like to have gone away with four points, but it wasn't meant to be.

"Then being four down going into the last one, needing a 5-1, you've got to be happy with a draw."

Pirates have now picked up just one win in their past six meetings, but look well set to clinch an end-of-season play-off spot.