Lawson lays down the law as resurgent Pirates tame Glasgow Tigers

Richard Lawson spearheaded the Dorset club on the night with 13+1 for the hosts, with skipper Danny King also taking 10 points from four rides.

Neil Middleditch’s men are now just one league point behind Glasgow in the league table.

Pirates went into the contest with just one win in six meetings, meaning they started the night four points behind second-placed Glasgow, having ridden once more.

Both clubs were able to track a full one-to-seven, meaning the returns of 2021 Poole title winners Danyon Hume and Ben Basso.

And it was that man Hume who got off a blistering opening to race one.

Having made the start, the former Pirates rising star team rode excellently alongside Glasgow number one Craig Cook to deliver an opening 5-1 for the visitors, ahead of Drew Kemp and Steve Worrall at the back.

Back came Poole in the reserves’ heat, with Ben Cook recording his fastest time at Wimborne Road to take the chequered flag ahead of American Broc Nicol. Nathan Ablitt held off the challenge of Connor Bailey as Poole pulled back two points.

With Basso given a few jeers from the home fans at tapes for heat three, he failed to score with Poole skipper King roaring round the outside of Tigers’ captain Ulrich Ostergaard to take the chequered flag. Zach Cook claimed third to level up the contest at 9-9.

Pirates registered their third heat advantage in a row in race four as Lawson led from the gate ahead of Great Britain youngster Tom Brennan. Another crucial point for Ablitt in third meant Pirates nosed ahead by two points at the first track grade.

King then showed his speed to record his second race win, ahead of Hume and Craig Cook in a shared heat five.

Poole stamped their authority on the meeting in heat six. Worrall found his form to take the win from turn one and, when Brennan lost control on bend three – fellow GB youngster Kemp surged through to record a 5-1 for the hosts and put them six ahead.

Evergreen Ostergaard then used all his experience to deliver a race victory for the visitors after keeping Lawson at bay in second, with Basso third to close the gap.

Kemp and Ben Cook gated on a 5-1 in race nine but Hume again showed his speed to get round Ben Cook and split the hosts. A 4-2 however gave Poole a 27-21 advantage on the night.

That meant Glasgow made their tactical substitute in race nine. Californian Nicol was swapped out in place of Craig Cook.

And good use of that switch from visiting team manager Cami Brown reduced to just two points the gap, when British under-21 champion Brennan was first home. Craig Cook burst past Zach Cook up the home straight for second to seal a Tigers 5-1.

Worrall’s second race win of the night ensured a shared heat 10 before Poole turned the screw in race 11.

A burst of speed allowed reserve rocket Ben Cook the chance to surge round the outside and team up with Lawson for a crucial 5-1 ahead of Craig Cook and Hume. Poole’s advantage was back to six.

Captain King made it a hat-trick of race wins on the night after leading home Ostergaard and Nicol in race 12 – before Pirates virtually wrapped up the contest in race 13.

Lawson and Worrall got out of the gate ahead of Craig Cook and Brennan, teaming up to deliver a home 5-1 and extend to 10 points the gap with just two races left.

Glasgow’s difficulties were then compounded when Nicol went through the tapes in the first running of the penultimate heat – he was told to go off 15 metres back in the re-run. Basso eventually hit his straps with a race victory ahead of Pirates’ Cook brothers.

Lawson capped of his fine night’s work when he finished ahead of Craig Cook in the finale, in turn denying the Tigers a league point in the process.

Pirates 51: Steve Worrall 9+1, Drew Kemp 6+1, Danny King 10, Zach Cook 3, Richard Lawson 13+1, Ben Cook 8+1, Nathan Ablitt 2.

Tigers 39: Craig Cook 9+3, Danyon Hume 7, Ulrich Ostergaard 9, Ben Basso 5+1, Tom Brennan 5, Broc Nicol 4+1, Connor Bailey 0.