PIRATES hero Chris Holder reflected on the horror spill that left him battered and bruised and admitted: I had a lucky escape.

Captain courageous Holder is vowing to brush off the damage of Sunday’s spectacular crash to lead Poole into battle tonight.

The Poole Coastal Aluminium star is set to line up against Wolves at Wimborne Road in the Elite League – weather permitting – just days after being sent flying into the air fence while competing for his Polish club Torun.

Holder had been at the front in heat 10 of the Ekstraliga match against Zielona Gora when Piotr Protasiewicz took the inside line and collided hard with the side of the Australian’s bike.

The Grand Prix ace, back in Dorset after sitting out his commitments in Sweden last night, confirmed he felt “tender” after hurting his chest, ribs and both shoulders in the dramatic fall. But he said he was relieved to walk away with no broken bones.

Holder told the Daily Echo: “I was in front and had just come round the corner. The track had a few ruts in it and that guy (Protasiewicz) just went for the inside and hit a few ruts.

“The worst thing was I wasn’t ready for it because I didn’t see it coming and, the next thing I knew, I was going up over the handlebars and all over the place. It scared me a bit, to be honest, but I was just happy I landed in one piece.

“I went into the fence with my legs first which is always the best way to go into it, rather than with your head first. But I think I was pretty lucky to get away with it.

“Usually, when you have a pretty nasty one and hit the ground quite hard, you break a collarbone or something really easy.

“I did hurt my shoulder so I was surprised I was able to walk away. It was probably the biggest crash I have had for a while.”

Holder managed to win the re-run but sat out the latter stages of the meeting.

However, he is confident he will be ready to don the skull and crossbones this evening if Pirates’ clash with Wolves beats the predicted rain.

The 24-year-old added: “I was supposed to be going to Sweden (yesterday) but sat that one out to try to get ready for the Poole matches and the next Grand Prix this weekend. If it is on tonight, I should be racing no problem.”

Poole: 1 Chris Holder, 2 Sam Masters, 3Darcy Ward, 4 Dennis Andersson, 5 Adrian Miedzinski, 6 Ricky Kling, 7 Todd Kurtz.

Wolverhampton: 1 Freddie Lindgren, 2 Pontus Aspgren, 3 Nicolai Klindt, 4 Ty Proctor, 5 Tai Woffinden, 6 Ricky Wells, 7 Lukasz Sowka.