NEIL Middleditch saw Pirates condemned to a sobering Knockout Cup defeat at Belle Vue before urging his charges to bounce back.

Poole had taken a 46-44 lead into the quarter-final second leg but a succession of early maximums left them reeling and they were eventually beaten 57-33 on the night and 101-79 on aggregate.

It was an emphatic end to hopes of a fourth straight cup success for Middleditch’s side – the most recent being in 2012 – and the team boss admitted an impressive Belle Vue had deserved their victory at the National Speedway Stadium.

He told the Daily Echo: “It was a tough night. We never gave up but they got a headstart on us and, unfortunately, we couldn’t get on terms with them.

“The effort was there but Belle Vue had it all dialled in. It’s just one of those things. We knew it would be tough to come up here and win and so it proved.

“It’s early doors and there is a long way to go. I’m not placing any stock in what happened tonight. We just have to bounce back and concentrate on the league.”

After a shared opening heat which Pirates number one Krzysztof Kasprzak won from the gate, Dan Bewley got the better of opposite number Nicolai Klindt.

The Dane was straight back out for rider replacement duties but trailed at the back as Kenneth Bjerre and Justin Sedgmen helped themselves to a maximum.

Another followed when Hans Andersen was kept in third by Craig Cook and reserve Jack Smith, the latter banishing memories of his scoreless meeting in Dorset.

Belle Vue clocked up their third straight 5-1 thanks to Bjerre and Sedgmen, the latter edging out Kasprzak to extend to 12 points the overall lead.

While Andersen and Klindt responded with a first heat advantage for Poole – who were operating rider replacement with Lewis Kerr absent – it was only a momentary delay to the punishment as Cook and Bewley made it four maximums in five races.

The visitors were denied a much-needed 5-1 in heat eight, while honours were even next after Andersen’s gutsy victory.

But time was running out. Klindt took his third rider replacement outing and had to settle for third behind Brady Kurtz, not the maximum Middleditch must have craved.

All the Aces needed was to keep Pirates at arm’s length and with Cook at the starting gate, that became an easier task, the Workington charger picking the pockets of ex-Grand Prix star Kasprzak and Jack Holder in heat 11.

A win for the flying Bjerre brought Belle Vue to the brink of victory and Cook made sure his team progressed to the semi-finals in the next race.

Salt was rubbed in the wound by a Bewley-Sedgmen heat advantage, before Cook and Bjerre reeled off a maximum to finish.

Meanwhile, Kerr scored 10 paid 11 for Scunthorpe in their 54-36 Championship defeat at Edinburgh.

Last night, Kurtz racked up 12 in Sheffield’s 61-30 win over Berwick at Owlerton.

RIDERS' SCORES AND HEAT DETAILS

Belle Vue 57 (101): 1 Max Fricke (1*-2-0-2*) 5+2, 2 Steve Worrall (2-0-2-3) 7, 3 Kenneth Bjerre (3-3-2-3-2*) 13+1, 4 Justin Sedgmen (2*-2*-1*-1) 6+3, 5 Craig Cook (3-3-3-3-3) 15, 6 Dan Bewley (3-2*-0-3) 8+1, 7 Jack Smith (1-2*-0-0) 3+1.

Pirates 33 (79): 1 Krzysztof Kasprzak (3-1-2-0-1) 7, 2 Jack Holder (0-0-3-1*-1*) 5+2, 3 Lewis Kerr r/r, 4 Brady Kurtz (1-1-2-2) 6, 5 Hans Andersen (1-3-3-1-0) 8, 6 Nicolai Klindt (2-0-1-0-0-1*-2) 6+1, 7 James Shanes (0-0-1-r) 1.

HT 1: Kasprzak, Worrall, Fricke, Holder, 60.5 (3-3)

HT 2: Bewley, Klindt, Smith, Shanes, 60.2 (7-5)

HT 3: Bjerre, Sedgmen, Kurtz, Klindt, 60.0 (12-6)

HT 4: Cook, Smith, Andersen, Shanes, 60.2 (17-7)

HT 5: Bjerre, Sedgmen, Kasprzak, Holder, 60.1 (22-8)

HT 6: Andersen, Fricke, Klindt, Worrall, 60.1 (24-12)

HT 7: Cook, Bewley, Kurtz, Klindt, 60.1 (29-13)

HT 8: Holder, Worrall, Shanes, Smith, 60.2 (31-17)

HT 9: Andersen, Bjerre, Sedgmen, Klindt, 60.2 (34-20)

HT 10: Worrall, Kurtz, Klindt, Fricke, 60.2 (37-23)

HT 11: Cook, Kasprzak, Holder, Bewley, 60.3 (40-26)

HT 12: Bjerre, Klindt, Holder, Smith, 60.2 (43-29)

HT 13: Cook, Fricke, Andersen, Kasprzak, 60.2 (48-30)

HT 14: Bewley, Kurtz, Sedgmen, Shanes (retired), 60.3 (52-32)

HT 15: Cook, Bjerre, Kasprzak, Andersen, 60.3 (57-33)

ECHO STAR RIDER: CRAIG COOK

IT COULD have been any one of several riders from the home team but it is tough to argue against the man who racked up a 15-point maximum.

Cook was not beaten by a single rider all night and on this evidence, the British charger will be a tough nut to crack at the National Speedway Stadium this season.

Completing an excellent contribution over both legs, Kenneth Bjerre was in fine form for the Aces, while Dan Bewley could also be pleased with eight paid nine at reserve.

For Pirates, there will surely be better days ahead.