Pirates confirm Championship Pairs to be held at Wimborne Road

Promoter Danny Ford described as an “honour” the opportunity to host this season’s SGB Championship Pairs fixture at Wimborne Road.

The event, which pits the best duos in each Championship club against each other, is set to take place at the home of the Pirates on Saturday, August 8 (6pm).

Ford said: “It's a real honour for Poole to be hosting such a prestigious event.

“The Championship Pairs is always a highlight of the calendar, and staging it on a Saturday in the middle of the summer holidays should guarantee a big crowd at Wimborne Road.

“With strong pairings right across the league it looks a wide-open field and a fantastic opportunity to showcase the very best talent in the Championship."

Meanwhile, the club will also stage the 2026 Harbour Masters Championship at Wimborne Road on Wednesday, June 3, in which Britain’s best rising stars go head to head individually.

Ford said: “We have been encouraged by the support that these meetings have received. We first staged this level of meeting in 2024, and last year branded it the Harbour Masters Championship.

“I hope to be in a position to confirm the full line-up over the next few weeks, but both Will (Cairns) and Cooper (Rushen) will be vying to become Harbour Masters Champion.

"Once again, we are grateful to David and Guy Adams at Wessex Marine for their backing of this meeting, the aim of which is to showcase the very best of young talent — something that this year we are enjoying at every meeting with our brilliant teenage pairing."