Bandits bounce back as patched-up Pirates fall short

Team manager Gary Havelock expressed his pride despite a patched up Poole Pirates outfit coming unstuck 47-43 at Berwick.

Using three guests, Poole were in the box seat with an eight-point lead after 12 heats.

But a trio of 5-1s from the Bandits turned the contest on its head. The turning point came when Poole’s British Under-21 champion Cooper Rushen was controversially disqualified in heat 14.

Guests Sam Masters (14) and Edward Kennett (12) led the charge for Poole.

Havelock said: “We got the bonus point. Of course I would have liked the win, it would have been good.

“It clearly meant a lot to them, they were dancing around as if they had won the league. They won't even make the play-offs! But as I said, I was proud of the boys. They had a couple of off races but that is to be expected here.

“If you can get out the traps and get a bit of fresh air between you and them then it’s great. But It's like a night and day difference. If you're behind and you're getting roasted with shale it's a horrible battle.”

Next up for the Pirates is a home clash against Scunthorpe at Wimborne Road on Wednesday (7.30pm).

(Picture: Taylor Lanning Photography)