League title holders Poole surged back with a 50-40 win at Scunthorpe Scorpions to regain control of their Cab Direct Championship play-off group.
Pirates had been under huge pressure heading to the Eddie Wright Raceway after the Scorpions drew 45-45 in the reverse fixture and they were then reduced to six riders when Anders Rowe suffered concussion in a Heat 1 crash.
But they showed real resilience to run up an away win over an in-form home side, meaning victory at home to Edinburgh on Wednesday will see them reach the Grand Final again.
Steve Worrall (12+1) and Richard Lawson (11) led the way with reserve Joe Thompson (7+3) making a key contribution against the side with whom he started the season. Ryan Douglas racked up 15 for the Scorpions.
Lawson said: “Obviously we put ourselves in a difficult position coming into this meeting, but we knew what the task in hand was and every single rider was so up for this.
“We knew we could do it, we felt like we were the better team and it was so satisfying, especially after Heat 1 disaster when it was backs against the wall time. But it seems as though when the Pirates face those situations we find it from somewhere.
“It almost did feel like a Final tonight. The pressure was on. We put that pressure on ourselves having that performance last Wednesday week, but we’ve redeemed ourselves and now we’ve got to finish it off home and away against Edinburgh.”
Oxford pulled off a dramatic comeback to secure a 47-43 win at Redcar in Group B of the Cab Direct Championship play-offs.
The Bears dealt with conditions best in the early stages after a heavy downpour and moved into a 14-point lead after just six races – but the Cheetahs then hit back with an incredible hat-trick of 5-1s.
They keep their momentum and led by four points heading into the last race which was won by Danny King, but with partner Danyon Hume falling an away win was confirmed which could prove pivotal in the group.
Former Edinburgh skipper Sam Masters (12+1) and Scott Nicholls (11+1) top scored for the Cheetahs with Danny King scoring 10+1 for the Bears and reserve Jason Edwards notched 10.
Glasgow and Redcar have the pressure on as they go into Cab Direct Championship play-off action at Ashfield on Saturday, 2pm.
Oxford’s win against the Bears on Teesside last night has given the Cheetahs control of Group B, following their 50-40 home victory over the Tigers last week.
It’s a first home meeting in the group for Glasgow, who may well need to win all of their remaining three matches and secure the aggregate point against Oxford in order to reach the Grand Final.
Tigers again track Jack Smith at reserve for the injured Ace Pijper whilst the Bears have Justin Sedgmen guesting for Charles Wright and Luke Harrison again comes in at reserve.
Leicester host Oxford in the National Development League (NDL) on Saturday with both teams now guaranteed a place in the Grand Final.
Mildenhall’s defeat at Edinburgh on Friday means they cannot mathematically finish in the top two, meaning it will be the Lion Cubs against the Chargers for the third-tier title next month.
Monarchs Academy racer Max Clegg guests for the home side with Dan Thompson still out with shoulder trouble, as they protect an unbeaten home record dating back to their NDL entry in 2019, whilst the visitors are at full strength.
Cubs boss Dave Howard said: “Oxford are no doubt the other strongest team in the NDL, so it will be a big challenge to achieve our aim, but our team will be giving their all.
“It’s great to have Ashton (Boughen) back, and the other riders rode outstandingly in our last double-header meeting to put us into the Cup Final.”
PICTURE: from our library and courtesy of Glasgow Tigers and Phil Lanning
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