HEAVY rain brought a premature end to Wednesday’s meeting at Wimborne Road but the result was decided well before the heavens opened.
The result stands and the Elite League leaders have extended their dominance of this season’s competition. They began the night in celebratory mood with Chris Holder lauded for his performance at the British Grand Prix just four nights before.
When the racing got underway Pirates dampened the home mood as Chris Harris, replacing illness victim Lee Richardson, and Kauko Nieminen stormed to an opening heat 5-1. However, the Hammers’ lead was short lived as the home reserves equalled the scores in heat two.
Despite the Pirates gaining another 5-1 in heat three Hammers kept things relatively close over the next three races with heats four and five being shared. Davey Watt won heat four after Jason Doyle had been disqualified after taking a tumble and then Harris won his second race of the night. A second place by Adam Shields restricted the Pirates to a 4-2 in the sixth heat but a home 5-1 in the next heat extended the home side’s lead to 10 points.
Nieminen donned the black and white helmet in heat eight and managed to keep Leon Madsen behind him couldn’t stop Doyle taking the win so the Hammers were still only 10 points behind. However, maximum home heat advantages in heats nine and ten extended Pirates’ lead to 18 points. Harris then took the second permitted ‘tactical ride’' in the next race and stormed to another victory but Nieminen got stuck at the back so the resultant 6-3 to the Hammers meant the deficit was only reduced by three points.
Heat 12 saw the Pirates’ sixth 5-1 of the match but in the race of the night Harris had a terrific battle with Holder to eventually claim the win in a shared heat. Poole got another 5-1 in heat 14 before the heavens opened and within minutes the track was waterlogged and it was, therefore, no surprise to anyone that the meeting was abandoned.
Pirates: 1. Chris Holder 9; 2 Leon Madsen 4+1; 3. Bjarne Pedersen 9+2; 4. Artur Mrocska 8+3; 5. Davey Watt 8+2; 6. Darcy Ward 10+1; 7. Jason Doyle 8+1.
Hammers: 1 Chris Harris 15; 2. Kauko Nieminen 6+1; 3. Daniel Davidsson 1; 4. Jonas Davidsson 3; 5. Adam Shields 5; 6. Paul Hurry 1; 7. Stuart Robson 2+1.
Heat-by-heat:
1: Harris, Nieminen, Holder, Madsen (1-5) 59.6
2: Ward, Doyle, Robson, Hurry (5-1) (6-6) 59.5
3: Mroczka, Pedersen, J Davidsson, D Davidsson (5-1) (11-7) 60.1
4: Watt, Shields, Robson, Doyle (fell exc) (3-3) (14-10) 59.4
5: Harris, Pedersen, Mroczka, Nieminen (3-3) (17-13) 59.2
6: Holder, Shields, Madsen, Hurry (4-2) (21-15) 59.5
7: Watt, Ward, J Davidsson, D Davidsson (5-1) (26-16) 60.0
8: Doyle, Nieminen (tactical ride), Madsen, Robson (4-4) (30-20) 60.6
9: Pedersen, Mroczka, Shields, Hurry (5-1) (35-21) 60.7
10: Holder, Madsen, D Davidsson, J Davidsson (5-1) (40-22) 60.3
11: Harris (tactical ride), Ward, Watt, Nieminen (3-6) (43-28) 60.3
12: Doyle, Pedersen, Hurry, D Davidsson (5-1) (48-29) 61.3
13: Harris, Holder, Watt, Shields (3-3) (51-32) 60.00
14: Ward, Mroczka, J Davidsson, Robson (5-1) (56-33) 60.2