|
|
|
|
|
|
POOLE PIRATES 36 - EASTBOURNE EAGLES 36 |
|
|
|
|
Fri 10 Apr 2009
|
| Posted by
Thanks to Eastbourne Eagles |
|
ELITE LEAGUE A MATCH : GOOD FRIDAY 10th APRIL 2009
(Meeting abandoned due to heavy rain after heat 12 – result stands)
The Eastbourne Eagles made it three successive matches unbeaten at the home of their great rivals, the Poole Pirates on Good Friday morning as they carved out a last gasp 36-36 draw courtesy of a twelfth race 4-2, the match being abandoned soon after with heavy rain falling and track conditions worsening to the degree that referee Daniel Holt, in collaboration with the two Captains was forced to call a halt.
Just as they had in the earlier Elite Shield clash between the teams, it was the Eagles who cantered into an early lead and indeed it was they, vaunting the first three heat winners to open up a 13-5 lead, who seemingly showed greater heart for the battle.
With Simon Gustafsson and Lewis Bridger again leading the offensive, they headed an impressive all round performance by the Sussex side, one that saw them lead the meeting, just as they had at Swindon the previous Thursday until the conclusion of heat nine.
The Pirates, with Chris Holder unbeaten in his three outings, threatened to de-rail the visitors momentum but with Gustafsson forcing his way past Joe Screen for an Eastbourne 4-2 to square the scores in heat 12, the race that had reportedly been ear marked as the last one of the match, the contest finished as honours even with regard to the scoreline but the Eagles wresting 2-points to the Pirates one for the draw.
As the tapes rose for heat one it was the Eagles, just as they had in the Elite Shield a fortnight earlier, who were immediately on the offensive, Davey Watt leading from gate to flag while David Norris, having relinquished an early second place to Bjarne Pedersen coming out of bend two, kept the Dane well within his sights to wrap up an opening 4-2.
Ricky Kling looked to be on course to take race two as he led Pirates reserve duo Paul Hurry and Chris Neath while Gustafsson buzzed tenaciously around the outside looking set to make an impact at any moment. However the race was soon to be halted, Hurry sliding to earth heading into the first bend of lap three and forcing his partner to lay his machine down in order to avoid him.
The Eagles were then set to strike a further blow in the restart, Kling again defiant of Neath’s early challenge to take the 3-points while Gustafsson again menaced the lone Pirate for second place. As the pair rounded the final bend his industry was to pay off, scorching past Neath on the run in to the line to claim a superb maximum 5-1, one that stretched the visitor’s advantage to 6-points, 9-3.
As the match continued to unfold there was more than a touch of déjà vu when compared with the previous Wimborne Road clash between the two sides. Heat three saw Bridger nip sharply inside of Daniel Davidsson out of the second bend to record his fifth win in five 2009 races at the venue. W ith Cameron Woodward also jealously guarding third place ahead of Joe Screen throughout, Eagles third advantage, this one a 4-2 extended their lead further to 8-points, 13-5.
Indeed things looked to be getting better and better as Gustafsson and Lukas Dryml emerged ahead of the pack in the fourth but the Czech Republican was only set to make to make it to the first bend before taking a tumble, one that saw the second halting of a race.
At the second time of asking Holder needed no further bidding to become Pirates first heat winner of the morning action. He outgunned Gustafsson heading into the first bend and that was how it was to remain but with the young Swede holding a comfortable second at the expense of Neath this limited the damage to a 4-2 in favour of the home side, one that saw the scores narrow to 6-points, 15-9.
Heat five was called back to orders with Norris having got a flyer out of the start. Hopes of a repeat were soon doused however, the Pirates pairing of Davidsson and Screen blazing away from the chasing Norris for a 5-1 that brought them well and truly back into the match, Watt following on a rather forlorn figure having failed to get away from the unfavoured gate four, before retiring from the race in the early part of lap four.
With 16-14 the scores, still in favour of the visitors, the Eagles managed to maintain their advantage in the next. Although Pedersen proved an all the way winner of heat six, Dryml and Kling combined to keep Jankowski at bay, the match’s first share of the spoils seeing the scoreline move to 19-17.
So followed a further brace of 3-3’s thus keeping the visitors slender lead intact. Heat seven saw Bridger’s colours lowered for the first time in six attempts, Holder claiming his second win of the match but behind him Bridger and Woodward experienced little difficulty in keeping Hurry at bay for the second successive split of the points.
Seemingly from nowhere, Jankowski found some pace as he led heat eight throughout, Gustafsson and Norris this time combining to get the better of Neath and keep the 2-point differential, now standing at 25-23, in place.
Finally, however, the balance of power was set to shift as Screen and Davidsson leapt out of the start in the ninth and one impressive display of team riding later, one that denied Dryml’s every effort, the Pirates double act delivered the 5-1 that saw them lead for the first time, the score now settled as 28-26 to the home side.
The teams continued to joust gamely however, Bridger defying the curse of gate four to come from last to first, a clenched fist salute in evidence as he powered past Pedersen on the run in to celebrate another emphatic win in race ten. With Woodward getting the better of Jankowski for the odd point, the Eagles 4-2 restored parity between the teams, 30-30 now the score.
With the heavy rain, which had threatened for the entire morning and had started to fall as the riders crossed the line in heat eight, continuing to fall in earnest, the Pirates edged ahead once more in what was to prove the penultimate race.
Holder continued his unbeaten run at the expense of Watt and Hurry handed out a somewhat surprising defeat to Norris, who was destined to retire from the latter part of the race, the Pirates 4-2 saw them lead once again by that same 2-point margin, 34-32.
With the rain continuing to fall and conditions becoming heavier, the likelihood that heat 12 was to witness a cessation to proceedings began to abound. With Screen heading from the start to lead Gustafsson and Bridger following in third, it seemed that the home side would draw first blood from the morning contest.
However, as the riders rounded the final lap, Screen momentarily lost control on the second bend leaving a gap that Gustafsson was happy to exploit. Though Screen refused to give up the chase, the impetus was now with the Swede who crossed the line to cap another wholly impressive 9-point display with a win. With Bridger holding onto third place for what was to prove a closing 4-2, the honours remained even, the two teams standing at 36 points apiece.
Indeed, the announcement was quickly made, with conditions worsening, that no further racing would take place and undoubtedly it was the Eagles contingent who were the happier as the road show headed back towards Sussex, Eastbourne having taken 2-points from their mornings work while the Pirates remained on a single point credited for a home draw.
Scorers :
Pirates : Chris Holder 9(3), Daniel Davidsson 7+1(3), Joe Screen 7+1(4), Bjarne Pedersen 7(3), Lukasz Jankowski 3(4), Chris Neath 2(4), Paul Hurry 1(3) – 36
Eagles : Simon Gustafsson 9+1(4), Lewis Bridger 9(4), Davey Watt 5(3), Ricky Kling 4+1(3), Cameron Woodward 3+1(4), David Norris 3+1(4), Lukas Dryml 3(3) – 36
|
|
|
|
|
|
