Poole Pirates v Berwick Bandits

POOLE were held to a 47-43 home win by Berwick leaving their MAXiCab KO Cup semi-final fascinatingly poised at the halfway stage.

The Pirates were never allowed to race away with the tie, although they did look set for a useful advantage when Lewis Kerr and Kyle Newman combined for a 5-1 in Heat 12 to put them ten points up.

However, after a Bandits 4-2 in Heat 13 the home side saw Cooper Rushen disqualified from Heat 14 with Berwick guest Leon Flint and Nick Morris then racing to a key 5-1 in Heat 15 to further reduce the arrears.

Reserve Will Cairns top scored for the Pirates with 11 and Kerr added 10 despite a Heat 5 fall, whilst Flint scored 10+1 and Morris 9+1 in a hard-working Bandits display ahead of Saturday’s second leg.

Kerr said: “They are a very good side this year and we can’t take anything away from them. But a lot of things didn’t go our way tonight.

“For me, hitting that hole down the bottom there that knocked my chain off when it was a potential maximum win. It’s always going to be tough when you get those.

“The conditions were tough and the track staff did a great job getting the track to where it was. But, in terms of going forward, it is just the mindset we always have as a unit and that will be to go there, win and reach the Final.”

Bandits boss Stewart Dickson said: “We’ve achieved nothing yet, we’re still behind in the tie.

“Poole have a good record around Shielfield Park and are sure to come hard at us. We will have to be on the top of our game with no room for error.”

MAXICAB KO CUP, SEMI-FINAL, 1st leg
POOLE 47: Will Cairns 11, Lewis Kerr 10, Zach Cook 8, Chris Harris 6+1, Cooper Rushen 5+1, Kyle Newman 5+1, Fraser Bowes 2
BERWICK 43: Leon Flint 10+1, Nick Morris 9+1, Jordan Jenkins 9, Jye Etheridge 6+, Lasse Fredriksen 4, Jack Smith 3+3, Victor Palovaara 2

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Photo credit: TONY HARTMAN