CAPTAIN COOK FOR PIRATES

POOLE have announced the return of Ben Cook for a fourth season – and the Australian will take over as club captain at Wimborne Road.

Cook first rode for the Pirates in 2021 although he was actually first declared for the Dorset side in the pandemic-cancelled 2020 campaign, and he now holds a Championship average of 7.39 as he prepares to succeed Steve Worrall as skipper.

Promoter Dan Ford said: “Obviously that is a role that brings its own pressures and responsibilities. Ben will be one of the more senior guys in the team and as a long-standing Pirate in the team he is an ideal fit for the role.

“Ben is Poole through and through, you can see that in his involvement with the other riders in the pits each week and he is very popular among the supporters.

“He knows that he is going to have to take on those pressures associated with being captain, but he is certainly willing to step into that role, and this is just another step along the way to making him one of the outstanding riders in the Championship.”