CHAMPIONSHIP RIVALS CLASH

POOLE promoter Dan Ford is relishing the prospect of the first meeting between his side and Glasgow since their dramatic title decider last autumn.

The Pirates won the 2025 Cab Direct Championship in a Super Heat at Ashfield just over seven months ago, and now they face the Tigers at Wimborne Road in an eagerly awaited encounter on Wednesday.

Fraser Bowes has been ruled out for the defending champions with a punctured lung, but teenage reserve Cooper Rushen is back after missing last week’s win over Oxford in the MAXiCab KO Cup.

Ford said: “The rivalry that has developed since we have been Championship opponents is like nothing else.

“But with this being our first clash since that unforgettable night at their place on October 17 last year, I just have that feeling there will be that little bit ‘extra’ in this meeting.”