Championship Grand Final

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2 CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL, 1st LEG GLASGOW 50 C.Cook ............................1* 3 3 1 3 - - 11+1 B.Nicol ............................2 1 2 1 - - - 6 S.Jensen ........................0 1 0 2 - - - 3 T.Brennan ......................3 3 3 X 1 - - 10 R.Wells ..........................2 2* 2 3 - - - 9+1 M.Nowak ........................0 3 1* 3 - - - 7+1 C.Bailey ..........................2 1* 1* 0 - - - 4+2 Team manager: Cameron Brown POOLE 40 S.Worrall ........................T 2 3 0 - - - 5 D.Hume ..........................0 0 3 0 - - - 3 R.Schlein ........................1* 1 2 3 2 - - 9+1 B.Cook ............................2 0 0 - - - - 2 D.King ............................3 2 2 2 0 - - 9 Z.Cook ............................3 0 1* 1 1* - - 6+2 B.Basso ..........................3 1 0 0 2 - - 6 Team managers: Neil Middleditch/Gary Havelock Referee: Graeme Hunter 1 Basso, Nicol, C.Cook, Hume, Worrall (exc. tapes) (3-3) 2 Z.Cook, Bailey, Basso, Nowak◊ (5-7) 3 Brennan, B.Cook, Schlein, Jensen (8-10) 4 King, Wells, Bailey, Basso (11-13) 5 Brennan, Worrall, Jensen, Hume (15-15) 6 C.Cook, King, Nicol, Z.Cook (19-17) 7 Nowak, Wells, Schlein, B.Cook (24-18) 8 Hume, Nicol, Bailey, Basso (27-21) 9 Brennan, King, Z.Cook, Jensen (30-24) 10 C.Cook, Schlein, Nicol, B.Cook (34-26) 11 Worrall, Wells, Nowak, Hume (37-29) 12 Schlein, Jensen, Z.Cook, Bailey (39-33) 13 Wells, King, C.Cook, Worrall (43-35) 14 Nowak, Basso, Z.Cook, Brennan (f.exc) (46-38) 15 C.Cook, Schlein, Brennan, King (50-40)

• Ben Cook on the outside of Sam Jensen

• Danny King leads Connor Bailey

Ten-tative Tigers G Heat 1 meaning Benjamin Basso was forced into an early debut ride at Ashfield. A perfect opportunity for the home side.

LASGOW was all about COP26 as Poole arrived north of the border seeking cup 25. The Pirates sailed into Ashfield Stadium on the backdrop of 24 pieces of silverware plundered under the Matt Ford/Neil Middleditch rule of the rudder going back to 1999.

Now the ship was steered by Ford junior Danny with one trophy already on deck after beating Edinburgh in the KO Cup.

It was the glamour decider for the Championship, perhaps fatefully lurching into early November for even more fireworks at the finale.

But cowboy hat-wearing Dane Basso, who has added so much yee-hah to their reserve scoring power, roared clear. Craig Cook simply didn’t get away from gate three, which appeared to be like trying to start off haggis soaked in whisky.

Then it was Pole Marcin Nowak’s turn for tape trouble, although some believed he hadn’t touched them. He went off 15 metres but couldn’t make any impression as Zach Cook poked Pirates’ noses in front and that’s how it stayed after four heats.

The truth is, the fuse took a while to get lit on this encounter. By Ashfield standards, it was more lightly sizzling sparkler than six tonnes of semtex.

Maybe too many Cooks spoilt the Scotch broth on this wintry evening.

However, in typical style, the early script seemed to be with the serial winner seasiders. Steve Worrall ran into the tapes in

Tom Brennan made his second booming getaway in Heat 5. He simply looked a million dollars streaking clear comfortably; oh how a gold medal can add so much barnstorming belief.

When Craig Cook won Heat 6 and then Nowak and Ricky Wells out-trapped Rory Schlein in Heat 7, the home side had impressively opened up a six-point gap.

Poole then went clear in the next but Basso dropped it on the bottom bend as Hume vitally won. That seemed like a missed opportunity for the home side to keep up the momentum.

Brennan won his third on the bounce oozing with quality and it took a masterful piece of first-bend switching back on a sixpence from Schlein to cut under Broc Nicol down the back straight on the last lap in Heat 10 to avoid another home 5-1.

Finally Sam Jensen came to the party for the home side. The incredibly exciting Dane streaked clear in Heat 12. But Schlein, in his last-ever away meeting, produced a bit of dashing deja vu to repeat the move he had used on Nicol and give the visitors their second heat advantage of the night. Zach Cook, quietly but effectively, picking up the vital odd point.

Of course, Heat 13 served up the big guns. And now the fireworks went boom, boom, boom. Wells made a crisp start with Craig Cook left menacingly at the back. The home No. 1 blitzed under Worrall down the back straight but then the Pirate repaid the compliment. Eventually Cook found a way past on the outside and almost caught Danny King in second.

The next saw Brennan stranded on the graveyard gate three. Nowak found fresh air as his team-mate got into third. As Brennan tried to find a gap past Basso for second he ran out of room exiting the fourth bend and clattered into the fence. Brennan was excluded, the home fans booed in true pantomime style to no avail.

It was just left for another clash of the big hitters. Schlein made his best start of the night but Craig Cook used every last millimetre of the fourth bend shale to swoop around. Brennan chased hard for second but they had to settle for a heat advantage.

A 10-point lead was the net result. However, secretly, the home fans knew that probably wasn’t enough.

Poole arrived in Glasgow amidst the debate on climate change. Now it would take a lot to stop Pirate champagne.

6 speedway star November 13, 2021