The meeting was delayed by around an hour after a nasty first heat crash between Poole’s Richard Lawson and Plymouth’s Tobias Thomsen, with the latter taken to hospital.
After racing resumed, it was a very tight affair.
There were no full maximums across the night with the teams trading 4-2s and shared races, but back-to-back heat advantages with the scores level in heats ten and 11 edged the hosts in front.
Four 3-3s brought the meeting to a close in a tight first night of the season ahead of the return fixture tomorrow at Plymouth.
Cooper Rushen. (Image: Richard Crease)
It was the worst possible start to 2026 for both sides as a high-speed crash involving Lawson and former teammate Thomsen on the opening lap of heat one saw both riders require treatment.
It was a nasty collision as they came together on the back straight, and while Lawson was able to get up off the shale and limped back to the pits, Thomsen needed further treatment.
The Danish former Pirate was conscious and talking to the paramedics, but required a trip to Poole hospital, with an enforced delay to the meeting.
Racing got underway once again after an hour, with Lawson adjudged to be the cause of the stoppage and he was excluded from the re-run.
The air fence needed a repair after the first heat crash. (Image: Richard Crease)
Danny King went to the victory in the first, as late stand-in Kyle Newman made a good start but couldn’t hold off the Gladiators number one and the Devon side earned a 4-2 heat advantage.
But Pirates hit straight back to level the meeting in heat two after a superb ride from Will Cairns.
The 16-year-old and reserve partner Cooper Rushen were beaten out the gate by Daniel Klima.
But Cairns kept the pressure on around the outside going into the final lap, and he switched up the inside onto the back straight and went under his rival to take the heat win for a 4-2 to the Pirates.
Will Cairns won heat two. (Image: Richard Crease)
Lewis Kerr touched the tapes at the start of heat three and he was replaced by Cairns for the re-run after plenty of movement on the line.
Cairns produced an excellent move to get past Joe Thompson into second but he couldn’t chase Ben Barker down and another 4-2 heat advantage went the way of the visitors.
Again, though, the hosts responded.
Zach Cook gated and went clear to win heat four, and Rushen held the experienced Scott Nicholls at bay and maintained the pressure on Klima, although he wasn’t able to pass and held position for a 4-2 to level the scores again.
Will Cairns. (Image: Richard Crease)
King started heat five well and took the victory, with Kerr and Fraser Bowes finishing second and third for a first shared heat of the night.
Another followed in heat six as Lawson came out onto the back straight in the lead and held onto his advantage to the line to take his first Poole win of the season, despite pressure from Nicholls.
Heat seven saw Cook again start well and cruise to victory, while Cairns couldn’t get past the Plymouth pair despite some good pressure for a 3-3.
Cooper Rushen. (Image: Richard Crease)
Tom Spencer hit the deck at the start of the eighth after Rushen went up the inside of him in the opening lap, which saw Rushen disqualified.
Newman showed all his Wimborne Road experience to start well and hold off the Gladiators’ reserve pair for a shared heat in the re-run.
Bowes started heat nine well but Nicholls came around the outside through across the line on lap one to take the heat win, with the Australian and teammate Kerr earning a fourth consecutive shared heat.
Barker fell chasing down Newman in heat ten, with Lawson in the lead and the heat was awarded to the Rocketman, which meant the Pirates took the lead for the first time on the night with a 4-2 heat advantage.
Zach Cook went to victory in heat four. (Image: Richard Crease)
Heat 11 saw the two undefeated riders of the night meet each other and Cook started well to get ahead of King.
Cairns, who was having a strong night at reserve, overtook Spencer well as they entered the back straight of the first lap, and he set about chasing down King.
He wasn’t able to pass the Plymouth number one, despite piling on the pressure as King sought to pass Cook himself, but the 4-2 heat advantage saw Poole extend their lead to four points at 35-31.
Kerr soared to victory in heat 12, and Cairns, who came in for Rushen, wasn’t able to pass Klima for third and the points were shared.
It was King that got the better of Cook in heat 13 as he just beat him out of the start and kept him at bay for the victory.
Fraser Bowes and Lewis Kerr. (Image: Richard Crease)
Lawson crossed in third after a good battle with Nicholls, as the Gladiator passed the Pirate heading into lap three, before the Rocketman came back onto the back straight and went on to hold on for a shared race.
Plymouth skipper Barker managed to stay ahead of Bowes and Cairns in heat 14 as the points were again shared.
It was a repeat of heat 13 for the final race of the night as all four riders started well but Lawson got out in front.
Cook was shuffled to the back of the pack and just couldn’t get around Nicholls and an even meeting ended with a 3-3.
That saw Pirates open up a 47-43 lead ahead of the return fixture tomorrow in Devon.
Poole Pirates: 1, Richard Lawson 10+1; 2, Kyle Newman 6; 3, Lewis Kerr 6+1; 4, Fraser Bowes 5+1; 5, Zach Cook (c) 11; 6, Will Cairns 7+1; 7, Cooper Rushen 2.
Plymouth Gladiators: 1, Danny King 13; 2, Tobias Thomsen 0 (withdrawn); 3, Joe Thompson 6+1; 4, Ben Barker (c) 8; 5, Scott Nicholls 6+1; 6, Daniel Klima 9+2; 7, Tom Spencer 1+1.