Poole 'Castle Cover' Pirates Lose the Elite League Final

    DORSET, ENGLAND, October 13, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Poole Pirates, sponsored by the over 50s insurance specialist Castle Cover, have had a disappointing end to the season suffering a defeat to the Coventry Bees in the Elite League final. Poole 'Castle Cover' Pirates have been run away league leaders all season and were expected to win the playoff final but were beaten over the two legs by the in form Coventry Bees 101-79.

Poole went into their home leg with a 12 point deficit after suffering a difficult night in Coventry last week. Coventry took full advantage of their home tie in very tough racing conditions with a heavily bogged down track. Coventry adapted to the conditions better than Poole and managed to build a solid lead going into the second leg.

Poole started brightly at Wimborne Road and slowly chipped away at the Bees lead. At one point Poole were just four points behind Coventry and looked as if they would take the tie all the way to the 15th heat. The Coventry Bees though proved their worth and every time it looked like Poole would even the tie they managed to gain a heat advantage.

The turning point of the final came in the 6th heat when Chris Harris tangled with Chris Holder and came off his bike and was then run over by team mate Lewis Bridger. As the ambulance entered the track everybody expected Harris's night to be over but somehow he got to his feet and was back on his bike ready for the heat re-start.

Harris was the catalyst for Coventry who never looked back and edged their way further in front of the Pirates until the end of heat 13 when Coventry were crowned champions with a classy 5-1 heat win. Coventry then rounded off the evening with two further 5-1 wins and as the only team to beat the Poole 'Castle Cover' Pirates at home all season. The score finished 50-40 on the night with a lop-sided aggregate score of 101-79.

It was disappointing for the Poole 'Castle Cover' Pirates who had high expectations of winning the league. Andy Bray Marketing Manger from Castle Cover commented "It was a shame for the fans and the whole team, especially since we ended up over 20 points clear at the top of the Elite league. I know how hard Matt Ford and his team have worked this season but it was just one of those nights. We still have a chance of winning the cup and I know that everyone will give 110% to make sure we get some much deserved silver wear to finish on a high. As the main sponsor of the Poole Castle Cover Pirates we are very proud of the efforts that the team have gone through this year and look forward to another successful season sponsoring the Pirates."

Castle Cover, the over 50s home insurance specialists, have been long term sponsors for the Pirates which has give the club a stable platform to build a competitive team around.

The Poole Pirates will be looking for continued support from Castle Cover next season to ensure they continue to compete at the highest level. With the current sponsorship deal running until the end of 2011 the Pirates will be hoping to be right back to winning ways next season whilst continuing a strong partnership with Castle Cover.

Website: http://www.castlecover.co.uk

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