RIAS Pirates young guns Krzysztof Kasprzak and Antonio Lindback were both winners in their respective Under-21 rounds on May 22.

Kasprzak, reckoned by Poole manager Neil Middleditch to be the most improved rider in world speedway this season, won a tense meeting at Belle Vue on May 22 in a rain-drenched final to take the Manchester qualifying round.

Earlier the Pole, who will be 21 in July, won four of his heats convincingly, but suffered a heat eight exclusion after falling on the first bend. He snapped his handlebars and bruised his right leg, but said afterwards: "My leg is a bit sore but winning the meeting has made the pain go away!"

His 12 points eased him comfortably into the final which he won against Pawel Hlib (second), also from Poland, former Belle Vue rider and Australian Rory Schlein plus up and coming Brit Daniel King, who rides for Ipswich in the Elite League and Rye House in the Premier, who finished fourth

Richard Hall, such a huge favourite when he appeared for Poole in a recent Sky TV meeting against Swindon at reserve, scored 10 points and qualified as reserve.

Lindback, who celebrated his 20th birthday two weeks ago, won his quarter-final round in Elgane, Norway taking a tough final ahead of fellow Swedes Fredrik Lindgren and Jonas Davidsson and Belle Vue's diminutive Dane Kenneth Bjerre.

Kasprzak and Lindback are now through to the semi-finals which take place in Lonigo, Italy and Tarnow, Poland on June 18. Eight riders will qualify from each semi into the final in Wiener Neustatdt in Austria on September 17 with the two Poole riders remaining big favourites to win the overall competition.