LUKAS Dryml and David Ruud turned on the style for Pirates as they inflicted the first league defeat of the season on Oxford last night.

Dryml, the Czech Republic star, beat Australian Grand Prix rider Todd Wiltshire from behind to bring another big Wimborne Road crowd to its feet in celebration.

And Ruud, the young Swede, reeled off a heat win and two paid triumphs on his way to his best-ever Poole Meridian Lifts' score in the league of 11 paid 13 points.

The duo's combined haul of 24 paid 26 from 10 rides put Pirates well on course for victory, a success that saw them leap up to second place in the table above Eastbourne, who lost 48-42 at leaders Coventry.

It was a great result for Poole, who had lost at home to the Bees in their opening league match and then not looked at their best despite beating Ipswich 49-40 in the previous meeting at Wimborne Road.

Right from the start, there appeared to be more aggressive riding in the Pirates camp and they fully deserved their success over Oxford.

But it was Dryml and Ruud who set Wimborne Road ablaze with some fine overtaking in the pivotal moments of the meeting.

Heat 12 was the key. Oxford, with Todd Wiltshire and Nicki Pedersen leading their charge, were doing enough to keep them in contention.

And when Travis McGowan shot out of the gate to surprisingly beat Ruud and Tony Rickardsson in heat 11 when all eyes had been on Wiltshire as the main challenge to the Poole riders, the alarm bells starting ringing around the stadium.

Pirates, with Krzysztof Kasprzak given special dispensation by the BSPA to return to action after recovering from a bout of flu, were still only four points in front of an Oxford side weakened by the absence of Sebastian Ulamek.

But Poole team manager Neil Middleditch introduced Ruud as a reserve change for Andre Compton and the lumberjack immediately produced the goods.

Dryml was quickly out of the gate and he scorched outside of Charlie Gjedde on the second bend to take the lead.

Ruud then swept superbly under the Dane on the second bend, second time around to join Dryml out in front.

Even then, Gjedde mounted a last-ditch attempt to repass Ruud, but the Pirate looked controlled as he kept the Oxford rider behind him.

Spurred on by Dryml's and Ruud's efforts, Rickardsson and Leigh Adams looked at their best as they produced a 5-1 over Nicki Pedersen and Wiltshire. And all of a sudden it was game over.

Pirates had won with two heats to spare when only two races earlier it had looked as though the clash was going to go to a nail-biting last heat decider.

Earlier, Ruud, outgated by Gjedde and Niklas Klingberg in heat seven, stormed past both to go from last to second behind Rickardsson.

Ruud's audacious dive under Gjedde on the first bend of the final lap was brilliant and he then held off the Dane's surging last corner challenge superbly.

If that had been good, Dryml's win over Wiltshire in heat three was the best by a Poole rider at home this season.

The Czech trailed the Oxford rider by about 50 metres at one stage, but he slowly reeled the Australian within his sights.

Then Dryml slipped inside a surprised Wiltshire on the finish straight of the third lap and went on to take the chequered flag in style.

Dryml repeated his victory over Wiltshire in heat five and with Bjarne Pedersen getting third, it was another 4-2 to Pirates.

Nicki Pedersen produced a great ride to beat Dryml and Bjarne Pedersen in heat nine, but once Ruud had conjured up a 5-1 with Dryml in heat 12 it was all over.

Kasprzak, who has struggled recently, looked a much better rider as he grabbed five paid six.

Bjarne Pedersen will be disappointed with his four paid five, while Rickardsson blew an engine for the third time this season in heat 15, a setback that cost him second place and his team a 3-3.

The last heat 4-2 to Oxford trimmed their final deficit to 12 points which Poole will try to protect in the battle for the bonus in the return at Cowley on Friday, May 23.

Pirates have signed former Oxford and Milton Keynes rider Tony Primmer for their British League Cup squad on a 3.50 average.

Primmer, an Australian who lives in Poole, will make his debut at Trelawny on Tuesday.

HEAT DETAILS

Pirates: 1 Leigh Adams (3-2-0-3) 8, 2 Krzysztof Kasprzak (0-1*-2-2) 5+1, 3 Lukas Dryml (3-3-2-3-2) 13, 4 Bjarne Pedersen (1-1-1*-1) 4+1, 5 Tony Rickardsson (3-3-1*-2*-ret) 9+2, 6 David Ruud (2-2*-2-2*-3) 11+2, 7 Andre Compton (0-1-0) 1. Team manager: Neil Middleditch.

Oxford: 1 Todd Wiltshire (2-2-2-3-0-0-1) 10, 2 Travis McGowan (1*-0-1-3-0) 5+1, 3 Rider replacement for Sebastian Ulamek, 4 Niklas Klingberg (0-0-1-2) 3, 5 Nicki Pedersen (2-3-3-3-1-3) 15, 6 Jernej Kolenko (1-0-0) 1, 7 Charlie Gjedde (3-0-1-1-ret) 5. Team manager: Nigel Wagstaff.

Referee: Richard Williams.

Ht 1: Adams, Wiltshire, McGowan, Kasprzak, 59.34 (3-3). Ht 2: Gjedde, Ruud, Kolenko, Compton, 61.24 (5-7). Ht 3: Dryml, Wiltshire, B Pedersen, Klingberg, 59.78 (9-9). Ht 4: Rickardsson, N Pedersen, Compton, Gjedde, 59.96 (13-11). Ht 5: Dryml, Wiltshire, B Pedersen, McGowan, 60.07 (17-13). Ht 6: N Pedersen, Adams, Kasprzak, Kolenko, 60.28 (20-16). Ht 7: Rickardsson, Ruud, Gjedde, Klingberg, 61.02 (25-17). Ht 8: Wiltshire, Kasprzak, McGowan, Compton, 61.00 (27-21). Ht 9: N Pedersen, Dryml, B Pedersen, Kolenko, 60.75 (30-24). Ht 10: N Pedersen, Kasprzak, Klingberg, Adams, 60.98 (32-28). Ht 11: McGowan, Ruud, Rickardsson, Wiltshire, 61.43 (35-31). Ht 12: Dryml, Ruud, Gjedde, McGowan, 60.31 (40-32). Ht 13: Adams, Rickardsson, N Pedersen, Wiltshire, 60.29 (45-33). Ht 14: Ruud, Klingberg, B Pedersen, Gjedde, 61.79 (49-35). Ht 15: N Pedersen, Dryml, Wiltshire, Rickardsson (retired), 60.98 (51-39).