POOLE Pirates co-promoter Matt Ford today confirmed his satisfaction at last night's (July 8) result at Ipswich.

The Sky Bet Elite League leaders went down to the same 50-43 defeat they suffered on their previous visit to Suffolk this season in the A fixture.

Then Poole duly collected the aggregate bonus point with a comfortable 58-34 victory in the corresponding return fixture at Wimborne Road.

"I am delighted with a seven-point margin of defeat," said Ford, who watched his side go behind in heat two at a Foxhall Stadium that dodged the showers that besieged most of East Anglia.

"I am sure we will collect the bonus point again when the teams meet again on August 11. And this will be enough to keep us on track for a top two finish."

Poole only managed two race winners with Ryan Sullivan denied a maximum when he rode into the tapes at the start of heat 13 and started the re-run 15 metres adrift.

Matej Ferjan, who enjoyed a successful season at Ipswich in 2000, enjoyed his return to a track he likes and he won two races in a highly impressive show.

But with Bjarne Pedersen having an off-night and Antonio Lindback only slowly coming to grips with the Foxhall circuit, the Witches were always in the box seat.

Poole's third - and final - heat advantage of the night in race 12 caused a few flutters in the home camp with a win imperative if the Witches were to stay in the hunt for a play-off spot.

But when Sullivan had his head knocked back after being caught under the chin by the tapes in the following heat it was all over bar the shouting with Scott Nicholls and Poole asset Hans Andersen gating to a 5-1 in the re-run.

Glasgow's George Stancl proved a competitive guest although his night began with a dropped chain at the tapes in heat two. The resultant 5-1 to the Witches gave them the lead and two splendid wins by a revitalised Chris Louis in heats three and five enabled Poole to utilise Sullivan as a double-scoring tactical rider in heat six.

A succession of drawn heats followed before Ferjan and Stancl broke the spell in heat 12. And it needed a fine second lap pass by Ipswich reserve Kim Jansson on Stancl to stop the visitors from notching up a 5-1.

In heat 14 Louis proved again that he is right back on song when he went from last to first - pipping Lindback on the run-in to the line.

Ford had special praise for Sullivan. After the night's racing, he said: "Ryan had a difficult task in replacing Tony Rickardsson, but the feeling in the pits is that he is the best number one the club has had for maintaining a fantastic team spirit".

Other Elite League result: Coventry 61 Peterborough 31.

Heat Details

Witches: 1 H Andersen (3-2-1*-2*-2) 10+2, 2 D Bird (e/f-1*-3-2) 6+1, 3 J B Jensen (1-2*-1*-0) 4+2, 4 C Louis (3-3-2-3) 11, 5 S Nicholls (2-3-3-3-1*) 12+1, 6 D King (3-0-0) 3, 7 K Jansson (2*-0 -Fell-2-0) 4+1. Team manager: Mike Smillie Pirates: 1 B Pedersen (2-Ret-2-1) 5, 2 M Zetterstrom (1*-1-1*-1*) 4+3, 3 M Ferjan (2-1*-3-3-0) 9+1, 4 A Lindback (0-2-Ret-2) 4, 5 R Sullivan (3-6-3-0-3) 15, 6 D Davidsson (1-0-0) 1, G Stancl (e/f-1-2-1-1*) 5+1. Team manager: Neil Middleditch Referee: Jim McGregor Ht 1: Andersen, Pedersen, Zetterstrom. Bird (e/f), 61.0 (3-3). Ht 2: King, Jansson, Davidsson. Stancl (e/f), 61.6 (8-4). Ht 3: (re-run) Louis, Ferjan, Jensen, Lindback, 60.7 (12-6). Ht 4: (re-run) Sullivan, Nicholls, Stancl, Jansson, 60.4 (14-10). Ht 5: Louis, Jensen, Zetterstrom. Pedersen (ret), 60.3 (19-11). Ht 6: Sullivan, Andersen, Bird, Davidsson, 61.1 (22-17). Ht 7: Nicholls, Lindback, Ferjan, King, 60.1 (25-20). Ht 8: Bird, Stancl, Zetterstrom. Jansson (fell), 61.1 (28-23). Ht 9: Sullivan, Louis, Jensen, Davidsson, 60.7 (31-26). Ht 10: Ferjan, Bird, Andersen. Lindback (ret), 61.7 (34-29). Ht 11: Nicholls, Pedersen, Zetterstrom, King, 61.2 (37-32). Ht 12: Ferjan, Jansson, Stancl, Jensen, 62.2 (39-36) Ht 13: (re-run) Nicholls, Andersen, Pedersen, Sullivan, 61.1 (44-37). Ht 14: Louis, Lindback, Stancl, Jansson, 61.4 (47-40). Ht 15: Sullivan, Andersen, Nicholls, Ferjan, 61.5 (50-43). = tactical ride