GREAT teams contain individual greats, but as proved by Greece in football's European Championships, the value of a true team ethic is inestimable. (July 12)

The stars will not always shine brightly and when that happens, the side has to show itself to be stronger than its individual parts.

If Pirates go on to retain the Elite League title this season, they will look back at last night's (July 12) crucial victory at Peterborough as a night when their new look line-up really showed its collective strength.

As Wolves continued to apply suffocating pressure at the top with a win over Eastbourne, Pirates' most recent additions Matej Ferjan and Krzysztof Kasprzak ripped into top form to snare Poole the one away win promotor Matt Ford believed would be enough to ensure a top two spot.

Any success at the East of England Showground was expected to be orchestrated by Ryan Sullivan, a rider of some nine seasons experience with Panthers, but the Australian struggled to master a slick track, as did regular inspiration Antonio Lindback.

But it mattered not as Slovenian Ferjan and Pole Kasprzak revelled in the conditions and, along with Poole's top away scorer Bjarne Pedersen, the pair guided the Wimborne Road side to an impressive and timely victory.

"We needed to get back on track tonight," conceded Pirates team manager Neil Middleditch.

"We've had a couple of bad results lately but we've come back strongly. Matej was brilliant but it was a great all-round team performance."

Having suffered back-to-back away defeats last week, Middleditch's boys appeared to show a dash of stage fright as they struggled in the opening heats of the Sky-televised meeting.

Former Pirates Gary Havelock and Ales Dryml showed how important a gate one start would prove to be with determined triumphs from that position in heats one and three to edge the hosts 11-7 in front.

However, Ferjan hinted at the fireworks to come from him with a thrilling battle with Dryml in that third heat before Sullivan and Magnus Zetterstrom notched heat wins to pull the visitors from Cambridgeshire back into contention.

Heat six then proved to be a turning point. Kasprzak was drafted in to replace Daniel Davidsson, excluded at the start for tape touching.

Starting from the outside gate four and in a race containing Sullivan and Havelock, it appeared the 19-year-old would have been happy to pick up the single point.

Not a bit of it. The Pole swept around the outside, now beginning to show some grip, on the opening lap to stun his opponents and his finely-tuned equipment did the rest as he burned to a stunning maximum.

He followed it up with equally convincing victories in heats eight and 14 to back up a now flying Ferjan, who recorded three straight heat wins, including a last-gasp heat 10 stunner, with an almost casual brilliance.

With RIAS Pirates stretching their advantage to eight points after heat 10, the home side briefly threatened a comeback when Lee Richardson scorched to a tactical double-points success.

But as the sun set, it was left to Mr Dependable Pedersen to put Panthers' fire out with crushing wins in heats 13 and 15.

HEAT DETAILS

Other Elite League result: Wolves 54 Eastbourne 42

Panthers: 1 G Havelock (3-0-2-1) 6+1, 2 Rider replacement for L Dryml, 3 H Bager (1-0-1*-0-2) 4+1, 4 A Dryml (1-3-2-2-1-2) 11, 5 L Richardson (2-2-6-2-1*) 13+1, 6 R Kessler (1*-01*-0) 2+2, 7 R Ashworth (2-1*-1-2-0) 6+1. Team manager: Trevor Swales

Pirates: 1 B Pedersen (2-1-2-3-3) 11, 2 M Zetterstrom (0-3-0-1*) 4+1, 3 M Ferjan (2-3-3-3-0) 11, 4 A Lindback (0-1-1-2*) 4+1, 5 R Sullivan (3-2*-3-0) 8+1, 6 D Davidsson (3-1-0) 4, 7 K Kasprzak (0-0-3-3-3) 9. Team manager: Neil Middleditch Referee: Chris Gay

Ht 1: Havelock, Pedersen, A Dryml, Zetterstrom (4-2). Ht 2: Davidsson, Ashworth, Kessler, Kasprzak (7-5). Ht 3: A Dryml, Ferjan, Bager, Lindback (11-7). Ht 4: Sullivan, Richardson, Ashworth, Kasprzak (14-10) Ht 5: Zetterstrom, A Dryml, Pedersen, Bager (16-14). Ht 6: Kasprzak, Sullivan, Ashworth, Havelock, Davidsson (exc, tapes) (17-19) Ht 7: Ferjan, Richardson, Lindback, Kessler (19-23) Ht 8: Kasprzak, Ashworth, Bager, Zetterstrom (22-26) Ht 9: Sullivan, A Dryml, Davidsson, Bager (24-30) Ht 10: Ferjan, Havelock, Lindback, Ashworth (26-34) Ht 11: Richardson, Pedersen, Zetterstrom, Ashworth (32-37) Ht 12: Ferjan, Bager, Kessler, Davidsson (35-40) Ht 13: Pedersen, Richardson, Havelock, Sullivan (38-43) Ht 14: Kasprzak, Lindback, A Dryml, Kessler (39-48) Ht 15: Pedersen, A Dryml, Richardson, Ferjan (42-51)

= tactical ride