IN A MOVE unprecedented in the sport's seventy five-year history, the Poole Meridian Lifts Pirates speedway team will find themselves in the unenviable position on Monday 15 September, of having to race two vital matches, at the same time, in two different stadiums some 100 miles apart.

These two vital matches will see the Pirates go head-to-head with Oxford at Poole in the first leg of the BSPA KO Cup semi-final, while also riding at Wolverhampton in their final British League Cup qualifying fixture.

"Oxford were due to visit us on 17 September for the first leg of the BSPA KO Cup semi - final," said Poole co-promoter Matt Ford.

"But the Swedish speedway authorities have decided to change the dates of their league play-offs, and this has left us no alternative but to bring our KO Cup match forward by 48 hours."

"We would have been without both Tony Rickardsson and Leigh Adams, if we had gone ahead with the match on Wednesday night, and this would have been unacceptable to our supporters and everyone at the club. It would have been suicidal for us to go into such an important fixture as this with such a depleted line-up."

With such an important match taking place at Wimborne Road, Poole could be forgiven for overlooking the importance of the British League Cup clash at Wolverhampton. But just how determined the club is to qualify for the quarter-finals of this competition can be judged by the fact that they are flying in Magnus Zetterstrsom, David Ruud and Daniel Davidsson especially for this match.

Although a victory over Wolverhampton would see the Pirates safely through to the next round, they can still qualify even if they lose, providing that they score a minimum of 38 points against the Midlands side.

"We are going there to win," said a determined Ford. "The club has spent too much time and money in this competition for us to give up now. Make no bones about it, this match is every bit as crucial to us, as the match against Oxford.

"We want to go through to the next round as winners of our section, not as one of the runners-up."

Ford picks up the team manager's reins for the visit to Wolverhampton, while Neil Middleditch will be in charge for the KO Cup match at Wimborne Road.

Victory from both matches would keep the Pirates on course to complete a championship hat-trick from the 2003 British domestic speedway season. Already certain of a place in the Finals of the play-offs for the Sky Sports Elite League championship, Poole will be looking to secure their place in the finals of both the KO and League Cup to cap a memorable year.

Poole home to Oxford: Leigh Adams, Bjarne Pedersen, Dave Norris, Ales Dryml, Tony Rickardsson, Antonio Lindback, Dave Watt.

Poole away to Wolverhampton: Craig Boyce, Daniel Davidsson, Magnus Zetterstrom, Andre Compton, David Ruud, Tony Primmer, Wayne Broadhurst.