PIRATES new boy Leigh Adams overshadowed big guns Tony Rickardsson and Ryan Sullivan as Poole produced a battling display at the East of England Showground yesterday.

All eyes had been on the showdown between Rickardsson, the reigning world champion, and Ryan Sullivan, the pretender to his Grand Prix crown.

But it was Adams who stole the show with a paid 15-point haul which included a superb ride in the final heat as he was forced to go it alone as Pirates hung on for an aggregate victory following their 49-41 win at Wimborne Road on Wednesday night.

The Aussie was left to fend off Sullivan and Piotr Protasiewicz in race 15 as Rickardsson was left stranded at the tapes after an engine failure.

And, although he was eventually passed by Sullivan, his second spot ensured the Pirates can go into the Elite League season in confident mood.

They lived up to their pre-season billing as title favourites by giving Panthers a good run for their money as they aim to make their Showground track a fortress this season.

Adams got Poole off to a winning start when he lowered Sullivan's colours as the spoils were shared in the first race.

Krystof Kasprzak and former Panther Andre Compton then gave Poole the early initiative with a 5-1 over Nigel Sadler and Chris Harris, but Panthers hit back immediately with a maximum of their own through Pirates old boy Hans Andersen and Protasiewicz.

Rickardsson comfortably gained his first race win his heat four before Andersen produced a brilliant ride in the next race to defeat Adams as Protasiewicz made the most of David Ruud's engine failure to put Panthers ahead for the first time.

Rickardsson then got the better of Sullivan in the shared heat six before Panthers upped the ante with Sadler and Gary Havelock team-riding to a 5-1 over Lukas Dryml and Bjarne Pedersen in the next race.

Adams took the chequered flag as a tactical substitute in the drawn race eight before Panthers got their noses further in front as Protasiewicz produced a brilliant ride to defeat Rickardsson with Andersen a close third.

But that eight-point lead was soon lost in the next two races as Pirates sunk the Panthers big guns.

Sullivan unexpectedly brought up the rear in heat 10 as Dryml recorded his first race win with Bjarne Pedersen picking up his first points of the meeting in second spot.

Adams and Ruud then joined forces to tie the match with a second successive maximum as they never looked back after a quick start in heat 11.

However, Panthers stopped the rot as Protasiewicz and Harris stormed to a heat 12 maximum over Dryml and Kasprzak.

Sullivan rediscovered his winning ways with victory over Rickardsson in the shared heat 13 before Pedersen kept Pirates within four points after a win in race 14.

Adams then ensured Pirates won the overall aggregate and the Martin King Memorial Trophy by taking second behind Sullivan in the last race as Rickardsson was left stranded at the tapes following an engine failure.

HEAT DETAILS

Ht 1: ADAMS 61.8, Sullivan, Parker, Ruud (3-3, 3-3). Ht 2: KASPRZAK 62.4, Compton, Sadler, Harris (1-5, 4-8). Ht 3: ANDERSEN 62.3, Protasiewicz, Dryml, Pedersen (5-1, 9-9). Ht 4: RICKARDSSON 62.1, Sadler, Havelock. Compton (3-3, 12-12). Ht 5: ANDERSEN 62.5, Adams, Protasiewicz, Ruud (4-2, 16-14). Ht 6: RICKARDSSON 61.3, Sullivan, Parker, Kasprzak (3-3, 19-17). Ht 7: SADLER 63.3, Havelock, Dryml, Pedersen (5-1, 24-18). Ht 8: ADAMS 62.1 (t/s), Harris, Parker, Compton (3-3, 27-21). Ht 9: PROTASIEWICZ 61.2, Rickardsson, Andersen, Kasprzak (4-2, 31-23). Ht 10: DRYML 62.4, Pedersen, Parker, Sullivan (1-5, 32-28). Ht 11: ADAMS 63.0, Ruud, Havelock, Sadler (1-5, 33-33). Ht 12: PROTASIEWICZ 63.4, Harris, Dryml, Kasprzak (5-1, 38-34). Ht 13: SULLIVAN 62.5, Rickardsson, Adams, Havelock (3-3, 41-37). Ht 14: PEDERSEN 63.4, Andersen, Sadler, Compton (3-3, 44-40). Ht 15: SULLIVAN 63.2, Adams, Protasiewicz, Rickardsson (4-2, 48-42).

Peterborough: Ryan Sullivan 10 (2, 2, 0, 3, 3); Shane Parker 4+3 (1*, 1*, 1*, 1); Piotr Protasiewicz 10+1 (2*, 1, 3, 3, 1); Hans N. Andersen 9 (3, 3, 1, 2); Gary Havelock 4+2 (1*, 2*, 1, 0); Nigel Sadler 7+1 (1, 2, 3, 0, 1*); Chris Harris 4+1 (0, 2, 2*).

Poole: Leigh Adams 14+1 (3, 2, 3, 3, 1*, 2); David Ruud 2+1 (0, 0, 2*); Lukas Dryml 6 (1, 1, 3, 1); Bjarne Pedersen 5+1 (0, 0, 2*, 3); Tony Rickardsson 10 (3, 3, 2, 2, 0); Krystof Kazprzak 3 (3, 0, 0, 0); Andre Compton 2+1 (2*, 0, 0, 0).