PIRATES are a step closer to the Elite League Knockout Cup Final after holding Coventry to a dramatic 45-45 draw at Brandon last night.

Some would say Poole looked up against it from the start, as the Bees had strengthened their side by handing debuts to Danish superstar Hans Andersen and Czech prospect Filip Sitera.

But Pirates had no intention of letting the struggling boys from Brandon turn their season around at their expense.

While not every Poole star passed this test with flying colours, seven solid performances proved just why Pirates are in such a strong position this term.

One man who struggled in his early outings was new Polish champion Adam Skornicki.

But the Wolves asset had no intention of letting the side down when it mattered most.

Having claimed just one paid two in his opening three races, Skornicki was pitched into heat 14, knowing failure was not an option.

Despite being passed by Billy Janniro on turn two, he wound it up and barged through on the inside at turn one on lap two for a huge victory.

Another personal triumph came for Davey Watt in heat six.

The Aussie produced the ride of the night, when he blasted clear of the tapes and emphatically inflicted Hans Andersen's maiden defeat as a Coventry rider.

Seven points was a more than satisfactory haul for the Townsville-born star.

With Chris Holder uncharacteristically off colour with six paid seven, it was left to skipper Bjarne Pedersen to rack up the big points.

And as ever, the Dane did not disappoint on one of his most lucrative British hunting grounds.

After winning his opening outing in race three, he was beaten in heat seven, when the in-form Simon Stead stopped his run on turn one.

He then lost an intense first bend battle with compatriot Andersen in race 10 and was forced to settle for second.

But he put this behind him to win the race of the night in heat 12 against the Brandon Bomber, Chris Harris.

Despite the Brit making a stunning start, the Dane performed one of his trademark hard cutbacks on turn two to snatch the lead.

Harris then hit back with one of his famous round-the-boards blasts a lap later but Pedersen replied on lap two to seal a vital victory.

This put Pirates into a 39-33 lead with three races remaining and the visitors looked set for a huge awayday win.

But a tidy 5-1 from Andersen and Stead over Holder and Watt in heat 13 put things firmly back in the balance.

Skornicki's win in heat 14 maintained Pirates' two-point leading going into a last race decider.

And despite Harris passing Pedersen on bend two, the Dane kept Andersen in third to restrict the Bees to a 4-2 and claim an unlikely draw.