CONSIDERING this one was all about one man, the team display put on by Pirates tonight was something else.

Greg Hancock snaffled 10 points on his debut, but an imperious Poole performance from top to bottom secured a second 56-38 victory in six days, this time over ailing Eastbourne.

Eagles’ Danish pairing Bjarne Pedersen and Mikkel Michelsen did all they could to pile on the pressure but the hosts’ tremendous teamwork left the result in no doubt.

Captain Darcy Ward defied early problems to score seven, Tomas H Jonasson topped the charts with 12 and Maciej Janowski built on his burgeoning reputation with another strong showing.

But equally important was the contribution of Pirates' lesser lights as brave riding from Micky Dyer and Josh Grajczonek saw both plunder a paid 5+2 while Rohan Tungate’s two heat victories helped to keep Poole’s top-four challenge well and truly on track.

In a dramatic start to proceedings, Ward came off during the pre-meeting procession and damaged his equipment, almost resulting in the Aussie ace missing the opening heat.

However, after diving onto team-mate Janowski’s bike, he neatly tucked in behind Jonasson to open Pirates’ account with a maximum.

Grajczonek then won the key reserve race but Kim Nilsson’s ferocious fightback denied Dyer second.

The man the crowd all came to see lined up in heat three but Nilsson pulled off a second surprise as American legend Hancock was pegged back with Tungate proving Poole’s unlikely winner.

As usual, Janowski was out of the traps like a gazelle in heat four and led Pirates to another 4-2 ahead of visiting skipper Cameron Woodward as Poole cruised into a 10 point lead.

Former Wimborne Road skipper Pedersen emerged in the black and white for a tactical ride but Hancock’s heroics held the Great Dane off to win his first heat in Pirates’ colours.

A tigerish display saw Jonasson steam round the Woodward to take heat six before rider replacement Michelsen, who was singled out as one to watch by Pirates boss Neil Middleditch prior to the meeting, overtook Janowski to become the first Eagles winner of the night at the seventh attempt.

And the rookie remained rampant as he won the heat 8 ahead of Jonasson and Dyer, but Woodward’s wobble at the start of the ninth race allowed Tungate to register his second win of the night.

Ward tore up the track in heat 10 but allowed team-mate Jonasson to pass him at the death as Pirates seamlessly secured a 16-point lead at the interval.

Double winner Michelsen was entrusted with Eastbourne’s second tactical attempt immediately after the restart, but Janowski was in no mood to finish second again.

Hancock fittingly completed a comfortable victory in heat 12 with Dyer taking second to register points in each of his four races.

Former Wimborne Road favourite Pedersen trumped both Ward and Hancock as the meeting drew to a close but the Pirates proved untouchable once more as they moved a step closer to their Holy Grail.

Sterner tests will follow, but with points arriving from every angle, the supposedly top-heavy Pirates are proving a much tougher nut to crack these days.

Pirates 56:

1 Darcy Ward (2*,1,2*,2) 7+2

2 Tomas H Jonasson (3,3,2,3,1*) 12+1

3 Greg Hancock (1,3,1,3,2) 10

4 Rohan Tungate (3,0,3,2) 8

5 Maciej Janowski (3,2,3,1*) 9+1

6 Josh Grajczonek (3,1*,0,1*) 5+2

7 Micky Dyer (1,1,1*,2*) 5+2

Team manager: Neil Middleditch.

Eastbourne Eagles 38:

1 Bjarne Pedersen (1,4^,1*,3,3) 12+1

2 Mikkel Michelsen (0,1,3,3,4^) 11+1

3 Simon Gustafsson (0,0,0,1) 1

4 Rider replacement for Lukas Dryml

5 Cameron Woodward (2,2,2,1,0) 7

6 Kim Nilsson (2,2,0,0,0,3) 7

7 Timo Lahti (0,0,0,0) 0

Team manager: Trevor Geer.

League points: Poole Pirates 3 Eastbourne Eagles 0.

Ht 1: Jonasson, Ward, Pedersen, Michelsen 61.84 (5-1)

Ht 2: Grajczonek, Nilsson, Dyer, Lahti 61.75 (9-3)

Ht 3: Tungate, Nilsson, Hancock, Gustafsson 61.72 (13-5)

Ht 4: Janowski, Woodward, Dyer, Lahti 61.15 (17-7)

Ht 5: Hancock, Pedersen (tactical ride), Michelsen, Tungate 61.35 (20-12)

Ht 6: Jonasson, Woodward, Ward, Nilsson 60.90 (24-14)

Ht 7: Michelsen, Janowski, Grajczonek, Gustafsson 61.00 (27-17)

Ht 8: Michelsen, Jonasson, Dyer, Lahti 60.72 (30-20)

Ht 9: Tungate, Woodward, Hancock, Nilsson 61.32 (34-22)

Ht 10: Jonasson, Ward, Woodward, Gustafsson 61.16 (39-23)

Ht 11: Janowski, Michelsen (tactical ride), Pedersen, Grajczonek 61.31 (42-28)

Ht 12: Hancock, Dyer, Gustafsson, Nilsson 61.72 (47-29)

Ht 13: Pedersen, Ward, Janowski, Woodward 60.66 (50-32)

Ht 14: Nilsson, Tungate, Grajczonek, Lahti 61.40 (53-35)

Ht 15: Pedersen, Hancock, Jonasson, Michelsen 60.91 (56-38)