BJARNE Pedersen and Chris Holder were unable to repeat their scintillating success at Swindon earlier this month as they failed to reach the Elite League Pairs semi-finals last night.

They had inspired Pirates to a mighty 51-42 league win over the Robins in Wiltshire 10 days before by scorching to four race wins between them.

But they were never at their best in front of a 3,000 crowd at Blunsdon this time and disappointingly missed out on a last-four spot by one point after taking the chequered flag just once.

The Poole duo gave themselves a chance of progressing when they won their fourth and final qualifying race 7-2 over Lakeside's Adam Shields and Jonas Davidsson.

It took Pirates to 20 points overall but meant Ipswich only needed to avoid a race defeat against Eastbourne in heat 18 to leap above the Dorset club and claim the last semi spot.

Poole's hopes rose when Eagles' Lee Richardson and Cameron Woodward got into a 7-2 position out of the gate.

Piotr Swiderski quickly overtook Richardson for first, which left Pirates nervously hanging onto a semi place going into the third lap with Eastbourne on a 5-4.

However, Rory Schlein swooped outside Woodward to steal third on the last bend of that lap and propelled Witches into the sudden death stage.

Pirates paid the penalty for not getting the better of Swindon's Leigh Adams and Mads Korneliussen in heat 11 after Pedersen had led.

With Korneliussen also passing Holder for third, Adams' race win gave Robins a 6-3 that proved fateful for Poole.

Pedersen and Holder also failed to take full advantage of Chris Harris' self inflicted exclusion from race three after the Dane had dived hard under him for third on lap three and the Brit fell after no contact.

Poole beat Coventry 5-4 in the re-run by tucking in behind race winner Hans Andersen, but despite another 5-4 success over Eastbourne in heat eight, the Dorset club couldn't successfully defend the trophy Pedersen and Jason Crump had carried off in 2007.

It was Andersen and Harris who took the honours, expertly defeating Korneliussen and Adams in the final.

Crump, making his first appearance for Belle Vue at Poole in the league tonight (7.30pm) since his move back to Kirky Lane was made permanent earlier this season, is the main attraction in long-time Pirates asset Jason Bunyan's testimonial at Isle of Wight tomorrow.

Bunyan made his Poole debut only 16 days after his 16th birthday in 1995, but despite being on the club's books for 13 years, has rarely ridden for them.

He only made 27 league and cup appearances, all in his sole season at Wimborne Road, and has been a wanderer ever since, taking in Eastbourne, Oxford, Isle of Wight, Peterborough, Ipswich, Reading and Coventry.

Bunyan is probably best remembered by Poole fans for the horrendous crash and crushed vertebrae injury he sustained during a British Championship semi-final at Wimborne Road on April 10, 1996.

The injury, which came after Bunyan stepped in as reserve for Mark Simmonds in a heat three re-run, took so long to heal that he didn't ride again until the following season.

Edward Kennett, Chris Holder, Jason Doyle, James Holder and Cory Gathercole join Crump as confirmed starters in Bunyan's benefit at Smallbrook Stadium (7.30pm).