PIRATES got back to their best by beating Belle Vue and bad weather as they soared three points clear at the top of the Elite League in front of Sky's cameras last night.

On a rainy evening at Wimborne Road, heat leaders Bjarne Pedersen, Chris Holder and Davey Watt all piled up impressive paid double figure returns as Poole Castle Cover easily swept Aces aside.

Daniel Davidsson was paid for nine and with the Dorset club's other three riders also in good form they romped to a comprehensive success following a fortunate 45-45 home cup draw against Coventry six nights before.

Only Jason Crump, on his return to Wimborne Road for the first time in a league match since his controversial exit from Poole over the winter, caused the championship-chasers problems.

He was in exceptional form, romping to four heat wins - including one for double points - as he notched 15. It was a master-class from Crump, who was determined to show Pirates promoter Matt Ford he had chosen the wrong man when he elected Pedersen to lead the Dorset club this year instead of the Aussie.

Crump, however, received a large slice of luck on his way to a four-ride full maximum before heavy rain forced referee Daniel Holt to abandon proceedings with two races still to go.

The Aussie had been comprehensively outgated by Pirates spearhead Pedersen in heat five and was frantically vying for third with Adam Skornicki when the Pole went down hard on the third bend.

Poole's rider - who admitted he'd fallen following his own mistake after there had been no contact between the two riders - was excluded.

The decision, a correct one despite boos aimed at Crump from some Pirates fans as he returned to the tapes for the re-run, gave the Ace a second chance he readily accepted.

Despite being outgated by Pedersen again, Crump cut inside the Dane on the second bend to go on and take a victory Poole's captain would surely have completed if the first staging of the race hadn't been stopped.

Aces, who used new signing Stanislaw Burza in place of axed Nick Simmons, won the opening race 4-2. But once Freddie Eriksson's never-say-die heroics saw him pip Billy Forsberg for third on the run-in in heat two to level the scores at 6-6, there was no stopping Pirates, whose win put them in the driving seat for a table-topping finish ahead of the title play-offs.

Eriksson had chased Forsberg hard for all four laps and got his just reward by grabbing a 4-2 with race winner Davidsson.

The Swede, whose electric gating has lit up Wimborne Road in the past few months, was at his scintillating best away from the tapes again. He went into heat 12 with hopes of reeling off his first paid maximum for Pirates.

But, off gate four, Davidsson saw his attempted outside back straight charge from fourth to second halted by Charlie Gjedde and Burza.

After rain had forced sawdust to be laid on the first and second bend to soak up the wet, the racing became processional.

And with veteran Joe Screen clearly struggling, and no-one else except Crump troubling Poole, they had victory sewn up with three races to spare.