TEAM boss Neil Middleditch hailed Richard Lawson as a “points machine” after his maximum showing against Plymouth Gladiators, adding: “He is such a great bloke.”

Lawson led the charge as Poole Pirates put one foot into the BSN Series semi-finals with a 58-32 victory at Wimborne Road on Friday night, Plymouth’s cause not helped by an injury to number one Nico Covatti.

They now know they require just the aggregate bonus point in the reverse fixture to make it through to the last four as they continue their quest to retain the trophy.

The meeting at the Coliseum was due to take place on Saturday, only for rain to see it postponed.

It has instead been rearranged for this Saturday night (7pm). Prior to that, Pirates host Berwick Bandits in the SGB Championship on Wednesday (7.30pm).

Reflecting on the win over Plymouth, Middleditch said: “That was a clinical performance for sure.

“I told the boys ahead of the meeting to be wary of Plymouth as they have produced some good results of their own this season and their tails would be up.

“But we put in a great show and have a very healthy lead in the quest for the bonus point that we need to go through from our group. 

“To be honest, I asked the lads for a 10 to 15-point lead, so with a 26-point advantage they more than delivered and gives us a bit of a cushion when we go there.”

Number one Lawson is Pirates’ clear leading points scorer so far this season, with 89+3 from 36 races.

He has won 21 of those, including a perfect 10 from 10 in his two home BSN Series meetings, racking up another 15-point maximum against the Gladiators.

Bournemouth Echo: Richard Lawson scored 15 points against Plymouth

Discussing the 38-year-old, Middleditch said: “Richard proved yet again he is just a points machine.

“He is such a great bloke. He just loves his speedway so much, he is brilliant.

“Just turns up, goes out there and does his stuff and is supportive in the pits too.

“He is so happy in his work and I have always said, if you are happy in your work then it is more than half the battle, and that feeling goes beyond Richard as we have a full set of riders who are so good to work with.”

Middleditch added: “The job is not yet done, let's not get too carried away, for I have said it before, it can be a bit of a tricky track to ride down there, but with a points lead to fall back on we have certainly made our job a bit easier.

“I do feel a bit sorry for Nico as it looks as if he could be out for a while now.

“I was talking to him before the meeting and I thought that perhaps he was being a bit ambitious to come back, but he was so keen to ride and he wanted to do a good job for them, but it was just a little too soon it seems."