PIRATES completed a remarkable comeback to take the Cab Direct Championship title, overturning a 12-point deficit in a sensational performance at Wimborne Road.

Poole were behind heading into the night, after their 51-39 defeat at Oxford on Saturday in the first leg of the play offs Grand Final.

But after a dramatic start to the second leg, Pirates levelled the aggregate scores in the ninth heat and stormed to the overall victory with one heat to go, eventually winning 56-34 on the night and 95-85 on aggregate.

In front of a bumper crowd at Wimborne Road, Pirates lined up with their first choice one-to-seven as they looked for a fast start to close the deficit.

There was early drama and controversy as the first three heats were taken to re-runs, with Oxford riders crashing in each of the heats.

(Image: Richard Crease) Oxford’s Sam Masters hit the deck in the first heat and went into the air barrier as Richard Lawson aimed to overtake coming off the back straight and Lawson was disqualified.

In the reset, the visitors’ Dan Gilkes crashed in the first bend but was able to get going once again, as Masters took the heat win ahead of Sam Hagon for a 4-2 victory in the heat to extend the Oxford lead.

The second heat saw another reset as Vinnie Foord and Luke Killeen collided on the back straight with the Oxford rider receiving medical attention.

Killeen was then controversially excluded to the frustration of the visitors.

The first 5-1 of the night was secured for Pirates as the second heat was completed, with Tobias Thomsen and Foord securing the points ahead of Jody Scott.

(Image: Richard Crease) In the third it was Ashton Boughen who crashed in the first bend, in a collision with Zach Cook as they aimed to get track position off the line.

All four were called back for the restart, and it was Pirates skipper Ben Cook with his first win of the night as brother Zach crossing in third for a 4-2 win for the hosts.

With the lead now eight points, the gap was closed by another two points as Tom Brennan took the fourth heat and Foord crossed in third to give Pirates a 4-2 win in what was the first heat of the night without a re-run.

The Cheetahs regained some breathing space with a 4-2 victory in the fifth, as Dan Gilkes did well to hold Ben Cook off to secure a point for his side as Masters led Zach Cook ahead.

The sixth saw another stoppage as Killeen went down on his own after the first lap, with the Oxford rider excluded for the re-run.

(Image: Richard Crease) After Scott Nicholls received a warning for his fast start in the re-run, at the third attempt Lawson held the Oxford rider off to take the heat victory to secure the 4-2 win for Pirates, with Hagon coming in third.

A second 5-1 of the meeting was secured for Pirates in the seventh as Brennan soared to the heat victory as a fantastic ride from Thomsen held off Cameron Heaps to secure the maximum.

Killeen was forced to withdraw from the meeting on medical grounds as Oxford’s aggregate lead was now just two points.

But there was another crash in the eighth, as Foord and Jody Scott collided, with the Pirates rider adjudged to be at fault and excluded.

After a break to repair the air barrier on the first bend, Thomsen managed to get between the two Oxford riders to keep the visitors to a 4-2 win as Gilkes took the heat victory.

(Image: Richard Crease) The aggregate was levelled in the very next heat though as the Cook brothers stormed to a 5-1 for Pirates, with Zach doing well to hold off a Nicholls challenge in the final lap.

Oxford regained the lead in the tenth, with Boughen holding off Lawson to take the heat’s victory and Heeps coming third to give the visitors a 4-2 win.

The first 3-3 of the night came in the 11th, as Brennan stormed to a comfortable win ahead of the Oxford pair Masters and Gilkes.

Pirates pulled ahead on aggregate for the first time in the night as Ben Cook won heat 12 ahead of Thomsen for a 5-1 victory.

In the crucial 13th, Oxford’s formidable pair of Masters and Nicholls were beaten by Lawson and Brennan who took the heat 4-2, split by Masters in second.

It was a 4-point aggregate lead for the hosts with just two heats to go, and this was extended in the 14th, as Zach Cook stormed to the heat victory with Thomsen crossing in third.

(Image: Richard Crease) This meant Pirates had an unassailable lead with one heat to go, leading by six points on aggregate.

The 15th was held with a party atmosphere in the Wimborne Road crowd as Brennan and Lawson completed the victory in fine style.

Masters had trouble off the line for the visitors, but the hosts’ pair stormed to a 5-1 victory to take a 56-34 win on the night and a 95-85 aggregate win.

POOLE 56: Richard Lawson: 10+1; Sam Hagon: 3; Ben Cook: 9; Zach Cook: 8+1; Tom Brennan: 13; Tobias Thomsen: 10+2; Vinnie Foord 3+1.

OXFORD 34: Sam Masters: 10; Dan Gilkes: 6+1; Ashton Boughen: 4; Cameron Heeps: 6; Scott Nicholls: 6; Luke Killeen: 0; Jody Scott: 2.