THE renaissance starts here! Ignore the scoreline, bottom of the table Pirates actually threatened to be the first team to prise a 2009 league point out of Fortress Monmore.

Led by the inspirational Hans Andersen, Poole were up by two points, battled all night and kept on the home team’s shoulder right through to heat 11.

Only an 18-point Wolves burst over the last four races cast the Pirates adrift.

And all this without the injured Chris Holder – rider-replacement yielded just six points for the talented Aussie – and with Polish reserve Karol Baran dropped for the meeting.

Luke Priest was the stop gap replacement and the Shropshire lad didn’t trouble the scorers, although he did trouble Wolves match-winner Ty Proctor with a determined challenge in heat two. Baran, in all probability, would have done little better and possibly worse.

It mattered not. Andersen, greeted with his customary round of cheerful panto boos, excelled. He was caught by surprise in the opening heat when, lining up an outside run on unexpected leader Nicolai Klindt, he failed to notice Fredrik Lindgren’s charge up the inside.

Klindt was promptly put to the sword but Andersen then had no time to overhaul the flying Swede.

It was the only blot on his score chart for the first four races, the Dane recording two victories over the Tai Woffinden/Adam Skornicki combination before showing Monmore master Peter Karlsson the way home in the 11th.

With Wednesday’s hero Paul Fry a comfortable winner of the reserves race, Joe Screen and Bjarne Pedersen early 5-1 winners over Woffinden and Skornicki and Daniel Davidsson also lively, Poole simply refused to lie down.

Davidsson was unlucky in heat eight, leading with Fry third when Klindt fell at the back.

The Wolves man was quickly to his feet and clearing the track when referee Darren Hartley erred on the side of caution in putting on the red lights with Davidsson still a straight and a bend away.

Inevitably the speedway gods duly smiled on Proctor in the rerun and he took full advantage to win.

Six down with four to go, it all went wrong for Poole in the 12th when Proctor sped inside Screen and Fry inside a third of a lap to join Woffinden at the front.

But every cloud has its silver lining, or in speedway at least its black and white one, as Andersen promptly emerged for a double-point ride against the Wolves big guns of Lindgren and Karlsson.

Lindgren was swiftly off and a superb pass and re-pass battle between Dane and Swede for second spot was eventually resolved in favour of Karlsson as the Wolves veteran pulled away.

The last throw of the dice for Pirates boss Neil Middleditch followed immediately with the persevering Pedersen donning the black and white hat.

A win for the Dane with Fry also in the points would have given Poole a shot at a point in the final race, but it was not to be.

Skornicki relegated Fry to the rear and the unkindest cut of all came when Pedersen was passed by double-up reserve Proctor.

Andersen had to give best to Lindgren again in the last, the Swede completing a paid full house, but at least had the satisfaction of pushing Karlsson back to third.

Wolves 54: 1 Fredrik Lindgren (3-2*-3-3-3) 14+1, 2 Nicolai Klindt (1-3-X-2*) 6+1, 3 Tai Woffinden (1-2-1*-3) 7+1, 4 Adam Skornicki (0-1*-2-1) 4+1, 5 Peter Karlsson (3-3-2-2*-1) 11+1, 6 Hynek Stichauer (2-0-0) 2, 7 Ty Proctor (1*-1-3-2*-3) 10+2.

Team manager: Peter Adams Poole Pirates 38: 1 Hans Andersen (2-3-3-3-1^-2) 14, 2 Daniel Davidsson (0-F-2-1-0) 3, 3 Joe Screen (3-1-2-0-1) 7, 4 Bjarne Pedersen (2*-2-1*-1-4^-0) 10+2, 5 Rider-replacement for Chris Holder (2-1-3-0) 6, 6 Paul Fry (3-1*-0-0-0) 4+1, 7 Luke Priest (0-0-0) 0.

Team manager: Neil Middleditch Referee: Darren Hartley.

Ht 1: Lindgren, Andersen, Klindt, Davidsson, 55.30 (4-2) Ht 2: Fry, Stichauer, Proctor, Priest, 57.72 (7-5) Ht 3: Screen, Pedersen, Woffinden, Skornicki, 56.88 (8-10) Ht 4: Karlsson, Pedersen, Proctor, Priest, 56.02 (12-12) Ht 5: Andersen, Woffinden, Skornicki, Davidsson (fell), 56.03 (15-15) Ht 6: Klindt, Lindgren, Screen, Priest, 55.96 (20-16) Ht 7: Karlsson, Screen, Pedersen, Stichauer (fell, rem), 57.02 (23-19) Ht 8: Proctor, Davidsson, Fry, Klindt (fell, exc), 57.19. Rerun. (26-22) Ht 9: Andersen, Skornicki, Woffinden, Fry, 56.36 (29-25) Ht 10: Lindgren, Klindt, Pedersen, Screen, 56.42 (34-26) Ht 11: Andersen, Karlsson, Davidsson, Stichauer, 56.50 (36-30) Ht 12: Woffinden, Proctor, Screen, Fry, 56.60 (41-31) Ht 13: Lindgren, Karlsson, Andersen^, Davidsson, 56.56 (46-32) Ht 14: Proctor, Pedersen^, Skornicki, Fry, 57.36 (50-36) Ht 15: Lindgren, Andersen, Karlsson, Pedersen, 56.59 (54-38)