A LAST-heat fall for Darcy Ward denied him a semi-final duel with Chris Holder as the dynamic duo failed to keep Pirates on course for a quadruple in Saturday’s Elite League Riders’ Championship.

Already Best Pairs winners and Elite League champions in Poole colours this year, the Turbo Twins had hoped to prepare for this week’s Knockout Cup final with another success.

But, for once, they came up short at Swindon as compatriot Rory Schlein took top honours ahead of Scott Nicholls, reigning champion Freddie Lindgren and Eastbourne’s former Pirates hero Bjarne Pedersen.

While Ward’s eight points left him short of qualification for the semi-finals, Holder looked on course for more glory after advancing to the latter stages.

The Grand Prix star followed up his heat 12 victory with three more points from heat 13 and his third place in heat 18 behind Hans Andersen and Ben Barker left him with a tally of nine.

That effort was enough to set up a semi-final contest with Nicholls (11), Chris Harris (11) and Lindgren (9), with Schlein (13) and Pedersen (11) taking the direct route to the final.

Holder reacted quickly to lay down his bike when Harris brought down Nicholls in the first staging of the semi-final.

Holder, nursing a sore wrist, then failed to make the best of starts in the re-run.

Despite applying plenty of pressure to Nicholls as Lindgren led, the Swindon rider offered Holder no passing opportunity.

In the final, Nicholls looked set to claim the title as he led from the tapes.

But rising star Schlein proved he was in good form ahead of next week’s cup final – when his Belle Vue Aces meet Pirates – by tracking the British champion before making the telling move as the pair crossed the line.

ELRC Result: 1st Schlein 13, 2nd Nicholls 11+2, 3rd Lindgren 9+3, 4th Pedersen 11, 5th Holder 9+1, 6th Harris 11+DQ, 7th Bjerre 8, 8th Ward 8, 9th Barker 7, 10th Iversen 6, 11th Andersen 5, 12th King 5, 13th Fisher 4, 14th Robson 4, 15th Richardson 4, 16th Klindt 4.