PIRATES supporters arrived expecting to see a piece of history and they got what they wanted – eventually.

Poole aficionados have long insisted they are witnessing a special period for the club.

The trophy cabinet supports their claims and now they have another statistic to back up the argument.

Pirates’ class of 2012 last night earned their place in Wimborne Road folklore by extending to 10 their magnificent unbeaten start to the campaign - equalling a 57-year-old club record.

Coming on the back of the 2011 double-winning season, such form can only bode well for continued success.

But to say the defending Elite League champions had it all their own way against Peterborough would be far from correct.

Utterly dominant throughout the vast majority of the current campaign, Pirates were tipped to dish out a fierce hammering to the depleted Panthers in front of the Sky Sports cameras.

Yet despite the absences of ill rising star Michael Jepsen Jensen and rib-injury victim Olly Allen, Chris Holder and co did not have it all their own way.

After posting victories in the opening two races, the visitors demonstrated this was going to be no walk-over.

Their challenge ended up going the way of every other pretender to the Pirates crown this season as they collapsed from the crucial heats nine to 13 – with the hosts turning up the heat.

But the Panthers – particularly Linus Sundstrom and Jesper B Monberg, who had a point to prove after being reinstated to the team – deserve credit for staying in touch for so long.

However, as many other rivals have already discovered this season, the blistering late surge is fast becoming a Pirates trademark. And in outstanding trio Holder, Darcy Ward and Adrian Miedzinski, Poole have the big-scoring potential to overpower every other team in the division.

Without injured Sam Masters, Pirates struggled for heat advantages early on and led just 25-22 after eight races.

Despite their underdog status, Peterborough made a bright enough start at a sun-kissed Wimborne Road.

Holder paid the ultimate price for failing to get away swiftly in gate four as he suffered a |rare heat one reverse |against Panthers number one Kenneth Bjerre.

Poole duo Ludvig Lindgren and Todd Kurtz then had no answer to Monberg as the visitors made it two from two.

Normal service was resumed when Ward, blasting across the front of his counterparts in a blistering getaway from trap four, roared to the chequered flag in race three. Dennis Andersson, battling from the back, completed a heat advantage by passing Lasse Bjerre.

Miedzinski continued his impressive form by securing a tapes-to-flag victory next up but with Kurtz left trailing, the scores remained level at 12-12.

The hosts delivered the first major signal of their intent in heat five – with Ward yet again showcasing his supreme team-riding skills. The Australian got off to a flier and Andersson was soon on his tail. Constantly looking for his colleague, Ward waved Andersson past before brilliantly shepherding him to the 5-1.

Former Pirates ace Jason Doyle stubbornly kept out Ricky Kling to earn a share of the spoils behind Holder before fast-starting Sundstrom and Monberg halted Poole’s run of wins to trim the lead to 22-20.

Kurtz saw off Lasse Bjerre to win a highly-eventful eighth heat. After Monberg had been excluded, Kurtz led Bjerre in the re-run and was awarded the victory after Kling had been thrown from his bike in a horror spill that led to him playing no further part.

Pirates found themselves in need of something special to begin pulling away from the Panthers.

They turned to Ward in race nine and, as usual, he did not disappoint. A sensational last-to-first burst saw him fly past Doyle and Richard Lawson and with Andersson also beating the latter, Pirates moved 29-24 in front.

Thanks in part to mechanical failure for Sundstrom, Holder and Kurtz combined to further stretch the hosts’ lead.

A thrilling 11th clash of the evening saw Pirates claim a fourth successive heat advantage in a run of six. Miedzinski never looked back after taking the long way round to beat Kenneth Bjerre – but the real fireworks were saved for the battle for lesser places. Lindgren brilliantly claimed third spot as he fought from the back to stun Lasse Bjerre by the finest of margins with a daring swoop for the line.

Ward and Kurtz continued the winning streak before Miedzinski and Holder racked up a rapid 5-1. Miedzinski skimmed along the air fence to hit the front round the opening bend and Holder completed the job.

By now, Peterborough were well beaten but they continued to fight as Monberg secured a 5-1 with Sundstrom in the penultimate race.

Underlining the fact Pirates had been made to work for the win, Sundstrom then shocked the home faithful with a superb heat 15 success.

He produced a stunning effort to end Holder and Ward’s remarkable and lengthy sequence of final-heat maximums on home shale. It was also the first time neither of the Turbo Twins had managed to take the chequered flag in the 15th race of a league meeting this season.

But despite being denied their usual finale, the night belonged to Pirates’ history makers who can surpass the achievements of their predecessors of 1955 with a win at Birmingham tonight.