Mark looks for `poetic justice'

From the Echo, first published Thursday 2nd Oct 2003.

POOLE team manager Matt Ford believes it would be "poetic justice" if Mark Loram were to help them to the Sky Sports Elite League title this year.

The Eastbourne rider will line up for Pirates, as a guest for injured Lukas Dryml, in the second leg of the title play-off final against Coventry at Wimborne Road on Monday.

And Ford would like nothing better than for Loram - a firm favourite with the Poole faithful following his two years' service with the club in 1999 and 2000 - to be part of a title-winning Pirates side.

Poole take a slender 45-44 lead into the championship decider on their own track after another guest, Oxford's Todd Wiltshire, got nine very valuable points in the first leg at Brandon on Monday.

Ford said: "There would be an element of poetic justice if Mark Loram was to help us to the title.

"We were so near and yet so far when he was here riding for Poole in 1999 when the championship went down to the last race of the final meeting of the season at King's Lynn.

"We went into heat 15 against the Knights needing a 4-2 to draw the match and snatch the title away from Peterborough, who had just completed a 60-30 home win over Belle Vue on the same night.

"Now Mark lines up in the same team as the two riders who got the 4-2 over him and Gary Havelock that night - Leigh Adams and Tony Rickardsson - to take the title away from us.

"Mark couldn't help us clinch the title four years ago, but he is coming back for perhaps the most important meeting in our recent history to try and help us go one better," he added.

Loram will also guest for Poole at Oxford in the Knockout Cup, semi-final, second leg on Friday, October 10 in place of Dryml, who is out for the rest of the season.

The former World champion has also been snapped up as a guest in both meetings for Pirates in the two-legged final against Coventry or Wolves if Poole protect their 22-point first leg advantage at Cowley.

"I believe Mark raises his game to a different level when he rides in the skull and crossbones race jacket of Poole. "That isn't to say that he doesn't ride his exceptional best for every other club that he has ridden for," he added.

"Let's just say he has some unfinished business from 1999 to take care of for Poole."

Pirates' British League Cup quarter-final second leg home clash against Workington was rained-off last night.

The meeting will be re-staged at Poole next Wednesday, although the league title decider against Coventry will be put back to that day if it is rained-off on Monday.

Pirates team manager Neil Middleditch, meanwhile, has reiterated it was team orders that saw Adams and Rickardsson try to allow a Poole 4-2 to become a 3-3 in heat 13 of the meeting at Brandon on Monday.

Middleditch said: "A lot of people booed Tony when he let Billy Hamill go past, but Coventry boss Colin Pratt would have done the same in the same situation.

"They would have gone out in heat 14 with a double tactical substitution, but our move backfired on us. "Tony didn't deserve that criticism because he was riding under team orders."

Middleditch added: "Everyone was really pumped up and rode well for us, but Todd Wiltshire, our guest, was fantastic.

"I spoke to Todd before the meeting and asked him how he felt and he said he was up for it.

"He did a brilliant job. He was absolutely great and we can't thank him enough."

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