KING’S LYNN were pipped to the Premiership title after a thrilling Grand Final encounter with Poole.
The Tru Plant Stars beat the Pirates 51-39 at the Adrian Flux Arena but ran out silver medalists as they lost out 92-88 on aggregate.
Despite a fierce battle, they just couldn’t dominate the stubborn Pirates to overturn the 16-point deficit from the first leg on Monday night.
Co-promoter Robin Brundle said: “It goes without saying that we would’ve loved to have got our hands on that trophy, but we’re still very proud of what we’ve done this year.
“We’ve enjoyed a great season overall as we made history by finishing top of the regular top league standings for the first time in the 53 year existence of this club.
“We’re the silver medalists in the end but it takes two great teams to create a classic final and we take our hats off to Poole and congratulate them on their win.
“You cannot fault the effort of our riders and we pushed them all the way, but I feel we did sadly miss our two regular riders in Niels-Kristian Iversen and Michael Palm Toft who missed out through injury and they would have made a difference you feel.
“We’ve still got the Knockout Cup to aim for next week though, but for now it’s congratulations to Poole on their Premiership success.”
It was the perfect start for the Tru Plant stars with Robert Lambert and Erik Riss roaring clear of Chris Harris to immediately reduce the deficit by four points.
But the Pirates showed their mettle straight away. Richie Worrall and Frederik Jakobsen pegged the score back by two. However the Stars had the home fans roaring with another maximum in Heat 3 to go six-up on the night.
A 4-2 in Heat 4 and then a 5-1 from Grajczonek and Harris in Heat 5 levelled the scores up on the night at 15-15. But King’s Lynn just couldn’t get on top of the Pirates.
However the home fans got the Stars revved up yet again. An unlikely 5-1 from Ty Proctor, who injured his hand in a Heat 3 fall, raced through the pain barrier for a huge maximum with Simon Lambert in Heat 11 made the score 41-31 and game on yet again.
But Poole once again found another gear. Pirates guest Nick Morris and Harris got out in front of Lambert in Heat 13 and although the home skipper got into second on the last lap the Stars’ dream was almost over.
Despite Jorgensen taking the chequered flag, Jakobsen and Nicolai Klindt kept Simon Lambert at the back in Heat 14 to wrap it up for the Pirates, their eighth title in 16 years.
King’s Lynn travel to Somerset next Wednesday (October 17, 7.30) for the first leg of the Knockout Cup Final with the return at the Adrian Flux Arena 24-hours later (Thursday, October 18, 7.30).
KING’S LYNN 51: Erik Riss 13+2, Robert Lambert 13+1, Ty Proctor 10, Thomas Jorgensen 6, Simon Lambert 4+1, Adam Ellis 3, Kyle Howarth 3.
POOLE 39: Josh Grajczonek 8, Nick Morris 7, Nicolai Klindt 6+1, Richie Worrall 6, Chris Harris 5+2, Frederik Jakobsen 5+1, Kacper Woryna 2+1.
