By Alexander Smith – Senior Sports Reporter
The Poole Pirates have secured second place in the Championship table after the Glasgow Tigers clinched top spot with a decisive victory over Edinburgh in their final league fixture.
Poole had been hoping the Monarchs could stall Glasgow’s late charge, with the Scottish side trailing the Dorset club by two points ahead of their meeting. But the Tigers proved too strong, defeating Edinburgh 53-37 and collecting the aggregate bonus point to leapfrog the Pirates by a single point—finishing on 32 to Poole’s 31.
Playoff Semifinal Ahead
The result means the Pirates will face the Redcar Bears in the Championship playoff semifinal. Redcar are guaranteed to finish third, regardless of their final meeting against Workington on September 5.
Meanwhile, Glasgow and Poole remain well clear of the rest of the pack. The two sides are also battling in the KO Cup semifinal, with the Pirates currently holding a 52-38 first-leg advantage ahead of the return fixture in Scotland on Sunday, September 7.
A Rivalry Brewing
With the teams likely to meet again in the Championship playoff final—and potentially the BSN Series final too—fans could be set for a thrilling conclusion to the season. Should Glasgow dispatch Redcar and Poole finish the job against Oxford (after their emphatic 58-32 first-leg win), the stage will be set for a dramatic showdown between two of speedway’s fiercest rivals.