Two forced to withdraw as Gladiators go down to defeat to the Pirates

THE injury curse that seems to forever hang over the Plymouth Gladiators struck again on Wednesday night as both Kyle Newman and Nico Covatti were forced to withdraw from the 55-35 defeat to a dominant Poole Pirates.

- STUART JAMES

For the first half of the meeting, the Gladiators were well in it and trailed by only six points after the first seven heats. But after an extensive track grading which suited the home riders, the Pirates dominated the second half of the meeting as the injury curse struck once again for Garry May's men.

Already without Dan Thompson, who suffered a dislocated shoulder riding in the Speedway of Nations at Belle Vue last Friday, Drew Kemp was drafted in as a guest. He ended up being Plymouth's top scorer on the night, returning 12+1 points from six rides, but it was the home riders that really shone.