FORMER title-winning duo Alun Rossiter and Chris Harris will lead Coventry Bees’ charge in Dorset tonight as they take on the Poole Pirates in a challenge fixture.
Rossiter, now boss of Swindon and Great Britain, managed the Bees to the Elite League Championship in 2010, as they clinched the crown in astonishing circumstances at Wimborne Road.
A big part of that night seven years ago was Chris Harris, who skippered Bees to title glory when dusting himself down from a horrendous crash in his second ride to earn Bees a 22-point Playoff Championship win.
The Coventry-Poole rivalry in the Elite League pre-dated Rossiter’s involvement, and also continued beyond it.
The Pirates won the Grand Final between the clubs in 2003 before the Bees eliminated the Pirates in the play-offs on their way to the Treble in 2007.
In 2014, they met again in the Grand Final with Poole taking the honours after narrowly winning a controversial first leg at Brandon – while in 2015 the Pirates were clear winners in the semi-finals as the Bees’ injuries caught up with them.
Despite Coventry’s less than successful 2016 campaign, they did beat Poole twice at Brandon, and Gary Havelock’s time in charge of the club also included two exciting away wins at Wimborne Road.
This year’s Pirates team includes two recent Bees heat-leaders in Krzysztof Kasprzak and Hans Andersen.
Lewis Kerr will ride for the home side as he continues a short-term stint as an injury replacement for Kyle Newman.
For Coventry, Kerr is replaced by Stefan Nielsen who gets another outing after his impressive show at Wolverhampton, and then an Individual meeting win at the Isle of Wight last Thursday.
New father Josh Bates returns at reserve after missing the Monmore clash due to injury, in a meeting which will provide him with useful track time as he will go for a third British Under-21 crown at Wimborne Road next Wednesday.
The rivalry between the two clubs helped generate some of the most thrilling speedway of the Elite League era, and it is a rivalry all Bees fans are desperate to resume.
POOLE: Krzysztof Kasprzak, Jack Holder, Lewis Kerr, Brady Kurtz, Hans Andersen, Nicolai Klindt, James Shanes.
COVENTRY: Danny King, Stefan Nielsen, Jason Garrity, Lasse Bjerre, Chris Harris, James Sarjeant, Josh Bates.
You can follow the action live on our website tonight from 7pm with updates and news from trackside.
