ELLIE ROSE TRAVEL Scunthorpe Scorpions are aiming to become league champions in the second leg of the Cab Direct Championship Grand Final at Poole’s Wimborne Road stadium on the South Coast on Wednesday evening (October 7) at 7.30pm.

Scunthorpe are in their first play-off final since 2012, when they defeated Somerset Rebels by 92-91 in a thrilling final. In contrast, it is Poole’s sixth successive final, having won the Cab Direct Championship in 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025.

Scorpions have won silverware at Poole on a previous occasion. In 2023, they won the Knockout Cup by 92-88 on aggregate, with a 47-43 victory at Scunthorpe followed by a 45-45 draw at Poole.

This time around, Scorpions hold a 49-41 advantage, after the first leg at Scunthorpe’s Eddie Wright Raceway last Friday, when skipper Josh Pickering scored 13+1, Michael Palm Toft won his first four races and collected 13, and exciting 16-year-old Ryan Ingram scored 10+1 from reserve.

Jacob Hook is back on the sidelines, after aggravating his collarbone injury, and Jordan Jenkins comes in to guest in his place.

Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey says: “Our previous results at Poole this season count for nothing. This is a fresh 15 races.

“Everyone seems to consider Poole as the favourites and that’s fine with us – it places all the pressure on the Pirates. They are expected to win every season. We’ve been treated as the underdogs all season long and that suits us.

“The boys know what they need to do. A huge thank to all the supporters who turned up at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday and made it such a special and memorable occasion. It’s a long trip down to Poole on the South Coast, but the more fans we have on the terraces to cheer on the lads, the more it helps us complete the job.”

For those who cannot make it to Poole, the British Speedway Network (BSN) are streaming the meeting at: https://www.britishspeedwaynetwork.co.uk/

Expected teams for Wednesday:

Poole Pirates: 1. Zach Cook (C), 2. William Cairns, 3. Lewis Kerr, 4. Cooper Rushen, 5. Richard Lawson, 6. Slater Lightcap, 7. Kyle Newman.

Ellie Rose Travel Scunthorpe Scorpions: 1. Josh Pickering (C), 2. Connor Mountain, 3. Jordan Jenkins (guest), 4. Michael Palm Toft, 5. Luke Harrison, 6. Ryan Ingram, 7. Nathan Ablitt.

Photo Credits: Ian Rispin

Report by: Rob Peasley