Cook calls for Poole Pirates to be at their best in cup semi-final

Poole Pirates skipper Ben Cook is eager for his side to be on their “A-game” in a home Knockout Cup semi-final against Scunthorpe tonight (7.30pm).

The top two teams in the SGB Championship table at present are set to go head to head in a repeat of last season’s cup final at Wimborne Road.

Scunthorpe got the better of the Pirates on that occasion, battling to a 45-45 draw after a 47-43 first-leg win to seal the crown.

Cook, who is now riding in Poland as well as the top two leagues in England, is keen to put a marker down in the first leg against the Scorpions.

He said: “If I am honest I don't think we have all fired one-to-seven at home yet and yet we are still putting in some good scores.

“Hopefully we will all turn up and give it our A-game and get the win."

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Pirates promoter Danny Ford is out for revenge, having missed out on silverware in the competition last season.

He said: “I don't think we will ever be able to erase the memories of that night, to be honest.

“They just stubbornly refused us to get any consistency in our scores to be able to pull back the first-leg deficit, which to our credit we had been able to hold to just four points.

“Meeting Scunthorpe again and with a final waiting around the corner I believe that we have all the motivation we need.

“They are a solid side but we simply have to hit them as hard as possible from heat one.

“This will be our first home meeting of the school holiday season and with our Kids for Free offer then hopefully we will have plenty of young voices cheering us on, we will need all the encouragement we can muster."

(Picture: Tony Hartmann)