BUCCANEERS were the toast of Dorset last night as they hammered defending third-tier champions Weymouth 56-36 at home.

Jay Herne capped a brilliant Bournemouth Castle Cover triumph by becoming the only rider to beat Wildcats ace Lee Smart in heat 15.

Smart had gone into that tussle having reeled off four straight victories, including a double points outing that gleaned six points.

But Herne smartly got away in front of Smart from the tapes before forcing the Brit wide on the first bend.

That allowed Kyle Newman briefly to cut inside Weymouth’s rider and move into a one-two position with Herne down the back straight.

Smart quickly flashed past the youngster. He couldn’t catch Herne, though, and it was Bournemouth’s skipper who had the last word in front of a bumper 1,500 crowd.

It was the first competitive Dorset derby between Weymouth and a Poole-based side since Pirates had won 56-40 at the old Wessex Stadium in National League Division Two in 1955, when Ken Middleditch was starring in a skull and crossbones race jacket.

That match was later expunged from the records when Scorchers, as Weymouth were then known, pulled out of the league in mid-season.

There’s no chance of that happening this year, as Wildcats look to defend their league crown, although they were no match for high-flying Bournemouth last night.

Buccaneers controlled this derby from the off, roaring into a 33-20 lead as all their riders impressed.

Weymouth relied far too much on Smart, who finished with a cracking 17 points but only gained worthwhile support from Mark Burrows (seven).

Herne grabbed four wins on his way to 14 paid 16, while Andrew Aldridge, the Kiwi who is beginning to light up Wimborne Road with some superb performances, got double figures.

Newman, Jerran Hart, Danny Warwick and Aaron Baseby, who withdrew with a wrist injury following a nasty heat eight fall, all took the chequered flag as well as Weymouth lacked strength in depth and floundered.

So there were no cartwheels of celebration on the centre green from Wildcats chairman Phil Bartlett, who had promised to do so if his side had won.

Weymouth’s Terry Day, beaten by Herne in heat five, will also have cooked his lodger breakfast this morning following their wager that whoever lost had to spend a spell in the kitchen, including making the toast!

  • Karol Baran has been confirmed as Poole’s new number seven as revealed on the Echo’s website.

The Pole will make his Pirates debut alongside Ben Wilson against Eastbourne at home on Wednesday, when Hans Andersen also makes his comeback for the Dorset club.

Pirates star Chris Holder is out for at least three weeks with a broken collarbone following a crash while motocross riding, as reported on the Echo website last night.

Bournemouth 56: 1 Danny Warwick (2*-1*-2-3) 8+2, 2 Andrew Aldridge (3-2-2-3-1*) 11+1, 3 Jay Herne (1*-3-3-3-1*-3) 14+2, 4 Rider replacement for Mark Baseby, 5 Kyle Newman (3-1-2*-1-1-1) 9+1, 6 Jerran Hart (ret-fell-ret-2*-3-2*-2) 9+2, 7 Aaron Baseby (3-2*-fell, non-starter) 5+1.

Team managers: Garry May and Neil Vatcher.

Weymouth 36: 1 Mark Burrows (1-2-2-2-0) 7, 2 Terry Day (fell exc-1*-1-0) 2+1, 3 Matthew Wright (fell exc-2*-0) 2+1, 4 Lee Smart (3-3-6^-3-2) 17, 5 James Cockle (0-3-ret-fell^) 3, 6 Tim Webster (fell exc-ret-1-fell exc) 1, 7 James White-Williams (2-1-0-1-ret) 4.

Team manager: Jem Dicken.

Referee: Mike Posselwhite.

Ht 1: (re-run) Aldridge, Warwick, Burrows, Day (fell excluded), 63.39 (5-1).

Ht 2: (re-run) A Baseby, White-Williams (fell remounted), Hart (retired), Webster (fell excluded), 66.75 (8-3).

Ht 3: (2nd re-run) Smart, Aldridge, Herne, Wright (fell excluded), 61.76 (11-6).

Ht 4: Newman, A Baseby, White-Williams, Cockle (fell excluded), 63.14 (16-7).

Ht 5: Herne, Burrows, Day, Hart (fell), 62.16 (19-10).

Ht 6: Cockle, Aldridge, Warwick, Webster (retired), 63.97 (22-13).

Ht 7: (re-run) Smart, Wright, Newman, Hart (retired), 66.12 (23-18).

Ht 8: (re-run) Aldridge, Hart, Day, White-Williams, A Baseby (fell, non-starter), 62.83 (28-19).

Ht 9: Herne, Newman, Webster, Cockle (retired), 62.72 (33-20).

Ht 10: Smart^ (tactical rider, double points), Warwick, Aldridge, Wright, 62.41 (36-26).

Ht 11: Hart, Burrows, Newman, Day, 62.99 (40-28).

Ht 12: (re-run) Herne, Hart, White-Williams, Webster (fell excluded), 62.83 (45-29).

Ht 13: Warwick, Burrows, Newman, Cockle^ (tactical rider, double points), 62.72 (49-31).

Ht 14: Smart, Hart, Herne, White-Williams, 62.44 (52-34).

Ht 15: Herne, Smart, Newman, Burrows (excluded two minutes, re-started off 15 metres handicap), 61.95 (56-36).