Adam Skornicki

ELITE LEAGUE EASTBOURNE EAGLES 41 POOLE PIRATES 48 NEIL Middleditch believes Pirates' super reserve Adam Skornicki has been "reborn again" following his scintillating match-winning 18 paid 19 point performance at Arlington last night.

Poole Castle Cover's team manager also feels the 31-year-old Pole's stunning early season form has made the doubters who felt the Dorset club shouldn't have signed him eat their words.

Skornicki had struggled for Wolves, Lakeside, Oxford and Belle Vue over the past three seasons.

But he has been a revelation for Pirates since signing over the winter and starred again last night when he took the chequered flag four times and finished second on three occasions.

Skornicki's performance was the equal seventh best of all-time by a Poole rider and helped lift them above Eastbourne into second place in the Elite League table.

Middleditch, whose side won their second away match in a row, said: "Adam is just enjoying his speedway so much at Poole.

"He just loves to ride for Poole and you can see that in the pits.

"Adam is reborn again. I don't know what he eats for breakfast but he is like an 18-year-old.

"He is coming from the back and winning races from the gate. People who thought we shouldn't have signed him in the winter are having to eat their words now."

Skornicki was made joint team captain alongside Davey Watt when Bjarne Pedersen was injured.

Speaking about that decision, one he jointly made with promoter Matt Ford, Middleditch said: "I just feel Adam has become an overnight Pirate.

"He already has blue and white running through his veins even though he has only been with us a short time.

"You should have seen him tonight, he was pumping the boys up in the pits.

"It was a real captain's performance. The boys are just in awe of him at the moment because he is riding so well."

Amazingly, Pirates, for whom Chris Holder (11 paid 12), Krzysztof Kasprzak (eight) and Magnus Zetterstrom (seven paid eight) also starred, downed Eagles without Arlington track specialist Davey Watt, who won Grand Prix qualifying round one at Abensberg in Germany with a 15-point maximum to reach the semi-finals.

Middleditch said: "That is really weird. Usually rider replacement makes you stronger but it made us weaker tonight because Davey is so good round Eastbourne.

"So for us to win makes it even more unbelievable.

"But we've said it all along. We have gone with strength in depth this year, and even with all the injuries we have had, we are still there or thereabouts in the league.

"We always thought we'd have a chance of winning at Peterborough, where we triumphed at last week, but winning at Eastbourne was always going to be a long shot.

"I know riders, and when I arrived here tonight, I knew Lee Richardson didn't like the track and Kenneth Bjerre didn't like it at the start.

"We lost points when Chris Holder and Daniel Davidsson packed up early on, but the bad luck levelled itself out when Lee Richardson sustained a suspected broken wrist and had to pull out of the meeting.

"That was unlucky for Eastbourne, but I still believe we thoroughly deserved to win."

2:06am Tuesday 13th May 2008

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