Silver Machine 48,

Poole Pirates 45

By John Gaisford

Rafal Dobrucki again proved a trump card for the Oxford Silver Machine as they maintained their unbeaten home record in their Airtek Challenge at the Stadium last night.

The lanky Pole stood head and shoulders above his team-mates with a paid 16 score and was instrumental in scuppering the Pirates.

Greg Hancock's return helped Oxford, but he clearly isn't fully fit yet following his shoulder injury.

Tony Rickardsson was in superb form, notching a 15-point maximum for the Pirates.

Oxford's Travis McGowan crashed out in the opening heat and sustaining a knuckle injury which ruled him for the rest of the meeting.

Hancock blitzed his way to the front to take the re-run.

McGowan's departure to hospital for X-rays meant extra rides for Jonas Davidsson and Dobrucki.

In heat two, Davidsson had a decent lead over former Cheetah Mark Lemon until his clutch disentegrated, leaving him high and dry.

Niels-Kristian Iversen won heat three, before five-times world champion Rickardsson showed his class by going past Dobrucki twice in three heats for a six-point lead.

After Seb Ulamek and Dabvidsson won heat seven, victories for Pedersen and Rickardsson, his third on the trot, forced Oxford manager Nigel Wagstaff to use a tactical rider, where the points scored are doubled.

Hancock was the named rider, and together with Dobrucki, rattled off an 8-1 heat advantage.

So the eight-point deficit was reduced to just one point approaching the interval.

With the Silver Machine's unbeaten home record still on the line, Ulamek and

Jonas Davidsson, the latter sweeping past Jason Lyons, gave the home side the lead for the first time at 35-34.

Then Dobrucki and Jonas Davidsson teamed up for a heart-warming 5-1.

Although Rickardsson roared to his fourth successive win after taking Hancock out of the pits bend, Dobrucki eased Oxford over the winning line.

Oxford: Dobrucki 15+1, Hancock 13+1, Ulamek 8+2, J Davidsson 6+2, Iversen 5, Fisher 1, McGowan 0. 48 pts.

Poole: Rickardsson 15, Pedersen 11, Lemon 5, Lindback 5, Lyons 4, Zetterstrom 4, D Davidsson 1. 45 pts. HEAT DETAILS

Heat 1: (re-run) Hancock, Pedersen, Lyons, McGowan (f/exc). 60.3 secs.

Heat 2: Lemon, Lindback, Dobrucki, J Davidsson (ret) 60.6.

Heat 3: Iversen, Zetterstrom, Fisher, D Davidsson. 61.2.

Heat 4: Rickardsson, Dobrucki, Ulamek, Lindback. 59.1.

Heat 5: Lyons, Pedersen, Iversen, Fisher. 60.9.

Heat 6: Rickardsson, Dobrucki, Hancock, Lemon. 59.2.

Heat 7: Ulamek, J Davidsson, Zetterstrom, D Davidsson. 61.0.

Heat 8: Pedersen, Dobrucki, Lindback, J Davidsson (f). 60.8.

Heat 9: Rickardsson, Lemon, Iversen, Fisher. 60.0

Heat 10: Hancock, Dobrucki, D Davidsson, Zetterstrom. 61.3.

Heat 11: Ulamek, Pedersen, J Davidsson, Lyons. 61.4

Heat 12: Dobrucki, J Davidsson, Zetterstrom, Lemon. 61.6.

Heat 13: Rickardsson, Hancock, Ulamek, Lyons. 60.3.

Heat 14: Dobrucki, Lindback, J Davidsson, D Davidsson (ret). 61.2.

Heat 15: Rickardsson, Pedersen, Hancock, Ulamek. 61.2.