Elite League: Poole Pirates 48, King’s Lynn Stars 45
King's Lynn came within a lap of ending Poole's 15-match winning running at Wimborne Road, but were denied the result of the season by an epic move from Grand Prix star Chris Holder.
Stars lost out 48-45, despite charging into a 31-17 lead after eight races and going into the nominated race 44-43 up.
When former King's Lynn favourite Darcy Ward hit the front for Pirates, Niels-Kristian Iversen and Maciej Janowski teamed up to try and keep Holder at the back and secure the 3-3 they needed.
The Aussie chased furiously. He failed to relieve Iversen of third place with a dive up the inside on lap three, turn one.
But when the Stars duo stuck too tightly to the kerb, Holder pounced in dramatic style.
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He opened the taps and powered around Iversen, before screaming past Janowski on turn three and pipping Ward over the line.
The Wimborne Road grandstand exploded with a combination of elation and relief, but Stars can be proud of giving the Elite League leaders a monumental run for their money.
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Iversen launched what was a ferocious assault from King's Lynn by winning heat one ahead of Ward. Daniel Nermark bagged third place to give the visitors a 4-2.
The reserves race was shared, before World Under-21 champion Janowski stunned Pirates skipper Holder to win heat three and keep King's Lynn two up.
The Stars got a lucky break when Todd Kurtz lost control while leading heat four for Poole, drifted off his line and took Kevin Wolbert's front wheel on lap three, turn four. The Norfolk outfit were awarded a 5-1.
Ward won heat six, but the Stars surged 10 up when Joe Screen and Janowski teamed up for a commanding 5-1 over Adrian Miedzinski and Ludvig Lindgren in race seven.
Rob Lyon's men were in dreamland when a maximum from Nermark and Wolbert in heat eight put them 31-17 in command.
Poole's winning streak was hanging by a thread. That was until boss Neil Middleditch sent Grand Prix rider Chris Holder out for a tactical ride in heat nine.
The Aussie teamed up with Dennis Andersson to blitz to a game-changing 8-1 ahead of Mateusz Szczepaniak and Korneliussen.
Ward rounded Janowski with aplomb on turn two to take race 10, before Miedzinski succeeded where Ward and Holder had previously failed and ended Iversen's maximum bid.
Holder defeated Janowski in race 12, before Ward and Miedzinski bagged a 4-2 in heat 13 over Iversen and Korneliussen.
Joe Screen was overhauled for third by Andersson in heat 14, while Lindgren got the better of Wolbert at the front for another Poole 4-2. This was before the Holder and Ward show broke King's Lynn's hearts.
POOLE: 1 Darcy Ward 13+1, 2 Ricky Kling 0, 3 Chris Holder 16, 4 Dennis Andersson 5+3, 5 Adrian Miedzinski 6, 6 Ludvig Lindgren 5+1, 7 Todd Kurtz 3.
KING'S LYNN: 1 Niels-Kristian Iversen 11, 2 Daniel Nermark 4, 3 Maciej Janowski 9+1, 4 Joe Screen 4+1, 5 Mads Korneliussen 5, 6 Mateusz Szczepaniak 6+2, 7 Kevin Wolbert 6+2.
