Depleted Kings Lynn's Elite League play-off hopes suffered a setback as they were hammered 58-34 at Poole.

The Stars went into the meeting without Niels-Kristian Iversen and Nicklas Porsing, the former on duty for his Danish club while the latter was absent through a bout of food poisoning, and injured skipper Rory Schlein.

With the Pirates needing a win to top the Elite League table, they wasted no time getting stuck into their rivals with three straight 5-1s.

Davey Watt and Chris Holder comfortably saw off Robert Lambert and Stars guest Chris Harris in heat one, before Paul Starke and Kyle Newman beat Lynn reserves Ashley Morris and Lewis Kerr in race two.

Dakota North and Maciej Janowski dominated Stars pair Josh Grajczonek and Kenneth Bjerre in heat three.

Kings Lynn did not manage a race win until heat four when Kerr charged to a superb victory ahead of Poole pair Kacper Gomolski and Newman.

Lambert followed that up with a win of his own in heat five.

But Stars' hopes of getting back into the meeting suffered a bizarre blow when Harris donned the black and white helmet cover for a tactical ride in heat six.

His team-mate Bjerre made a stunning start and was leading the way, but the Dane failed to look for Harris as he desperately tried to find a way through to turn four points into six.

Bjerre took the chequered flag to roars of laughter from the Wimborne Road terraces, and a frustrated Harris gestured towards his black and white colours as a potential 8-1 turned into a 7-1.

That was the last heat advantage King's Lynn took all evening.

But Stars had bigger concerns in race 10 when Lambert suffered a frightening fall on lap four, turn two.

The British international lost control and ploughed head-on into the air fence at great pace.

With his fellow riders wincing in the pits as they watched the replays, Lambert bravely got to his feet and was very lucky to walk away with nothing more than some soreness in his lower regions.

He should be fit for his Team Great Britain debut at the Adrian Flux Arena on Monday as the Lions take on Australia, Latvia and USA.

POOLE 58: 1 Chris Holder 9+1 (4), 2 Davey Watt 10+2 (5), 3 Dakota North 8 (4), 4 Kacper Gomolski 4+1 (4), 5 Maciej Janowski 13+2 (5), 6 Paul Starke 6+1 (4), 7 Kyle Newman 8+2 (4).

KING'S LYNN 34: 1 Chris Harris 9 (5), 2 Robert Lambert 5 (4), 3 Josh Grajczonek 6 (5), 4 Kevin Doolan 2+2 (4), 5 Kenneth Bjerre 3 (4), 6 Ashley Morris 1 (3), 7 Lewis Kerr 8 (5).