NEW boy Paul Starke insists he is the man to finally lift the curse of the second reserve at Poole Pirates.

The club's new fast track charger caught the eye on his Wimborne Road debut with 10 paid 13 from six rides in the Elite Shield against King's Lynn.

Malvern-raised Starke, 24, amassed more points in his opener than either Lee Smart or Brendan Johnson did in their five Pirates meetings in 2014.

And with established club-asset Kyle Newman by his side, the man who lined up for Birmingham prior to their liquidation last season is bullish over his prospects of succeeding in Dorset.

Starke told the Daily Echo: "When you go to a winning team you become a winning rider. The guys that have represented this team, past and present, have always been of the highest calibre.

"Poole is such an immense club to ride for and for any up-and-coming rider like me it is a dream come true. Last year I was the top reserve at Birmingham so to become the second here takes a bit of pressure off me.

"Birmingham going bust was bad for me but it came at a time where I was too busy and had a lot of personal stuff going on. It gave me a taste of it so I could put plans in place. To be part of a reserve pairing with Kyle is an amazing opportunity at an amazing club.

"I just want to go out, score points and do well and know that Kyle and I are capable of banging in a load of points. Hopefully, we will prove that quickly.

"The track (at Poole) is very different here to Somerset and that is what I need, a bit of variety. I have the benefit of some vastly experienced guys around me and am trying to take on board as much knowledge as I can."