POOLE Pirates were held to a last-ditch 45-45 draw as Brady Kurtz and Josh Grajczonek snatched a heat 15 maximum for Somerset Rebels in tonight's challenge.

Matt Ford's mix-and-match team featured only Davey Watt and new boy Kacper Gomolski from Poole's regular one-to-seven at the Oaktree Arena.

Pirates asset Grajczonek, who will lead Somerset's charge in 2015, chased down guest Max Fricke to no avail in a shared opener before the Rebels nudged in front through Paul Starke's victory in heat two.

Gomolski and Watt blitzed the gate for a maximum in heat three before another guest, Nick Morris, won back-to-back heats for Pirates.

Grajczonek and Aussie youngster Kurtz took the next two for Somerset with the sides trading maximum scores in heats eight and nine with Poole's stand-in reserve Justin Sedgmen taking a chequered flag during a strong display.

Aussie ace Grajczonek closed the gap to two but Fricke's second race win of the night with Morris in support plumped the Pirates' cushion to six after 11 heats.

Richie Worrall leading the way in a shared 12th before Somerset's big-hitters Kurtz and Grajczonek comfortably claimed a maximum.

Although Poole were denied an immediate reply, Gomolski led a 4-2 with Charles Wright disqualified from the re-run.

But Rebels had the last laugh when deadly duo Kurtz and Grajczonek pouched a 5-1 to level matters in the nominated heat.

RIDER SCORES AND HEAT DETAILS

Somerset Rebels 45: 1 Josh Grajczonek (2-3-3-2*-2*) 12+2

2 Leigh Lanham (1*-2*-1-1) 5+2

3 Richie Worrall (1-1-3-3) 8

4 Charles Wright (r-r-2*-f) 2+1

5 Brady Kurtz (2-3-1-3-3) 12

6 Paul Starke (3-0-0-2) 5

7 Benji Compton (1-0-0-0) 1

Team manager: Garry May

Poole Pirates 45: 1 Nick Morris (guest) (0-3-3-2*-1) 9+1

2 Max Fricke (guest) (3-2*-2*-1-3) 11+2

3 Davey Watt (2*-1*-0-2-0-0) 5+2

4 Kacper Gomolski (3-1-2-2-3-1) 12

5 Rider replacement for Maciej Janowski

6 Ellis Perks (guest) (0-0-0) 0

7 Justin Sedgmen (guest) (2-1-3-1*-1) 8+1

Team manager: Neil Middleditch

Ht 1: Fricke, Grajczonek, Lanham, Morris, 57.22 (3-3)

Ht 2: Starke, Sedgmen, Compton, Perks, 58.57 (7-5)

Ht 3: Gomolski, Watt, Worrall, Wright (ret), 58.25 (8-10)

Ht 4: (re-run) Morris, Kurtz, Sedgmen, Compton, 58.32 (10-14)

Ht 5: Morris, Fricke, Worrall, Wright (ret), 57.90 (11-19)

Ht 6: Grajczonek, Lanham, Gomolski, Perks, 57.87 (16-20)

Ht 7: Kurtz, Gomolski, Watt, Compton, 57.28 (19-23)

Ht 8: Sedgmen, Fricke, Lanham, Starke, 58.72 (20-28)

Ht 9: Worrall, Wright, Fricke, Perks, 58.92 (25-29)

Ht 10: Grajczonek, Gomolski, Lanham, Watt, 58.18 (29-31)

Ht 11: Fricke, Morris, Kurtz, Starke, 58.07 (30-36)

Ht 12: Worrall, Watt, Sedgmen, Compton, 59.97 (33-39)

Ht 13: Kurtz, Grajczonek, Morris, Watt (ret), 57.56 (38-40)

Ht 14: (re-run) Gomolski, Starke, Sedgmen, Wright (fell/dsq), 59.94 (40-44)

Ht 15: Kurtz, Grajczonek, Gomolski, Watt, 58.69 (45-45)