Reading Bulldogs went down to a narrow 47-43 defeat at Poole on Wednesday evening, but the📖y didn't leave Wimborne Road empty-handed, as the four-point reverse was enough for them to pick up the all-important aggregate bonus poi🌼nt.

This result now means the Bulldogs need just one point from their final mee🙈ting of the regular season at Belle Vue next Wednesday to ensure they go into the Championship play-offs in top spot.

On the night Greg Hancock was top man for Reading with 13 points and Mark🧸 Lemon rode extremely well for his 12 point score. Matej Zagar contributed 9 (paid 11) and Travis McGowan scored 7 (paid 9)😼.

For the Pirates, Bjarne 👍Pedersen led the way with 11 (paid 12) and Krzystof Kasprzak was next best with 8 points in what was a solid tea🌼m effort.

The meeting got underway with Pedersen winning a sh🧜ared heat 1 ahead of Hancock and Janusz Kolodziej, but Jonas Davidsson and Matt Wethers put the Pirates in front courtesy of a 4-2 in heat 2.

Lemon was excluded under ✃the two-minute rule in heat 3, and when the race finally got underway Kasprzak and Greg Walasek raced to another 4-2 over McGowan and Sam Simota.

Zagar off gate♋ four in heat 4 got bunched out in a tight f🐻irst bend and ran a last place, but thankfully Lemon made a good start ahead of Antonio Lindback and Wethers, so the race was shared.

The Bulldogs pulled a couple of points back with Hancock and Kolodziej racing to a 4-2 in heat 5, and then Zagar bounced back to win a shared heat 6 ahead of Pedersen💜 and Craig Boyce.

Heat 7 then saw Poole regain their four-point advantage (23-19), when Davidsson and Lindback clocke♔d up a 4-2 over McGowan and Ko♋lodziej.

Boyce and Wethers increased Poole's lead to 27-21 with a 4-2 in heat 8, but Reading repaid the compliment in heat 9 with a good 4-2 from Zagar and Lemon over Kasprzak aജnd Walasek.

The Pirate duo of Boyce and Pedersen were first away in hea꧟t 10, which saw them romp to a 5-1 over McGowan and Simota. This increased the home side's lead to 34-26.

Reading looked set to hit straight back in heat 11 with Hancock and Kolodziej cruising to a comfortable 5-1, but Kolodziej made a mistake on🍒 the final bend and spun around i🅺n a 360 degree turn, which let Lindback and Davidsson through for a gift three points.

Heat 12 was a 3-3 with Walasek defeating Lemon and McGowan, and with Pedersen wi♑nning a shared heat 13, it made the progressiv🍷e score 43-35 with just two races remaining.

Kasprzak won heat 14 for Poole, but Lemon ꦬand McGowan filled in for the vital second and third places, so the race ended honours eveꩲn once again.

The Bulldogs may have lost the meeting at this stage, but a last heat 5-1 from Hancock and Zagar over Pedersen and Kasprzak gave Reading the bonus point, resulting in a final score of♚ 47-43.

Supporters are reminded that there will be no speedway at Smallmead next Monday. Reading Bulldogs are back🍬 in action next Wednesday when they travel up to Manchester to take on the Belle Vue Aces, in what will be their finalꦍ Elite League meeting of the regular season (7.30pm).