AT 19-5 down after four races, the record books were being primed and the Pirates looked set to record a score similar to the 63 which the Buildbase Bees carded at Wimborne Road last season.
It wasn't as bad as that in the end, and indeed there was some spirited riding on show as Coventry attempted to fashion some kind of comeback from that horrendous start, but the super-solid visitors pulled clear in the end and this was a thoroughly convincing away win.
Rarely do you see an away performance in which a rider of the quality of Bjarne Pedersen is the lowest scorer with six points - and for the undoubted excellence of Chris Holder in the closing stages, and the talent of Darcy Ward, it was the two reserves who both made their Brandon debuts who put in the most eye-catching performances.
For Bees, there were some bright spots - biggest of all being Ben Barker's return to being Ben Barker during a dramatic mid-meeting burst. But there were problems as well, mechanical issues hampering at least half of the team, and at reserve Josh Auty's hard-earned seven points were not supplemented by Filip Sitera, who continues to struggle.
The start of the meeting provided a complete upset with Jason Doyle's Heat 1 win over Auty as Holder and Chris Harris contested third place, the Bees skipper left to run a rare Brandon last place as the Pirates took the early advantage.
What happened next was the stuff of nightmares, starting in Heat 2 which was initially stopped for first-bend bunching as Leon Madsen tumbled. Ironically both Coventry riders had made good starts... a situation not repeated in the re-run as Madsen and Artur Mroczka held off Auty's challenge for a 5-1.
It got worse in Heat 3 which looked to be heading for a 3-3 as Rory Schlein moved inside Ward at the end of lap one - but up the back straight, just as Ward got the run back around Schlein, Barker slowed, Schlein swerved to avoid, Ward kept his momentum as he completed the passing move, and Bees were already ten down.
Heat 4 was also re-started following a first-bend fall for Auty (replacing a mechanically-troubled Sitera), and the re-run went wrong for Kennett, who lost power on the outside of turn two as Pedersen and Mroczka gratefully accepted more maximum points. Poole were 14-points up, and in truth they hadn't had to do a great deal to get to that stage.
Fortunately, there was a response from Coventry, starting with a strong first bend by Schlein to move Doyle aside in Heat 5, with Barker switching back neatly to complete the 5-1 with Holder, looking unhappy at that stage, at the back.
Harris took a tactical ride in Heat 6 and showed great bravery to make it past Pedersen on the back straight on his way to a six-pointer, which ensured Bees had halved the gap and now trailed by seven.
That should have become three in Heat 7 as Auty cut back well inside Ward and Davey Watt off the second bend to join Kennett at the front - but Bees' misery continued when Kennett slowed at the end of lap two, Auty holding his nerve at the front for a fine win to prevent further damage.
Barker rode a committed first two turns to hit the front and roar clear in Heat 8, clocking a fast 58.8 - but he surpassed that effort in Heat 9 as he held the outside line Harris-style to take him round first Pedersen and then Madsen for a brilliant race victory. Schlein, meanwhile, battled after Pedersen and switched inside the Dane at the end of lap three to edge Coventry to within five points.
That gap was maintained during a shared Heat 10, won by Harris - but there the comeback ended as Holder got things together to win the next over Kennett, who was doubtless relieved to finish the race after his earlier problems whilst Sitera, who'd fallen heavily in the initial running of the heat, completed a night to forget at the back.
Watt held off a strong race-long challenge from Schlein to take Heat 12 in another Poole 4-2, and Bees' hopes were finally ended when Harris fell on the second lap of Heat 13 when trying to get to grips with Holder.
The only remaining issue was whether Poole could make sure of all four points, and they did so in Heat 14 with some mature team-riding by Ward to sit with team-mate Mroczka and block every line of the thrusting Barker.
Holder took a shared Heat 15 ahead of Harris and Schlein with the points already long gone, and Bees now have the rest of the week to prepare for two huge matches in two days - home to Belle Vue on Friday, and away at Eastbourne on Saturday.
BUILDBASE BEES 39 Chris Harris 0 6^ 3 0 2 = 11 Christian Hefenbrock Rider Replacement Rory Schlein 1 3 1 2 1* = 8+1 Ben Barker 0 2* 3 3 1 = 9+1 Edward Kennett 0 R 2 2 = 4 Josh Auty 2 1 1 3 0 0 0 = 7 Filip Sitera 0 M 0 0 0 = 0
