IT is crunch time for Pirates as they host Coventry in a meeting crucial to their league title play-off hopes tonight (7.30pm).

Poole Meridian Lifts really need to beat the Bees tonight - and pick up the aggregate bonus point - to draw level with them on 47 points.

Then the race for third place in the final table would go down to both track's final regular season matches.

Pirates lead 50-40 in the battle for the bonus after winning at Bran-don earlier in the season.

Coventry have included Nicki Pedersen, of King's Lynn, as a guest for the injured Billy Hamill, while Pirates use rider replacement for injured Gary Have-lock.

Poole visit Belle Vue on Monday leading 52-38 from the first leg in Dorset.

Coventry go to Eastbourne on Saturday with the scores 45-45.

Pirates will definitely meet the Bees in the play-off first round. The only question that re-mains is where? Who-ever finishes third in the table will host the meeting on Wednesday, September 11.

Poole's provisional Craven Shield group fixtures are: Sep 20 v Oxford (a), 25 v Oxford (h). Oct 5 v Eastbourne (a), 9 v Eastbourne (h).

Tonight's line-ups, Pirates: 1 Rider replacement for Gary Havelock (injured), 2 Bjarne Ped-ersen, 3 Hans Andersen, 4 Lars Gunnestad, 5 Tony Rickardsson, 6 Henka Gustafsson, 7 Andre Compton.

Coventry: 1 Nicki Pedersen (guest for Billy Hamill, injured), 2 Billy Janniro, 3 Lee Richardson, 4 Rr for Stuart Robson (inj), 5 Andreas Jonsson, 6 Tomas Topinka, 7 Ryan Fisher.