organiser Benfield Sports International (BSI). Poole hosted the race-off on 5 August, in which Sweden and Poland progressed to the final. The final took place on 7 August with Sweden becoming World Champions, defeating Great Britain into second place by one point. Temporary stands were erected around the corners of the track to provide 2,200 extra seats. The official attendance figure at the stadium for the final was 7,131. History 1947–1964 In 1947, Bournemouth based Exeter Falcons riders Tommy Crutcher and Charlie Hayden created a consortium, which also included Crutcher's brother Jack and Herby Hayden, with the aim of opening a speedway club closer to their home. The consortium applied to Poole Borough Council in 1947 to stage speedway racing in the town and the council approved their request on 6 January 1948. The Pirates lined up for their inaugural season as members of the National League Division Three. Tony Lewis was signed in 1949 and Ken Middleditch signed from Hastings in 1950, and they formed an effective pairing for the Pirates. Poole won their first title in 1951 and were promoted to the National League Division Two. Brian Crutcher signed for Poole in 1951 and the following year he became the first Poole rider to reach a World Speedway Final in 1952. Poole won the Division Two title at the first attempt, but were denied First Division status by the Speedway Control Board, who claimed that Poole were not a big enough club to be able to sustain top flight racing. The following two years (1953 and 1954) saw the Pirates narrowly finishing as Division Two runners up and Brian Crutcher left Poole to sign for National League team Wembley at the start of the 1953 season. In 1955, the Pirates again won the Division Two Championship and were allowed promotion to Division One of the National League, becoming the only club to ever have won promotion from the bottom league to the top tier. However, by the end of the 1956 season, the Poole promoters closed the club, blaming poor attendances and the introduction of fuel rationing due to the Suez Crisis. Despite losing their league status, Poole Stadium continued to stage meetings during 1957, including two National League meetings. Rayleigh Rockets promoter Vic Gooden took over the promoting rights of Poole at the end of the year and Poole rejoined the National League in 1958. Southampton Saints