NEW POOLE Pirate skipper Ben Cook is looking forward to the “new adventure” the captaincy will bring.

After the departure of Steve Worrall at the end of last season, it was announced that Aussie rider Cook will don the captain’s armband for Pirates in the 2024 Championship season.

Once again Cook will line up alongside brother Zach Cook in Pirates’ septet, which features another familiar face in number one Richard Lawson.

New arrivals Tom Brennan, Tobias Thomson, Sam Hagon and Max Perry round out the team, which will be led by Cook.

Asked how the decision came about, Cook told the Daily Echo: “We just had a bit of a talk at the end of last season that the opportunity could come up and I was all for it.

“I’m looking forward to it. It's obviously a new role and I’m ready to go.

“It was a cool thing to get offered to do that.

“It's a new adventure, new role for me.”

Last season Pirates missed out on a treble, the BSN Series trophy their only piece of silverware.

“A lot of people have said it was a terrible season for us, but we topped the ladder, we won the BSN and we fell short in the other two,” restarted the 26-year-old.

“So it's a pretty good season really.

“We obviously didn't get the trophies that we wanted.

“It just makes us a bit hungry this year.

“We'll be going out there and hopefully we can get it done.

“I mean other teams would have killed to have a season like ours last year.

“It's tough when we've won the last two years and everything's pretty sweet, but when we don't, obviously us as riders don't like it either, as well as the fans and the management.

“But, we've got a good team this year, I'm sure we can be in with a chance.”

Asked how he will approach the captain’s role, Cook continued: “I mean everything's all good when you're winning.

“It's just when you're not, you’ve got to try and get the boys up and fired up, to go out there and try and claw back a victory.

“Or just keep everyone on top of the set ups and all that kind of stuff.

“So there's a little bit to it.

“But we're all here and we all know how to ride a bike.

“It's just little things.”

 Pirates’ number five also believes that last season's disappointment will serve as fuel for Poole’s attempts at silverware this term.

He added: “It's all well and good when you’re winning.

“It's how you come back when you do get a few losses.

“I mean it's never nice to experience it, but it could be a beneficial thing for us this year and give us that bit of hunger that we needed.”

Questioned if he had set any targets this campaign, Cook finished: “I've always got little goals for myself.

“Obviously be consistent and keep progressing as a rider, I suppose.

“First year as captain hopefully, I can some lift some silverware.”