TROY Batchelor hopes his ‘telepathic’ understanding with Scott Nicholls continues to benefit Oxford Cheetahs.

The newly-reformed club travel south tonight for their opening SGB Championship away fixture at Poole Pirates.

Batchelor and Nicholls, the Cheetahs captain, claimed 5-1s in two of the final three heats to help their side beat Scunthorpe Scorpions 49-40 on Wednesday, as the Sandy Lane team made a winning return to speedway.

The pair raced together for Kent Kings in the Championship last year and picked up where they left off.

Batchelor said: “We know each other quite well.

“We have a bit of a telepathic communication, we know what each other’s going to do.

“We can ride together and leave each other space, but also gang up on the other guys.”

Pirates won a league and cup double last year, but Batchelor backs Cheetahs’ quality.

He said: “Every meeting’s the same, we focus on ourselves.

“If everybody does even 90 per cent of what they’re capable of we can win.”