Wise Fred on young shoulders

For fast Freddie, newly 21, produced the sort of performance to end all debate about him as a star of tomorrow. He's a star right now.

Wolves, having slammed in maximum heat wins in the opening two heats, were just about stemming the tide of a Belle Vue resurgence when still five points ahead with three races left, writes Tim Hamblin.

But with world champion Jason Crump slated to appear in two of them, and home skipper Peter Karlsson clearly struggling with his knee injury, the margin for error was slight.

Crump had been a decisive winner over Lindgren in heat four although unable to run down the Swede in the eleventh, when taking a double-point tactical ride off the 15m handicap.

However, in the unlucky 13th the Aussie simply did not recover from an aggressive Lindgren first turn which saw the Ace pushed out towards the fence as the late rain continued to fall.

He could never get close enough for a conventional pass and so launched himself far out into the deep shale on the last bend of the final lap, lining up the inside cutback.

Unfortunately for Crump the manoeuvre, reminiscent of his ill-fated charge in the World Team Cup at Reading, brought a similar result as he slid off gently.

It was all over bar the shouting and Wolves promptly wrapped up the win which keeps alive their slender play-off hopes with a 5-1 in next race.

The lively William Lawson broke clear and Belle Vue's James Wright, trying to cover a buccaneering outside run on the fourth bend by Billy Hamill, failed to make the turn and slid into the air fence.

Wright, naturally, was excluded despite cheekily riding up to the tapes for the rerun. Quite what he was trying to claim is anyone's guess - fourth-bend bunching was the view of a wag in my earshot - but there was no way back for him.

Hamill and Lawson took a 5-1 off the hard-worked Phil Morris and that was that.

There was still time for Wolves to seize a further heat advantage in the last race. With the match gone but the bonus point always secure, Crump gave this one a miss - as did Karlsson.

Lindgren and Hamill, the latter thudding in his eighth double-figure return in the last nine matches, got the better of Kenneth Bjerre and Simon Stead respectively for a 4-2 as the Parrys International Wolves braced themselves for stiffer tasks ahead.

Indeed, although the Manchester side were well served by Crump, Bjerre and Simon Stead they struggled to cover Joe Screen's rider-replacement outings adequately.

Their cause was hardly helped by a worrying crash involving Tom P Madsen, who somersaulted forward after catching Magnus Karlsson's rear wheel and later withdrew from the meeting.

Peter Karlsson's own problem seemed non-existent in the first heat when he came within two-hundredths of a second of his track record on a superbly prepared circuit.

But he acknowledged afterwards that the injury had troubled him - not that any confirmation was needed as it took the captain until the last lap to pass Wright for a point in heat 10.

With Karlsson in difficulties, the supporting cast had to step up. Ronnie Correy - and this in his least favoured number two racejacket - was a revelation for his paid nine.

Christian Hefenbrock looked happier at number three although his scorechart didn't reflect the fact.

Lawson was admirable but most welcome of all was the riding of Magnus Karlsson on his return from suspension.

He looked sharp and up for the challenge, outscoring his big brother for only the second time in this campaign.

His victory in the rerun heat 12 over Bjerre, when he was the only Wolf following Hefenbrock's exclusion, was vital in maintaining the advantage over the Aces.

It was a mature performance - and young Lindgren knows a thing or two about those.

Popular stories:

• Mission complete for Mr RAF Cosford

• Video - Progress made on new gallery wing

• Video - Fans react to Robbo’s departure

• Make mine a sunflower

• Albion Crisis - the race to replace Robson