Full house for demon Nicki
Wolves 33 Eastbourne 38 Ipswich 37 Wolves' very own Demon King Nicki Pedersen popped up out of the trapdoor to thwart their Craven Shield ambitions at Monmore. The Dane, greeted with the customary volley of panto boos, arrived hot-foot from his victory in the Polish Grand Prix, writes Tim Hamblin.
And before anyone could shout "He's behind you" the Monmore asset whose 2007 destination has been the subject of such speculation rattled up a four-ride maximum and led the Eagles to victory in the opening leg.
Pedersen's full house was threatened only in his first outing, when he drifted wide into the second corner and the Ipswich pair of Robert Miskowiak and Kim Jansson got the inside run on him.
But within half a lap it was business as usual as the Eagle cleaved a path between his opponents exiting turn four.
Eastbourne, with the exciting Edward Kennett in good fettle, got themselves on a mid-match roll - literally in the case of David Norris' starting technique - to take the honours, but Ipswich ultimately ran them very close.
Mark Loram, who had opened with an unselfish "shotgun" ride tucked in behind partner Danny King, led the Witches with his customary aplomb.
He was supported solidly down the line, not least by a very lively Miskowiak who showed last night that his "gate or nothing" reputation is very wide of the mark.
The vagaries of the Craven Shield format mean that riders do not face all their opponents, and that deprived the spectators of a Pedersen v Loram clash.
In fact the Witch was destined not to go through the card anyway, dropping his only point to Wolves' Freddie Lindgren in heat 12.
Lindgren was spectacular throughout, nearly replicating Pedsersen's move on Miskowiak and Jansson in the final race, but dropped a couple of points when his do- or-die excursion into the deep shale in pursuit of Kennett brought a spin and fall.
In Peter Karlsson's absence, Belle Vue's Simon Stead made a good fist of standing in for the Parrys International Wolves skipper. Stead and Ronnie Correy made hay in the first heat when Adam Shields, having made the start, reared and appeared to have a big, if inadvertent, hand in bringing down partner Dean Barker.
Stead, eminently watchable on a surface which stood up well to some mid-match heavy rain, went on to claim paid 10 - but with Billy Hamill dropping a chain not once but twice, Wolves' top end scoring was curtailed.
Correy and new German champion Christian Hefenbrock - a fine ride to keep out Shields in heat 16 - backed up well but William Lawson's points did not reflect his effort and he finished on the low of a two-minute time exclusion from his final race.
If Pedersen is a familiar face at the Green, so too are fellow Wolves assets Adam Skornicki and David Howe - both guesting in Ipswich colours last night.
Skornicki was another racer to catch the eye, although there was an accidental blot of the copybook in heat six when he clipped Howe on the first corner and left him in the shale.
The Pole himself was a faller five races later as he raced abreast with Shields and Barker into turn three.
It didn't seem possible for all three to emerge unscathed - and it wasn't, Skornicki the unlucky one to take a tumble.
Wolves now have it all to do in the remaining two legs if they are to reach the final - and Pedersen will be waiting in the wings.
Heat details
1: Stead (56.55), Correy, Shields, Barker (fell) W5 E1 I0
2: Pedersen (57.18), Jansson, Miskowiak, Bridger W5 E4 I3
3: Skornicki (56.61), Hamill, Howe, Hefenbrock W7 E4 I7
4: Kennett (56.19), Norris, Lawson, Lindgren (fell) W8 E9 I7
5: King (55.89), Loram, Barker, Shields W8 E10 I12
6: Skornicki (56.63), Stead, Correy, Howe (fell) W11 E10 I15
7: Pedersen (57.03), Lindgren, Bridger, Lawson W13 E14 I15
8: Loram (56.67), Norris, King, Kennett W13 E16 I19
9: Miskowiak (58.51), Hefenbrock, Jansson, Hamill (ret) W15 E16 I23
10: Stead (57.61), Kennett, Correy, Norris (ret) W19 E18 I23
11: Shields (58.84), Barker, Howe, Skornicki (fell) W19 E23 I24
12: Lindgren (57.43), Loram, King, Lawson W22 E23 I27
13: Pedersen (58.15), Bridger, Hefenbrock, Hamill (ret) W23 E28 I27
14: Norris (57.72), Kennett, Jansson, Miskowiak (fell exc)
W23 E33 I28
15: Loram (57.96), Correy, Stead, King W26 E33 I31
16: Hamill (58.29), Hefenbrock, Shields, Barker (ret) W31 E34 I31
17: Pedersen (58.11), Skornicki, Bridger, Howe (ret) W31 E38 I32
18: Miskowiak (57.79), Lindgren, Jansson, Lawson (exc two min)
W33 E38 I37
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