Wolves reign in the rain

The Monmore Green men looked certain to face frustration when, having established a 17-7 lead in the first four races, the match was delayed for half-an-hour after light rain became a heavy downpour.

But once the rain had eased referee Chris Durno ruled that the action should continue and although times were slower than usual, the racing was of the highest order as Wolves chalked up their biggest win to date.

"It was tough for everybody," said American ace Billy Hamill.

"But it was the right decision to continue and we gave a tremendous team performance."

They certainly did. With Hamill and Swede Freddie Lindgren fit again after injury problems, a full-strength Wolves outfit indicated that they will take some beating on their own circuit this season.

Every home rider except Magnus Karlsson weighed in with at least one win – and the Swede still made a vital contribution with an impressive seven paid 10.

On a night when the whole team played their part, no-one was more impressive than David Howe.

Clearly relaxed now he is no longer a heatleader, Howe was on course for a paid maximum until he was beaten by Dane Kenneth Bjerre in the final race.

Before that, he had been in superb form, and his breathtaking effort in the opening heat set the tone for a pulsating Wolves performance.

Pushed wide on the first bend, he fought back to pass Lukas Dryml on the back straight on the final lap and then, as Hans Andersen faltered on the last bend, he slipped through on the inside to follow home skipper Peter Karlsson for a 5-1.

Howe was involved in an even closer encounter in heat six. After Karlsson had again taken the chequered flag, he stormed through the narrowest of gaps to get his front wheel over the finishing line just ahead of Bjerre.

Lindgren also had a cracking contest against Bjerre in heat four before the Dane suffered a machine failure on the final lap after he had just been past by Wolves' comeback kid for a second time.

By heat 10, Wolves had established a 20-point advantage, only for the Panthers to respond with a tactical ride for Andersen, whose victory earned his team six points.

The lead was further reduced when Niels K Iversen got the better of Hamill in the following race, but Wolves re-asserted their authority in heat 14.

The visitors attempted another tactical manoeuvre, Iversen starting from 15 metres back in another bid for double points. But the ploy was thwarted as Theo Pijper and Magnus Karlsson held on for a 5-1.