Wolves poised for silverware

Wolves 55 Birmingham 38 by Rob Taylor

They may have endured a frustrating season but Wolves are poised to sign off with a piece of silverware.

Peter Adams' men completed their home programme with a convincing win on a night of nostalgia at Monmore Green, and their 17-point advantage should be enough to secure the Midland Shield in tomorrow's second leg at Perry Barr.

Wolves' first match against Birmingham for almost three decades was, not surprisingly, a one-sided contest, even though the visitors bolstered their line-up with Peterborough's Danish duo Kenneth Bjerre and Niels K Iversen.

The presence of two Elite League riders prevented a total rout for the Premier League outfit, with Bjerre particularly impressive.

His only defeat came at the hands of Freddie Lindgren in a head-to-head in heat 12.

The Swede trailed for three laps but surged inside Bjerre on the back straight of the final lap. Bjerre had earlier held off Lindgren's challenge in the third race - and the Brummies guest again held the upper hand when they clashed for a third time in the final heat.

This one was arguably the best of three compelling encounters between the Nordic rivals, providing a gripping finale to the 2007 Monmore campaign.

As Lindgren repeatedly attempted to find extra drive around the outside, Bjerre's superb balance gave him the slightest of edges on the inside line.

Going into the last bend, Lindgren made one last desperate bid for victory, but the Peterborough rider held his nerve to sneak home by the narrowest of margins.

Generally, though, Wolves were very much in control, gradually building a 12-lead before Birmingham hit back in heat seven.

Bjerre, taking a tactical ride, claimed double points by leading home Billy Hamill and Chris Kerr.

That was one of only three heat wins for the visitors, who simply didn't have the resources to cope with the power of Lindgren, Hamill and Peter Karlsson.

Wolves were strong at reserve, too, Kenneth Hansen recording two wins and a second place behind team-mate Hamill.

Birmingham, whose line-up included only three of their regular riders, battled gamely to keep the score in reasonable proportions, although it didn't help that skipper Jason Lyons managed only three points.

Wolves can no doubt expect a tougher test in tomorrow's second leg, but they should be good enough to sign off with a celebration.