Wolves 52 Coventry 41

While Wolves packed solidly to take the team plaudits and an 11-point lead to Coventry on Friday for the second leg of this Challenge tie, the Bees' Chris Harris won the individual honours in a quite stunning heat 13.

Twice Wolves' Swedish pair of Peter Karlsson and Fredrik Lindgren appeared to hold the upper hand over Harris.

Yet each time the dashing Cornishman somehow found a response – none finer than the decisive move through a miniscule gap off bend two which finally established his supremacy.

His Bees team-mate Rory Schlein, who finished fourth, had led momentarily – it was that kind of race – as he flashed past Karlsson into turn three on the first lap, but was unable to scrub off the entry speed and retain his shape.

The warm handshakes and animated conversation between Harris and Karlsson on their lap of honour told you all you needed to know about the mutual respect between two fine riders.

The length and volume of the ovation from a big crowd told you all you needed to know about how speedway fans love out-and-out racers.

Harris had also lowered the Wolves skipper's colours in heat one, but the old maestro was in no mood to concede the hat-trick and put the only dent in his counterpart's scorecard in the final race, leading from tapes to flag.

Karlsson may be 39, but the reflexes remain razor sharp, as he showed in heat 10 with a blistering inside switch to pass Edward Kennett and Oliver Allen after the visitors had made the start.

If that was the dramatic aspect to the race, new boy Hynek Stichauer inadvertently provided the comedy. The Czech is desperately keen to make his mark in Britain – so keen, indeed, that he rode to the tapes in the 10th heat despite not being due out until the 11th.

With Allen still to emerge it appeared for a brief but entertaining moment that the Parrys International Wolves would enjoy a three to one numerical advantage in the race.

Alas for Stichauer, further confusion followed when centre green announcer Ian Jones declared that he had the wrong helmet colour rather than the wrong heat.

Back to the pits he went, returning with alternative headgear only to find that he was now the fifth rider lining up to take part. Full marks to whichever member of the presentation team promptly broadcast the Benny Hill theme tune.

Debutant Stichauer, even when in the correct races, will take time to find his feet but notched a couple of points.

Elsewhere there was a pleasing solidity to the home card, with Tai Woffinden and Adam Skornicki already looking a good "engine room" pairing.

Fredrik Lindgren had a brace of victories on his way to paid 10, while Nicolai Klindt looks a good foil to Karlsson at number two and should have the problematic heat eight covered more often than not.

That just leaves Ty Proctor, who had been a slight doubt after painfully laying down his bike at Newport on Sunday in a bid to miss the fallen Jason Doyle.

There the big Aussie shed plenty of skin. Last night he simply rode out of what was left. There's a presence and determination about Proctor which is immediately apparent.

What's also apparent is a willingness to get his elbows out and not be cowed in the Elite League's cut and thrust first bends.

While Proctor, as rather expected, laid waste to Coventry's weak reserves, victories over Schlein and Allen were another matter altogether. This is one to watch.