Karlsson set to bounce back

The evergreen Swede leads his side into battle at Foxhall Heath, with vivid memories of his epic performance there three years ago still fresh in his mind.

He scored 21 points – exactly half his team's total – but only got to the tapes at all after hours of intensive work in Poland by his chiropractor the previous day.

Karlsson, as if his chosen profession were not dangerous enough, had damaged his neck while playing on the garden trampoline with his children.

It was a story which passed into Monmore folklore – the rider had also narrowly avoided serious damage when inadvertently taking to the air via a misplaced skateboard in his stone-flagged hallway – and he was still chuckling over it as he looked forward to the match.

He said: "I've kept away from the trampoline since - I actually put it up a couple of weeks ago.

"They really wanted me to have a go – but I passed! I realise that's not for me now."

On a more serious note, the 39-year-old is looking for the Parrys International Wolves to continue their sprightly opening form of four Elite League wins out of five.

Team manager Peter Adams is targeting at least one league point under the new scoring system, obtained if a visiting team gets within six points of the opposition – but Karlsson wants more.

He said: "You don't think like that as a sportsman, do you? You just want to win anything you do.

"We have great form, don't we? So I don't see any reason why we can't win.

"Hopefully I will have my good engine with me this time, which I couldn't have at Poole. That helps me a lot, with the starts especially.

"Freddie (Lindgren) is in great form too, so we're pretty strong at the end of the meeting. If we are anywhere close by then, I think we can do it."

The match is the first of three in five days for Wolves, who are at Lakeside tomorrow and entertain Coventry on Monday.

Ipswich: 1 Jarek Hampel, 2 Morten Risager, 3 Tobias Kroner, 4 Danny King, 5 Piotr Swiderski, 6 Dawid Stachyra, 7 Carl Wilkinson.

Wolves: 1 Peter Karlsson, 2 Nicolai Klindt, 3 Tai Woffinden, 4 Adam Skornicki, 5 Fredrik Lindgren, 6 Hynek Stichauer, 7 Chris Kerr.