Draw hits Wolves speedway title bid

Wolves 44.5 Poole 44.5

Wolves' hopes of retaining their Elite League title hang by the finest of fraying threads after a night of extraordinary drama at Monmore Green.

Six points up against the runaway league leaders, they saw the lead pegged back to two as the Pirates rallied.

The margin got even tighter after a stunning heat 13 when Fredrik Lindgren, struggling all night to get out of the gate following a finger injury to his clutch hand, again missed the start.

A razor cutback on the second lap took him past Chris Holder and, although he reeled in leader Davey Watt, it appeared the flag would come too soon.

But the Australian strayed a little wide on the final bend to cover the expected burst round the boards and Lindgren's dive for the line got him there fractionally ahead. Or did it?

In fact, referee Craig Ackroyd, after close study of the replays couldn't split the pair and called it a dead heat.

That trimmed the home advantage to a single point. But the omens looked good in the penultimate race and with Lindgren surely poised to take heat 15 the Parrys International Wolves could yet conjure up some kind of lead to defend.

That theory went west when skipper Tai Woffinden picked up grip exiting the second bend and executed a terrifying loop and heavy fall to earn a disqualification.

Even then the gritty Matt Wethers led out Leon Madsen and Artur Mroczka in the re-run only to fall on the final lap as Madsen dived underneath on the entry to the pits bend.

Again the replays were examined and, given that they appeared to show contact, there was widespread surprise when Wethers' blue exclusion light was the one to shine.

The awarded 5-0 left Wolves needing a last-heat 5-1 just for a share of the spoils. They got it when Lindgren and Adam Skornicki made the start and raced clear.

Poole fans will point to a superb heat 11 as the catalyst for the visitors' challenge.

It was three abreast down the back straight with Holder flanked by Skornicki and Wethers, but it was the Poole man who nosed ahead and then pulled away.

Darcy Ward produced a brave and committed pass to get by Wethers and might even have collared Skornicki, too, had the Pole not anticipated the angle of attack off the final bend and moved out to cover it.

While that heat advanced Poole's challenge it was the preceding two races which hinted that this would not be a happy night for Wolves.

On paper that six-point lead looked like being extended but Watt got clear in the ninth.

Nicolai Klindt, suffering a fraught night mechanically, went out on Skornicki's machine and the next race saw Ty Proctor, an all-the-way winner of heat eight, relegated to the back.

Poole had weathered the storm.

Wolves enjoyed good support from the reserve berth where both Wethers and Ludvig Lindgren deserved more for their efforts, yet the middle order collectively failed to get going.

Fredrik Lindgren and Skornicki rode like champions.

But the Pirates rode like champions elect.

By Tim Hamblin