Dudley edge out Wolves to take BBC WM Trophy

The Heathens put in a battling display to put one over on a strong Wolverhampton select line-up in front of a sizeable and passionate crowd last night.

In an ironic twist, it was Wolves asset Ashley Morris who sealed victory for Dudley with the ride of the night, as he pulled of a sublime third to first charge past Rob Branford and Joe Haines to take victory in heat 13.

The win capped off a tremendous display from Morris as he bagged 12 points, just 24 hours after he took glory in the National League Pairs' Championship alongside Lewis Blackbird.

And the local youngster was ecstatic after his match-winning performance ensured Dudley lifted the BBC WM Trophy.

He said: "It was great fun out there against Wolves. We managed to pull through against a strong side to get a really good win.

"I had a really good night. It was definitely tough out there as I wasn't really making starts, but I felt like I had plenty of speed and I got a good score in the end."

After taking a six-point lead after five races, Heathens never looked back as they put in a determined display.

Paul Starke supported Morris exceptionally with a classy performance which included three race wins, whilst Lewis Blackbird also impressed despite a heat 13 fall.

Young reserves Nathan Greaves and Max Clegg both made good contributions, whilst Dan Greenwood and Gareth Isherwood posted useful scores to complete another strong all-around team performance.

Wolves were rocked by the loss of former Dudley star Tom Perry in the early stages as he aggravated a shoulder injury in his opening ride.

Yet despite losing Perry, they showed plenty of fight to keep the meeting tight – with Branford the pick of their riders with a hard-fought 12-point haul.

Joe Haines, James Sarjeant and Damien Koppe all supported him well – the latter improving as the evening went on to take two race wins.

And Wolverhampton team boss for the evening Sam Ermolenko was pleased with the resilience his young side showed.

He said: "Our guys battled well to stay close all the way through and, in the end, I think we managed to do quite well."

By Rich Jones