Wolves finish with a flourish

They pulled off two maximums in the last two heats to secure a 50-40 success and give them a chance of securing the first silverware of the season.

The sides meet again in Dorset tomorrow with Peter Adams’ men holding the upper hand despite a stunning solo display for the Pirates from ex-Wolf Nicolai Klindt.

Wolves also started the meeting well. Poole’s Krzysztof Kasprzak made the gate, but home riders Kyle Howarth and Freddie Lindgren worked their way past the Pole on the opening lap.

But back-to-back heat advantages for the visitors moved them in front by two with three heats gone.

Jacob Thorssell pulled off a classy race win in the fourth, but a share of the spoils was all Wolverhampton could hope for after Nathan Greaves’ bike packed up on the start line.

Howarth sped off in front in heat five to claim a second consecutive race win, while Poole’s Jack Holder was excluded for bringing home reserve Max Clegg down on bend one of the final lap.

Thorssell lead home another 3-3 in heat six, this time making a super blast around the visiting duo on the opening two bends.

The Pirates looked set to retake the lead in the seventh as they sat on a 5-1 going into the final lap. However, Wolves skipper Lindgren forced his way underneath Brady Kurtz on the final bend and shoved him wide, allowing team-mate Sam Masters through for another 3-3.

Two further shared heats followed before Wolves edged back in front in the 10th.

Kasprzak looked fairly comfortable out front for the visitors, but Masters gradually reeled him in and cut-back superbly underneath the Poole No.1 on the entrance to lap three while Howarth held off Jack Holder in another enthralling battle at the back.

Heat 12 saw Poole gate on a 5-1, before Clegg and Greaves went either side of James Shanes. While Klindt and Clegg pulled clear, Shanes wound the throttle on to blast around Nathan Greaves on the final lap to draw level again.

Poole’s Hans Andersen made the best start in heat 13, but while he focused on pushing Lindgren wide, Masters worked his way up the inside before Lindgren powered around the outside. As Lindgren coasted to victory, Andersen managed to get back under Masters with another forceful move as Wolves regained their two point advantage.

But the hosts wrapped up the first leg victory in the penultimate race of the evening. It was another tapes to flag masterclass from Thorssell while Masters’ determination prevailed as he again stormed his way around the boards as the Wolves bagged their second 5-1 of the night.

And while Poole’s duo of Kasprzak and Andersen threw everything at trying to reduce their deficit, Lindgren and Thorssell were extra resilient to bag another 5-1 of their own in the final race with the latter opening his season with a paid maximum

Wolverhampton: Thorssell 14+1, Lindgren 12+1, Howarth 10+1, Masters 8+2, Clegg 4+1, Greaves 2, Skornicki R/R.

Poole 40: Klindt 16, Andersen 8+2, Kasprzak 5, Holder 4+1, Kurtz 4, Shanes 3+1, Newman R/R.