Wolverhampton Wolves miss out on silverware in loss to Pirates

The Parrys International Wolves travelled to Dorset for the second leg of their Elite Shield clash with a 10-point aggregate lead after a hard-fought win at Monmore Green on Monday.

But they were left to rue a slow start at Wimborne Road as the powerhouse Pirates claimed victory in the traditional curtain raiser to the top flight season.

There were positives for Peter Adams' side over the course of the two legs, although club asset Nicolai Klindt ultimately came back to haunt them.

The Danish ace, who bagged 16 points for Poole in the first leg, roared to a remarkable 15+1 point haul to give his side the edge as Wolves' young reserves struggled to

keep pace.

The fast-starting Klindt stormed from the gate to lead home four 5-1s for Poole in the opening eight heats as they quickly seized the initiative and left Wolves trailing by eight on aggregate.

And despite their best efforts, they ultimately lacked the firepower required to respond with only three race winners over the course of the

evening.

Skipper Freddie Lindgren got the night off to a bright start by charging past Jack Holder in the opening race and forcing the Poole man into a mistake which enabled Kyle Howarth to snatch second.

Yet when Lindgren next appeared his side had conceded four straight 5-1s, and he was only able to squeeze out Holder for third in a split

race.

They had to wait until the penultimate race to take the chequered flag again, with Monday's maximum man Jacob Thorssell holding off the hard-charging Brady Kurtz.

Swedish star Thorssell was always in the thick of the action, picking off Hans Andersen for second place in heat seven, but when Klindt fended him off in the battle for second in heat nine it all but ended Wolves' chances.

The lower order made the difference, with teenage ace James Shanes also going unbeaten at reserve for the Pirates as Max Clegg and Nathan Greaves struggled.

Wolves' highly-rated top five also struggled to make an impact, with experienced Pole Adam Skornicki struggling on his return from injury, Howarth fading after a bright start and Sam Masters enduring a night to forget.

After getting their season up and running, the Monmore men will now prepare to launch their SGB Premiership campaign with a trip to newcomers Rye House on Saturday (7pm).