Wolverhampton Wolves staring at early cup exit
Wolverhampton couldn’t handle the heat – or Belle Vue – in a cruching 57-33 cup defeat in Manchester.
It means Parrys International Wolves have a mountain to climb in the second leg next month if they are to stay in the Premiership Knockout Cup.
The Monmore men got off to the worst possible start conceding a 5-1 in the opener after wonderkid Dan Bewley made a stunning gate for the hosts before home No.1 Craig Cook worked his way by Kyle Howarth down the back straight.
Wolves reserve Ashley Morris battled his way around his opponents with an outside swoop off bend two of the opening lap in the second in just one of five heat wins for the visitors. And despite a promising gate, team-mate Nathan Greaves was unable to hold on to third place after a wobble in the first two turns.
It was Morris who made a flyer in the fourth with Sam Masters joining him out front, but home skipper Max Fricke was able to split the duo, rounding Morris on the entrance to lap two.
After Howarth and Jacob Thorssell conceded another 5-1, it looked like Masters was set to record consecutive race wins. But teenage sensation Dan Bewley steamed by the Australian without Masters putting a wheel wrong who just shook his head in disbelief going into the final lap. A battling display from Cameron Heeps saw him snatch third place on the line after an enthralling tussle with home man Jye Etheridge – but there was still a 10-point gap between the two sides with seven gone.
Bewley charged from last to second behind partner Damian Drozdz in the eighth before Masters again was caught out heading into the final lap of the ninth when Rohan Tungate chopped back to the inside to hit the front.
A devastating mid-meeting period saw Wolves fall 20 behind and when Howarth was disqualified for taking down Etheridge in heat 11, Thorssell’s only race win of the day simply temporarily stopped the Manchester men’s runaway.
That was one of four shared races in the final five heats and the Monmore outfit will be looking for a response when World Champion Jason Doyle brings his Somerset side to the Midlands in the Premiership next Monday (May 14, 7.30).
