Wolverhampton Wolves beaten despite Luke Becker’s starring role

American ace Becker stole the show for the Monmore men, scoring 15+1, with Aussie Ryan Douglas also impressing on his way to 13 points.

But they couldn’t handle the superior all-round strength of Peterborough whose experienced side delighted the home faithful.

Nick Morris’ night petered out after a promising start while stand-in captain Sam Masters struggled for speed around the paces East of England Arena.

A glance at the scorechart showed a huge gulf in difference down at reserve as well, with the hosts outscoring their Wolves counterparts 11-1. Take nothing away from Peterborough, though, who picked up two confidence-boosting derby victories against King’s Lynn and Ipswich last week and again showed why they should not be underestimated in this year’s Premiership.

The night got off to a good start for Wolves when Becker barged his way through to take charge of the opener whilst Masters had to settle for third after some forceful riding from home No.1 Bjarne Pedersen.

The hosts registered a maximum in the reserves heat to go two up before Wolves retook the lead with a maximum of their own in the third.

Morris made a quick getaway, while middle-order partner Douglas made an impressive blast around his opponents off the opening bends before holding off former Wolf Scott Nicholls on the run to the line, despite suffering tyre problems on the final lap.

The pendulum swung once again in heat four though as Peterborough started a run of four straight race winners before Becker produced stunning back-to-back triumphs.

Heat eight saw him become the first Wolves rider to lower the colours of home man Ostergaard – and ultimately earned him a tactical substitution in heat nine.

A gutsy manoeuvre saw him fly from third to first, but Parrys International Wolves were unable to close the gap as team-mate Masters fell to the back.

He again claimed victory in heat 11, but back-to-back maximums in the next two heats sealed the deal for the hosts.

As it stands, Wolverhampton are due to host King’s Lynn at Monmore next Monday - but the club are set to confirm whether the fixture will go ahead on that date following yesterday’s latest Government announcement.

Peterborough 51: Bjarne Pedersen 12, Chris Harris 10+1, Ulrich Ostergaard 9+4, Michael Palm Toft 7+1, Hans Andersen 6, Scott Nicholls 5, Jordan Palin 2+1.

Wolverhampton 39: Luke Becker 15+1, Ryan Douglas 13, Nick Morris 6+1, Sam Masters 4, Broc Nicol 1, Leon Flint 0, Rory Schlein R/R.

Wolverhampton Speedway reports provided in association with Parry's International Travel.