Post by richiej95 on Mar 19, 2012 22:56:38 GMT
Wolverhampton Wolves got their season off to a disappointing start with a narrow 44-46 home defeat to reigning Elite League champions the Poole Pirates. Poole did not lead the meeting all night long, but after keeping within 4 points of the Monmore men at every point, Poole capitalised in heat 15 to snatch victory from Peter Adams' men.
The meeting got off to an explosive start in heat one as Wolves new boy Pontus Aspgren tangled with Sam Masters resulting in a heavy tumble for the new boy and a harsh exclusion to open the season for the Poole man.
In the rerun, Freddie Lindgren just trailed Poole number one Chris Holder, but an excellent cut back on turn 2 lap 2 gave Lindgren the lead which he calmly held onto to give Wolves an early advantage.
Heat 2 saw Ricky Wells looking quick for Wolves, but was unable to do enough to get past Ricky Kling who looked composed out front. With Sowka not quite able to get close enough to challenge Todd Kurtz for third, Poole were level again after 2 heats.
After going through the tapes, Dennis Andersson started heat 3 off 15m and failed to get in the mix as Darcy Ward showed why he is one of the best the world has to offer as he raced away to victory ahead of Wolves pair Klindt and Proctor.
Heat 4 gave Wolves an advantage once more, with Tai Woffinden blasting around the outside on the opening lap to power to victory, with reserve Ricky Wells looking very quick and pushing new Pirates man Adrian Miedzinski all the way to the line.
Nicolai Klindt came out with an excellent ride in heat 5 to defeat Grand Prix star Chris Holder, looking comfortable out front after a hard move up the inside on turn 1. At the back, Ty Proctor produced a tidy cut back on turn 4 of the final lap to pass Australian compatriot Sam Masters.
After gaining a four point lead early on, Wolves were looking to push on and build a substantial advantage. Fast Freddie Lindgren was slow from the tapes in heat 6 but went hard down the inside of Poole duo Miedzinski and Kling and once ahead looked unfazed out in front, but Aspgren struggled for pace at the back meaning Wolves had to settle for a 3-3.
Heat 7 pitted two of the brightest young stars of the sport against each other, and they did not disappoint, providing the Monmore Green crowd with arguably the race of the night. After being squeezed out on turn one, Wolves man Tai Woffinden dived down the inside of Darcy Ward and partner Dennis Andersson on turn 4 to take the lead. With Ward pushing extremely hard, Woffinden kept the throttle on around the outside to keep the Aussie at bay and ensure Wolves maintained their four point advantage despite debutant Lukasz Sowka trailing at the back.
However, heat 8 saw the Pirates cut the home sides lead to just 2 points as Ricky Kling again looked quick and made the most of a strong gate to add his second race win of the night. However, Ricky Wells looked quick again for Wolves as he prevailed in a tight battle for second with Sam Masters which saw the pair trade places several times.
Wolves bounced back to regain their advantage straight away as Nicolai Klindt and Ty Proctor gave Wolves another 4-2. After the Wolves pair gated well, Klindt left Proctor alone and raced ahead, and unfortunately for Wolves Proctor was unable to hold on to second, Ricky Kling finally getting the better of him round the outside down the backstraight on lap three.
Poole hit back with a 4-2 of their own in heat 10 as Darcy Ward became the first man to beat Freddie Lindgren around Monmore Green this season. The race was all decided at both the front and the back on turn 1 of the opening lap. At the back, Pontus Aspgren was unfortunate to tangle with Dennis Andersson, and although the duo stayed up the Wolves man lost too much momentum to get back into the race. At the front, Ward got the better of Lindgren and never looked back and Lindgren was not able to catch the Australian.
Heat 11 saw the Poole Pirates draw level for the first time since heat 3 with another 4-2. This time it was Woffinden's turn to taste defeat for the first time of the night, Poole number one Chris Holder making the most of a strong gate to keep Woffy at bay.
Nicolai Klindt and Ricky Wells, who both looked very quick over the night, did very well in heat 12 to team ride home and secure a 3-3 for the Monmore men. The pair did well to wisely hold off a fast Ricky Kling after Darcy Ward made the gate and raced clear from the start.
In the penultimate heat of the evening, Ricky Wells replaced debutant Lukasz Sowka in the hope of giving Wolves a lead to take into the final race. However, Poole's Dennis Andersson gated well and was too quick for the Wolves pair Proctor and Wells.
Then, Poole snatched victory in the final heat of the night with Chris Holder leading the way with a crucial victory. Holder gated well, but Nicolai Klindt challenged well with a good blast around turn 2. Klindt again went for the outside on turns 3 and 4, but Holder forcefully closed the door on the exit of 4 to relegate Klindt to the back. Freddie Lindgren chased hard to try and reel in Holder but failed to do so, whilst Klindt had lost too much momentum to overtake Ward and prevent a home defeat in the opening meeting of the season.
Ratings (/5)
Wolves:
Fredrik Lindgren:- Impressive start to the meeting but tailed off slightly. Still a decent start to the season for the Wolves number one. 4
Pontus Aspgren:- Struggled to get in the mix and poor gating didn't help. Didn't beat an opponent but still looked comfortable on the bike and looks to have potential. 1
Nicolai Klindt:- Very impressive up until heat 15. Looked quick all night and Wolves' best rider. Deserved to get heat 15 in my opinion. 4.5
Ty Proctor:- Did all that was asked of him. Nothing less nothing more. Solid. 3
Tai Woffinden:- Looked quick especially at the start of the meeting, but like Lindgren he tailed off slightly, with Holder twice both getting the better of him in the later stages. 4
Lukasz Sowka:- Much the same as Aspgren. Needs to improve gating but attacked the track well and very comfortable on the bike. 1
Ricky Wells:- Very quick indeed and did well in every outing. Although he didn't win any heats he beat an opponent in each of his outings, and will be crucial to our season if he continues like tonight all season long. 4.5
Poole
Chris Holder:- Beaten by both Lindgren and Klindt early on but reeled off three straight wins at the end of the meeting that ultimately strung the meeting in his teams favour. 4.5
Sam Masters:- Disappointing. Harshly excluded in heat 1 but failed to get more than a third place all night. Will need to improve. 1
Darcy Ward:- Similar to Holder. Three excellent wins and looked very quick all night long. Showed why he is so highly rated. 4.5
Dennis Andersson:- Improved as the meeting went on after a poor opening ride. Impressive win in his final ride. 3
Adrian Miedzinski:- Disappointing Poole debut. Expected more from him but wasn't helped by having to ride at a tough number 5 position. 2
Ricky Kling:- Outstanding. Very quick and probably the man who made the difference for Poole in the end. 5 MAN OF THE MEETING
Todd Kurtz:- Not really on the pace and will hope to improve on tonight's performance as the season progresses. 1
by Richard Jones
The meeting got off to an explosive start in heat one as Wolves new boy Pontus Aspgren tangled with Sam Masters resulting in a heavy tumble for the new boy and a harsh exclusion to open the season for the Poole man.
In the rerun, Freddie Lindgren just trailed Poole number one Chris Holder, but an excellent cut back on turn 2 lap 2 gave Lindgren the lead which he calmly held onto to give Wolves an early advantage.
Heat 2 saw Ricky Wells looking quick for Wolves, but was unable to do enough to get past Ricky Kling who looked composed out front. With Sowka not quite able to get close enough to challenge Todd Kurtz for third, Poole were level again after 2 heats.
After going through the tapes, Dennis Andersson started heat 3 off 15m and failed to get in the mix as Darcy Ward showed why he is one of the best the world has to offer as he raced away to victory ahead of Wolves pair Klindt and Proctor.
Heat 4 gave Wolves an advantage once more, with Tai Woffinden blasting around the outside on the opening lap to power to victory, with reserve Ricky Wells looking very quick and pushing new Pirates man Adrian Miedzinski all the way to the line.
Nicolai Klindt came out with an excellent ride in heat 5 to defeat Grand Prix star Chris Holder, looking comfortable out front after a hard move up the inside on turn 1. At the back, Ty Proctor produced a tidy cut back on turn 4 of the final lap to pass Australian compatriot Sam Masters.
After gaining a four point lead early on, Wolves were looking to push on and build a substantial advantage. Fast Freddie Lindgren was slow from the tapes in heat 6 but went hard down the inside of Poole duo Miedzinski and Kling and once ahead looked unfazed out in front, but Aspgren struggled for pace at the back meaning Wolves had to settle for a 3-3.
Heat 7 pitted two of the brightest young stars of the sport against each other, and they did not disappoint, providing the Monmore Green crowd with arguably the race of the night. After being squeezed out on turn one, Wolves man Tai Woffinden dived down the inside of Darcy Ward and partner Dennis Andersson on turn 4 to take the lead. With Ward pushing extremely hard, Woffinden kept the throttle on around the outside to keep the Aussie at bay and ensure Wolves maintained their four point advantage despite debutant Lukasz Sowka trailing at the back.
However, heat 8 saw the Pirates cut the home sides lead to just 2 points as Ricky Kling again looked quick and made the most of a strong gate to add his second race win of the night. However, Ricky Wells looked quick again for Wolves as he prevailed in a tight battle for second with Sam Masters which saw the pair trade places several times.
Wolves bounced back to regain their advantage straight away as Nicolai Klindt and Ty Proctor gave Wolves another 4-2. After the Wolves pair gated well, Klindt left Proctor alone and raced ahead, and unfortunately for Wolves Proctor was unable to hold on to second, Ricky Kling finally getting the better of him round the outside down the backstraight on lap three.
Poole hit back with a 4-2 of their own in heat 10 as Darcy Ward became the first man to beat Freddie Lindgren around Monmore Green this season. The race was all decided at both the front and the back on turn 1 of the opening lap. At the back, Pontus Aspgren was unfortunate to tangle with Dennis Andersson, and although the duo stayed up the Wolves man lost too much momentum to get back into the race. At the front, Ward got the better of Lindgren and never looked back and Lindgren was not able to catch the Australian.
Heat 11 saw the Poole Pirates draw level for the first time since heat 3 with another 4-2. This time it was Woffinden's turn to taste defeat for the first time of the night, Poole number one Chris Holder making the most of a strong gate to keep Woffy at bay.
Nicolai Klindt and Ricky Wells, who both looked very quick over the night, did very well in heat 12 to team ride home and secure a 3-3 for the Monmore men. The pair did well to wisely hold off a fast Ricky Kling after Darcy Ward made the gate and raced clear from the start.
In the penultimate heat of the evening, Ricky Wells replaced debutant Lukasz Sowka in the hope of giving Wolves a lead to take into the final race. However, Poole's Dennis Andersson gated well and was too quick for the Wolves pair Proctor and Wells.
Then, Poole snatched victory in the final heat of the night with Chris Holder leading the way with a crucial victory. Holder gated well, but Nicolai Klindt challenged well with a good blast around turn 2. Klindt again went for the outside on turns 3 and 4, but Holder forcefully closed the door on the exit of 4 to relegate Klindt to the back. Freddie Lindgren chased hard to try and reel in Holder but failed to do so, whilst Klindt had lost too much momentum to overtake Ward and prevent a home defeat in the opening meeting of the season.
Ratings (/5)
Wolves:
Fredrik Lindgren:- Impressive start to the meeting but tailed off slightly. Still a decent start to the season for the Wolves number one. 4
Pontus Aspgren:- Struggled to get in the mix and poor gating didn't help. Didn't beat an opponent but still looked comfortable on the bike and looks to have potential. 1
Nicolai Klindt:- Very impressive up until heat 15. Looked quick all night and Wolves' best rider. Deserved to get heat 15 in my opinion. 4.5
Ty Proctor:- Did all that was asked of him. Nothing less nothing more. Solid. 3
Tai Woffinden:- Looked quick especially at the start of the meeting, but like Lindgren he tailed off slightly, with Holder twice both getting the better of him in the later stages. 4
Lukasz Sowka:- Much the same as Aspgren. Needs to improve gating but attacked the track well and very comfortable on the bike. 1
Ricky Wells:- Very quick indeed and did well in every outing. Although he didn't win any heats he beat an opponent in each of his outings, and will be crucial to our season if he continues like tonight all season long. 4.5
Poole
Chris Holder:- Beaten by both Lindgren and Klindt early on but reeled off three straight wins at the end of the meeting that ultimately strung the meeting in his teams favour. 4.5
Sam Masters:- Disappointing. Harshly excluded in heat 1 but failed to get more than a third place all night. Will need to improve. 1
Darcy Ward:- Similar to Holder. Three excellent wins and looked very quick all night long. Showed why he is so highly rated. 4.5
Dennis Andersson:- Improved as the meeting went on after a poor opening ride. Impressive win in his final ride. 3
Adrian Miedzinski:- Disappointing Poole debut. Expected more from him but wasn't helped by having to ride at a tough number 5 position. 2
Ricky Kling:- Outstanding. Very quick and probably the man who made the difference for Poole in the end. 5 MAN OF THE MEETING
Todd Kurtz:- Not really on the pace and will hope to improve on tonight's performance as the season progresses. 1
by Richard Jones
