Eagles secure first travelling point of season

Current Grand Prix leader Nicki Pedersen (and increasingly looking to be a World Champion in waiting) was back at the helm of the side and despite a disaster of an opening ride when Wolves duo Peter Karlsson and top scorer David Howe kicked off proceedings with a 5-1 for the hosts, the main Dane remained unheaded by an opponent thereafter and finished with three storming wins to anchor the share of the spoils.

Davey Watt also remained in the thick of the action throughout, claiming three important race victories of his own in heats 3, 12 and 14, the latter two of these seeing him share 4-2's with lively reserve Cameron Woodward, results vital in pulling the Eagles back to level pegging at 42-42 with one race to go, the Sussex side having clawed their way back from an 8-point deficit (34-26) with five heats remaining.

As the tapes rose for that all important final showdown, there was only ever going to be one winner as Pedersen, just as he had previously in heats 11 and 13, jetted away for a gate to flag victory, one that not only safeguarded the draw but also set in stone Eagles acquisition of the aggregate bonus point, their fifth of the season so far.

Unfortunately, Watt was unable to continue his purple run of form and trailed both Howe and Lindgren to the chequered flag, however nobody could argue that the Aussie hadn't already played his part to the full in making it a memorable night for the Sussex side.

Fortunes had indeed ebbed and flowed throughout the course of the match. Karlsson and Howe had exploited a misunderstanding between Lewis Bridger and Pedersen to start the ball rolling for the Wolves in the best possible style with that opening maximum.

Eastbourne momentarily seemed set to return the compliment as Woodward hit the front with Russian Champion Denis Gizatullin in a restarted race two but William Lawson, who impressed throughout the evening cruised through to claim the win and the 3-3 that set the scores at a progressive 8-4.

Watt's first win of the night in the third, ahead of Howe realised a 4-2 for the Eagles with Bridger trading places for the odd point with Magnus Karlsson, however the Wolves seized further control as Lindgren combined with James Grieves for a 5-1 ahead of Morten Risager in the next, one that put them 6-points (15-9) to the good.

Bridger and Pedersen put behind them their first race nightmare, posting an instant reply with a 5-1 of their own ahead of the ever pressing Lawson.

Given Howe's superb form and Peter Karlsson's unquestioned prowess around Monmore, many of the travelling fans anticipated a further quick turnaround in the next, however such fears were dispelled as the Swede lost control at the first turn and disappeared beneath the safety air barrier.

Thankfully, he was soon able to walk away, seemingly none the worse for the experience but so far as the Eagles were concerned, with Karlsson duly excluded it had thrown them something of a lifeline.

They had previously led in the 5-1 position and initially gated in similar vein again but Howe was soon to match them finding a way past Risager who lifted coming out of the second turn and then rounding Woodward to claim the win as the pair entered lap two.

This set the scores at 19-17 with Eagles hot on the Wolves tails, however the home sides plight was eased as Lindgren, thanks to a last bend burst of speed, was handed the verdict over Watt in heat seven and with Lawson got the better of Woodward by a similar narrow margin the resultant 4-2 eased them 4-points (23-19) clear of the Sussex side.

Eastbourne suffered another nightmare in the eighth as Wolves doubled their lead to 28-20, Bridger remaining stationary having dropped a chain at the start line while Gizatullin, appearing far from comfortable on the tight Monmore Green confines trailed well behind Grieves and Howe before going wide and sliding into the fence on the third lap. He remounted to claim the odd point, however with just three-points now separating the sides on the aggregate standings (70-67), Eagles hopes of taking something from the contest had seemingly started to fade.

They were to receive an immediate boost however as Lindgren found himself excluded in race nine, the Swede having spun around while giving chase to Risager and causing his own team mate, Magnus Karlsson to fall on the third bend of lap one. The race was rerun with three riders only but just as the visitors appeared to be heading for a 4-2, Karlsson trailing Risager though heading Woodward, the Wolves rider's machine failed him at the tail end of lap three, allowing the Aussie through for the 5-1.

The Midlands outfit countered this as Karlsson and Howe made surprisingly short work of leading both Watt and Risager home in the tenth but the topsy turvy nature of the contest continued apace as Pedersen eased Lindgren wide at the first turn in heat eleven, opening a gap for Bridger to take advantage of, one that saw the young Eagle burst clear of Lawson to share a 5-1 with his captain.

Lindgren was clearly irked by what he saw as Pedersen's tactics, however with no contact appearing to have been made, so far as the view from the terraces permitted, any subsequent protests would undoubtedly have fallen upon deaf (well at least to the neutral) ears.

With the scores now standing at 35-31 with four heats left on the card the signs had started to bode well for the Eagles. Indeed, their chances appeared all the brighter as Watt cruised through on Peter Karlsson's inside moving into bend three of the third lap.

The Swede went surprisingly wide, allowing both Grieves and Woodward a route past. That was how it stayed, Watt keeping Grieves at bay while Woodward fended off Karlsson in superb style for the 4-2 that snipped two further points from the Wolves lead.

Pedersen proved the man of the moment once more as he produced a lightning gate to see off the duel threat of Lindgren and Karlsson in heat thirteen. On two occasions did the former look likely to get on terms, the first a hard challenge coming out of the second bend on lap two but one that the Dane was equal to as he burst clear once more down the back straight, and then again as Lindgren lined up his opponent at the same point on the final circuit. However, Pedersen cut off his run in thrilling style to keep the Eagles within touching distance of their hosts.

Watt then was cast in the role of Eastbourne hero as he provided the Sussex side with their fourth successive race win ahead of Lawson and with Woodward comfortably accounting for Grieves in third place to anchor the 4-2, this set the stage for Pedersen to make it a straight five for the visitors as he breezed to victory to seize the 45-45 draw, the aggregate bonus and significantly seal a red letter day for Bob Brimson, his first travelling point as a promoter.

Scorers :

Wolves : David Howe 13+3(6), Fredrik Lindgren 10(6), William Lawson 8(5), James Grieves 7+1(5), Peter Karlsson 6+2(5), Magnus Karlsson 1(3), Rider Replacement for Billy Hamill '“ 45 (Aggregate '“ 84)

Eagles : Nicki Pedersen 12+1(7), Davey Watt 12(6), Cameron Woodward 7+2(6), Lewis Bridger 6+1(5), Morten Risager 5+1(5), Denis Gizatullin 3(3), Rider Replacement for David Norris '“ 45 (Aggregate '“ 95)