Wolves 57 Ipswich 38

School is out and the young Wolves class of 2010 are ready for a big summer.

After a sluggish start the home side – average age, in the absence of the injured Adam Skornicki, just 21 and a bit – pulled clear for a comfortable victory.

But, when the autumn comes, so will the examinations with the Parrys International Wolves looking a nailed-on certainty to be contesting the Elite League play-offs.

There were plenty of resits at Monmore Green last night, with the first three heats all rerun and the clock ticking past eight before the fourth race even got under way.

New Ipswich signing Chris Slabon made the worst possible start, ploughing through the tapes in heat one.

And Fredrik Lindgren must have flirted with detention in the rerun, barging robustly into and then past Scott Nicholls off the fourth bend.

Had the Ipswich No 1 fallen, then referee Dave Watters would have been left with an interesting decision to ponder. Lindgren looked apologetic afterwards but that didn’t alter the result.

Heat two did bring a fall and disqualification, Ludvig Lindgren powering cleanly through on the inside of Dawid Stachyra who then cut back and clipped the Wolf’s back wheel, falling.

Lindgren minor appeared entitled to be aggrieved as his blue exclusion light came on, though he made up for the loss of points with some cracking racing later on.

His double inside pass of Ales Dryml and Kozza Smith in the penultimate heat was simply sublime, particularly for a rider who started the season on a converted average of just a fraction over three points.

Heat three saw a very quick Danny King establish a fractional advantage over home captain Tai Woffinden heading into the pits bend, only to fall under pressure.

King stayed down but his despairing wave to the referee’s box cut no ice, with referee Watters who made what looked a good call in deciding the Ipswich man was at fault.

After that opening burst matters got a little less frenetic, but with a fine standard of racing; good entertainment for the party of children from Belarus who were visiting courtesy of the Chernobyl Children Lifeline charity.

Fredrik Lindgren went through the card, though extended by both Dawid Stachyra and Danny King, to put the misery of his three points in the Speedway World Cup final behind him.

Woffinden dropped his only point of the night to Nicholls in heat five, the Wolf correctly anticipating his rival’s angle of attack off the final bend only to stray very slightly off line and allow the Ipswich man the run to the line.

Ty Proctor again supplied invaluable back-up and aggression – even his machines, with their black wheel trim, look menacing – and Joe Haines’ points hardly reflected his contribution.

Arguably the best racing of the night came when Nicolai Klindt and King were on track together. Team-mates abroad and friendly rivals here, their good relationship didn’t prevent the Witch driving his opponent out into the deep shale in their very first clash.

But the Dane had the edge throughout, scorching to a five-ride maximum and finishing off in style when he and Fredrik Lindgren raced to a dominant last heat 5-1 over Nicholls and King.

Ipswich’s opposition was sporadic, though Stachyra impressed and Robert Miskowiak’s contribution was curtailed when he clipped Klindt in heat nine, straightened up and high-sided into the home straight safety fence, snapping off two support poles.

The planned collection for the Speedway Riders Benevolent Fund took place during the enforced break for repairs, Miskowiak’s smash an all too timely reminder of the risks run in the name of entertainment.

Miskowiak, happily, escaped with only a swollen hand and ankle. His team suffered rather more of a mauling.

By Tim Hamblin