Wolves 48 Coventry 42

A tremendous derby match was overshadowed by news of the death of John Woolridge.

The former Wolves co-promoter and Stoke team manager, a charming, knowledgeable and immensely popular figure in the sport, died yesterday aged 72.

Monmore Green flags flew at half-mast and a minute’s silence was observed before last night’s match. And what a clash it was – one which Woolridge would have enjoyed.

Wolves, with a gathering head of steam primed by a fine performance at reserve by Ricky Wells, looked a good bet for all three league points when they led by eight after half-a-dozen races.

Yet just two races later the match was all square and you would have been hard pushed to find anyone confident of a home victory.

With Wells thriving, Fredrik Lindgren in a class of his own and Tai Woffinden ultra-confident, not much was coming from the second-string and captain Peter Karlsson was struggling at the starts.

Coventry had their own ace-in-the-hole in Peter Kildemand, the Workington man emulating the more illustrious PK with one pivot and drive from bend two which came straight out of the captain’s playbook.

While Russian sensation Emil Sayfutdinov struggled on his first visit to the technically demanding circuit, Edward Kennett knows the place inside out and twice extended Lindgren to the full.

Their first clash was a titanic struggle, Lindgren eventually getting just about enough momentum high and wide out of the pits turn to execute the pass.

Their second, in heat 13, was even better. Kennett surged inside on the final turn, Lindgren cut back but went marginally too early and found himself drifting wide even as the Coventry man turned inside again.

Lindgren retained just enough shape to snatch the verdict but this was racing of the highest order.

Woffinden beat Przemyslaw Pawlicki in the 14th, but Kildemand snatched the odd point to leave the Bees needing a heat advantage at the very end to take a consolation point.

Lindgren and Karlsson made the start but in teeming rain went too deep into the corner and emerged well behind Pawlicki and Kennett.

Although Lindgren eventually overhauled Kennett there was no catching Pawlicki.

The match’s flashpoint came in heat 10 where the fast-starting Wells was nursed round superbly by Lindgren as Pawlicki pressed.

The Swede came to a virtual halt while making space for Wells on the apex of bend three, Pawlicki cannoning into him but both staying aboard.

The Coventry man then nosed ahead of Wells, whose spirited challenge into the pits turn ended in contact and a fall.

Referee Paul Carrington ruled in favour of Wells, to the dismay of the visitors, but they did not go home empty-handed.

By Tim Hamblin