WOLVERHAMPTON’S Knockout Cup quarter-final with Eastbourne is delicately poised after the Eagles established a ten-point lead from the first leg at Arlington on Saturday.

Parrys International Wolves kept the scores close for much of the meeting with the home side only building their advantage in the final four heats on a damp, drizzly night on the south coast.

Although the score went from 34-32 to 50-40 in the closing stages, it was still a good rearguard action from the Monmore men in a meeting where several of their middle and lower-order stepped up to the challenge with a couple of their top men down on their usual form.

Peter Karlsson and Ricky Wells picked up a 5-1 in Heat 4 after Lewis Bridger crashed out, and Wolves briefly led thanks to a 4-2 in the next race only to be immediately equalised in Heat 6.

Bridger and flying reserve Lukas Dryml put Eastbourne four points to the good in Heat 7 but that was as far as they got thanks to a string of wins from Karlsson, Ludvig Lindgren and Ty Proctor which resulted in a series of shared heats and then a Wolves 4-2 in Heat 11.

But the home side responded by taking thirteen points from the next three races with Dryml completing a remarkable performance in which he only dropped one point in seven rides.

Wolves were desperate not to let the margin go above ten points and they achieved that in Heat 15 as although Freddie Lindgren was disqualified for bringing down Bjarne Pedersen, Karlsson was clear up-front for his third win of the night.

The second leg takes place at Monmore Green on July 25, but before that Wolves face up to the mouth-watering prospect of a visit from a Peterborough side including Nicki Pedersen on Monday.

EASTBOURNE 50: Lukas Dryml 17+3, Bjarne Pedersen 11+2, Lewis Bridger 10, Joonas Kylmakorpi 6, Simon Gustafsson 4+1, Timo Lahti 2, Cameron Woodward r/r.

WOLVERHAMPTON 40: Peter Karlsson 12, Ricky Wells 6+3, Ludvig Lindgren 6+1, Ty Proctor 6, Fredrik Lindgren 5, Tai Woffinden 3, Tyson Burmeister 2.