WOLVERHAMPTON completed Saturday’s meeting at Eastbourne down to just four riders as they suffered a host of problems in their latest Elite League fixture.
Parrys International Wolves lost the services of Ty Proctor, Ricky Wells and Pontus Aspgren by the midway stage of the meeting at Arlington as the home side not surprisingly collected maximum points over the depleted visitors.
Proctor was first to hit trouble, coming down on the third lap of Heat 3 after clipping Cameron Woodward, and he was withdrawn with concussion.
At that stage Wolves were 11-7 down but they then conceded four 5-1s in the next five races and in Heat 8 their two riders Aspgren and Wells collided when Aspgren lifted off the fourth bend and went into his team-mate.
Wells was taken to hospital with a possible collarbone injury and although Aspgren remained at the track he did not take his final programmed ride of the meeting.
With damage limitation the name of the game, Wolves did then reel off a host of heat wins, with the return to form of Nicolai Klindt the most encouraging factor.
Klindt had unfortunately lost out to Lewis Bridger when he took a tactical ride in Heat 7 – Bridger also denying Freddie Lindgren when he went for double in Heat 11 – but the Dane won his other three races.
Just as at Birmingham on Wednesday, Lindgren and Tai Woffinden combined for 5-1s in both Heats 13 and 15 to limit the Eagles’ winning margin, but Wolves must now lick their wounds and assess their injury situation ahead of Monday’s return fixture at Monmore Green.
EASTBOURNE 54: Lukas Dryml 10+1, Lewis Bridger 10+1, Cameron Woodward 9+4, Timo Lahti 9+2, Denis Gizatullin 8+2, Edward Kennett 8+1, Simon Gustafsson r/r.
It sounds simple, but sometimes we can all forget to step back and look after our own wellbeing.
