BIRTHDAY boy Sam Masters came within a whisker of a perfect present as Wolverhampton drew 45-45 at Poole on Wednesday.
A fine display from the popular Australian led Wolves to the brink of victory "“ but they narrowly missed out in a tense last-heat decider.
Masters could not catch Brady Kurtz whilst partner Rory Schlein was shut out by Linus Sundstrom at the back for a Pirates' 4-2.
And Masters felt gate choice was crucial in the final race as they had to settle for two points following their best away result of the season.
"I think it came down to gate choice in heat 15 really," Masters said. "Gate one was working well all night, and with Brady off there it was always going to be tough.
"We fought all the way and had a good crack at it, but the track was dusty and it was tough by the end.
"I thought I had enough speed on him at times, but there wasn't anywhere to pass. Brady is good around this place and he rode a good race.
"I had a good night myself, so I'm pretty happy. It would have been nice to get the win, but it's still a good result in what is always a tough meeting."
Skipper Rory Schlein battled through the pain barrier after suffering a nasty cut to his hand to notch 10 points, whilst Kyle Howarth also put in a solid showing.
Ashley Morris and Cameron Heeps chipped in with useful scores, whilst Nathan Greaves won heat 12 to give his confidence a boost.
Jacob Thorssell experienced a night to forget in the No.1 spot after winning heat one and will be determined to make amends in the return fixture at Monmore Green on Monday (8pm).