WOLVERHAMPTON celebrated their 90th Anniversary in dramatic style with a last gasp 46-44 win over Poole.
Jacob Thorssell and skipper Rory Schlein teamed up for 5-1 maximums in Heats 13 and 15 to maintain their 100 per cent record in front of a bumper Bank Holiday crowd.
Despite the Parrys International Wolves leading the way in the Premiership with the visitors sat at the opposite end of the standings, the Dorset outfit gave the Monmore men their toughest challenge at home so far.
No more than four points separated the side throughout the clash but the real drama came in the closing stages.
Tied with just four races remaining, Poole edged in front as they were awarded a 5-1 after Wolves reserve Ashley Morris was controversially excluded despite receiving a shove from counterpart Kacper Woryna into lap three.
But No.1 Thorssell rode smartly in the next to drift Poole’s pairing wide, allowing skipper Rory Schlein back up the inside to draw back level.
Sam Masters looked to be cruising to victory in the penultimate race, but was caught napping by Woryna who stole the win on the run to the line to put Poole in the driving seat.
But Wolves were able to take full advantage of exclusions for Brady Kurtz for breaking the tapes and for Linus Sundstrom for leaving the track following the instant stoppage, as Thorssell and Schlein teamed up for the crucial 5-1 to pip the Pirates.
Said Thorssell: “They were a very stressful couple of races but there’s no better feeling than getting a 5-1 in the last race to win a meeting.
“It was made even better because there were so many people in the crowd today.
“Lots of faces we see every week at Wolves and it looked like there were a lot of new people as well.
“They had lots of entertainment before the meeting with the youth races and that and it would have been a good meeting against Poole for them to all watch too.
“We had to work hard for it but the main thing is that we got the win in the end.”
After sustaining a hand injury last week, Schlein rode through the pain barrier admirably to top score for the Wolves as well as to handle the pressure of the big heats in the closing stages.
Thorssell recovered from a tricky start to go unbeaten by a Poole rider in his final three rides.
Sam Masters and Kyle Howarth both produced solid performances while Nathan Greaves achieved his best score of the season so far from reserve.
Ashley Morris was penalised on two occasions for coming down on bends one and two while Cameron Heeps endured another tough night in the main body of the side.
The Parrys International Wolves now head into a short break for the Speedway of Nations competition.
Their next fixture is at Somerset on Wednesday, June 13 before they host Belle Vue at Monmore in the second leg of their Knockout Cup tie on Monday, June 18 (7.30).
It sounds simple, but sometimes we can all forget to step back and look after our own wellbeing.
