Wolves’ Grand Final hopes ended in the Sheffield rain

The Parrys International Wolves were beaten 39-21 at Owlerton in a meeting raced in near-constant rain, and which was halted after heat 10, but in reality all of the damage had done with their loss at home on Monday.

Trailing 50-40, they had a mountain to climb heading to South Yorkshire and although on some occasions wet conditions can prove to be a leveller, the Tigers ensured there were no slip-ups on their home circuit.

And their aggregate situation was enhanced in the very first race when Kyle Howarth and guest Robert Lambert stormed clear of Sam Masters, with Steve Worrall pulling up with mechanical trouble. Zach Cook put a race win on the board for Wolves in a shared heat two, but the Tigers added 4-2s in the next two races, with Luke Becker keeping Chris Holder at bay for second place in heat three – while the next race saw the Rising Stars take centre stage as Jason Edwards won for Sheffield ahead of Leon Flint, with Richard Lawson beating Ryan Douglas for third.

The home side had a scare when Josh Pickering crashed on the back straight in heat five and the rerun appeared to present Wolves with an opportunity, only for Holder to go inside Worrall at the end of the first lap and then repeat the move two laps later on Masters for an impressive win.

Cook did well to split Lambert and Howarth in heat six and the next two races were shared with Becker taking heat seven as the rain initially showed signs of easing. The track had ridden well under the circumstances, but as conditions worsened again, Sheffield showed their determination as Holder and Pickering both passed a faster-starting Douglas for a 5-1 in heat nine with their bigger concern as the race went on being to avoid each other.

And it was a similar story in heat 10 with Rory Schlein making the gate, but first Howarth and then Lambert were through by the second lap to put the tie mathematically beyond reach in what turned out to be the last race of the night.

Sheffield progress to the Grand Final against Ipswich next week while Wolves have just two more home meetings before their time at Monmore comes to an end, starting with the Olympique Individual on October 16.

Sheffield 39: Kyle Howarth 9+1, Robert Lambert 8+1, Chris Holder 6+1, Josh Pickering 6, Jason Edwards 4+1, Connor Mountain 3+1, Richard Lawson 3.

Wolverhampton 21: Luke Becker 5, Zach Cook 5, Leon Flint 4, Sam Masters 3, Steve Worrall 2+2, Rory Schlein 1, Ryan Douglas 1.

Sheffield win 89-61 on aggregate.