Wolves are defending the Shield the captured last season, but they look set to lose their grasp on that piece of silverware after Poole won in the Black Country.

Wolverhampton started brightly but Poole eventually battled back and won the meeting in Heat 15 with 'Turbo Twins' Chris Holder and Darcy Ward doing the job with a 4-2.

The home side had number one Freddie Lindgren going well and he was backed up well by the likes of Nicola Klindt, Tai Woffinden and Ricky Wells - but new signings Pontus Aspegren and Lukasz Sowka failed to impress with just a point between them.

Unsurprisingly Holder and Ward led Poole home, with new reserve Ricky Kling looking particularly impressive with ten points.

Poole are now firmly on course to take the Shield with the second leg due at Wimborne Road on Wednesday.

Wolves boss Peter Adams said: "There are some positive points from this but it's hard when you are carrying passengers of course.

"It will be tough at Poole on Wednesday but we'll go there and give it our best.

Delight

Poole chief Matt Ford admitted he was delighted to have taken an opening win.

"Its always nice to get a win, especially an away one and it is also very pleasing when the new boys perform so well and Ricky certainly did that and he deserves a great deal of credit," he said.

"Overall I was very happy the way the whole team performed but I would offer a word of warning that Wolves will be a different proposition when we go back there in the televised Elite league visit in April (30th).

"By then their new guys will also have had time to "settle in" so nothing too much should be read in to this particular result.

"Of course this victory does leave us in a good position to win the one trophy we missed out on last year and that will be a good way to launch our home season on Wednesday. That said we still have a job to do and so I hope the fans will be out in force and get behind the boys."