Report on the 1992 Gold Cup Final between Reading Racers and Wolverhampton Wolves
READING RACERS cruised to the Homefire Division One Championship in 1992, where their 50-point total left them twelve points clear of runners-up Bradford Dukes. However, such was the Racers form that season, that they were in contention for all the other major silverware on offer.
Reading won their group of the Gold Cup finishing three points ahead of Kings Lynn, and with Wolverhampton sweeping all before them in the Northern group, this left the Racers and Wolves to contest the grand final over two legs.
The first leg of the final was staged at Smallmead on Sunday 13th September, with the Racers just coming out on top (47-42) in a thrilling contest. This left it delicately poised going into the second leg the following evening at the Wolverhampton track.
Reading weren't given a lot of hope going into the second leg, as Monmore Green had never been a happy hunting ground for the Racers, with the Smallmead men being on the end of many a mauling from the Wolves team in previous seasons. 1992 had been no different thus far, as Reading had already gone down there earlier in the year 54-36, in what was to be a rare Racers away defeat that season.
It was a big night for both clubs, as due to fixture congestion the Gold Cup Final was to be just one part of the evening's entertainment. Both teams also had to race each other straight after the main event, with the Racers and Wolves doing battle in the KO Cup quarter-final 2nd leg in the second part of the double-header.
The crowd was packed into the stadium on this September evening, and with 30 heats of speedway on the agenda it helped provide an electric atmosphere on the terraces - even visiting Cradley Heath fans were cheering for the Racers on the night.Wolverhampton got off to a good start with a 4-2 from Ronnie Correy and Gordon Kennett in heat 1, but Racers hit back in heat 2 when Wolves reserve Stephen Morris fell whilst in second place, leaving Jan Andersson and Phil Morris to cruise home for an easy 5-1.
The Ermolenko brothers (Sam and Charles) shot out of the start for a 5-1 in heat 3 over Ray Morton and Armando Castagna, and then Peter Karlsson and Stephen Morris reduced the aggregate deficit to just one point courtesy of a 4-2 in heat 4.
Another 5-1 from the Ermolenko brothers in heat 5 and a further 4-2 in heat 6 from Karlsson and Stephen Morris, then saw Wolves open up a ten-point lead on the night and five points on aggregate.
Karlsson won heat 7 ahead of Castagna and Morton for a shared heat, but the Racers narrowed the gap in heat 8 with a 5-1 from Per Jonsson (tactical substitute) and Dave Mullett. This brought the overall aggregate back to just a one-point gap in Wolves favour.
The aggregate lead changed hands over the next four heats with both teams exchanging alternate 4-2's, before a super Racers 5-1 in heat 13 from Jonssson and Castagna over ‘Dukie' Ermolenko and Karlsson, gave the Berkshire side an 85-82 advantage with just two races of the cup final remaining.
Sam Ermolenko won heat 14 with Andersson in second place, but Stephen Morris rode the race of his life for Wolves to just edge out Morton in third place.
The aggregate scores were now 87-86 in Reading's favour, as Sam Ermolenko and Correy lined up against Jonsson and Doncaster for the final race of the tie - the atmosphere in the stadium was now at fever pitch!!
Unfortunately it wasn't to be the Racers day as the two Americans made sure the Gold Cup went to Monmore Green with a last gasp 5-1, with Ermolenko passing Doncaster to tuck in behind Correy - Wolves had nicked the cup from Reading's grasp with a 49-41 win on the night and 91-88 on aggregate.
Reading did gain some revenge in the second part of the double-header with Andersson top-scoring for the Racers in a 45-45 draw, which saw the Racers defeat the Monmore men to move into a KO Cup semi-final tie against Cradley Heath.
Such was the closeness and drama from the two teams on the night, that if the two scorelines had been reversed, e.g. 45-45 in the Gold Cup match and 49-41 in the KO Cup match, then Reading would have won both ties on aggregate.
