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LAKESIDE HAMMERS 57 - EASTBOURNE EAGLES 36 |
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Thu 9 Apr 2009
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| Posted by
Jenni thanks to Eastbourne Website |
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ELITE LEAGUE A MATCH : FRIDAY 8th MAY 2009
Full Report of Meeting.
Friday evening saw the Eastbourne Eagles journey to the home of local rivals the Lakeside Hammers in search of Elite League points but though they might have harboured hopes of collecting some rewards for their efforts, in the final reckoning it was to prove just one of those nights for the Sussex side as they slipped to a stinging 57-36 defeat.
Indeed, the fates had effectively already conspired against the Eagles ahead of the meeting, the original staging of which had fallen victim to the weather a fortnight previously, man in form Simon Gustafsson being ruled out of action having sustained a broken collarbone in Sweden the previous Tuesday. Were that not already a cross to bear, Eastbourne’s problems worsened as David Norris was also declared a non starter prior to the off, the Eagles icon having aggravated a back injury during the sides home victory against Ipswich.
The Rider Replacement facility was utilised in place of Norris while newly signed Chris Schramm was drafted in as cover for the Swede but as the match got underway, Eagles problems were only set to compound as Captain and number one Davey Watt picked up a niggling injury of his own, one that saw him withdrawn after only two rides.
Lewis Bridger, who had blazed to the British under 21 title at the venue just a week or so before, began in similar form racing to victory in each of his first two races. However he was destined to tail off alarmingly as the meeting progressed and in truth with the Hammers top four in dominant mood, each posting double figure returns, given their problems it was only the improvement shown by Cameron Woodward, that including a timely 8-1 shared with Ricky Kling in the eleventh and an 8-point display from Lukas Dryml that stood between Eagles and complete rout.
Undoubtedly the visitors would have been hoping for a profitable night for Watt but things weren’t set to go quite according to plan as the Eagle trailed home duo Jonas Davidsson and Adam Shields out of the start of heat one. He remained in contention for a couple of circuits but locked on the final bend of lap three and pulled up soon after leaving partner Dryml to chase fruitlessly in third place, the Hammers completing the first of six 5-1’s throughout the evening.
Schramm got the drop in heat two but in something of a break down in communications with team mate Kling, the new Eagles recruit was eased sideways allowing both Hammers reserves Robert Mear and Stuart Robson a path through on the inside and into the lead.
Kling atoned in part by forcing a way past the latter in mid race thus limiting the damage to a 4-2 but as Mear took the chequered flag the scores already stood at 9-3 in favour of the home side.
The Eagles were swift in reply however, Bridger wresting a satisfying victory after something of a tussle it should be noted, with former skipper Lee Richardson but with Woodward following on for the odd point, the Eagles 4-2 shortened the deficit to 4-points (11-7) once more.
The Hammers needed no further bidding however, and a second maximum as Kauko Nieminen and Robson outpaced the chasing Dryml in the fourth suddenly doubled their advantage to an imposing 8-points, 16-8.
Eastbourne at least managed to stem the tide over the course of the next three heats, each of them remaining shared to peg the difference at 8-points (25-17) by the end of seventh but a stinging trio of Hammers 5-1’s in heats 8, 9 and 10 effectively snuffed out any aspirations the Eagles might have had of taking something from the clash.
Although Richardson had taken the win ahead of the ailing Watt along with Kling in the fifth, the signs had appeared brighter for the Eagles, Dryml raising eyebrows with a fast start and even faster finish to deny Shields and Davidsson in race six. When Bridger seized his second win at the expense of Nieminen and Mear in a somewhat controversial heat seven, momentarily it appeared that the Sussex men might be set to spring a sur prise on their hosts. Indeed, they might have received additional points had Woodward not been excluded by referee Phil Griffin following a fall when Mear had appeared to stop dead in front of him.
Poised for the attack they might have been but it was soon to be muted as Davidsson and Robson surprisingly ended Bridger’s unbeaten run in the eighth, this quickly followed by Nieminen and Richardson’s defeat of Dryml and Schramm in heat nine and rounded off as Davidsson and Shields got back to their winning ways and headed Woodward and Bridger (taking the tactical ride) home in the tenth for Hammers third maximum on the bounce and an overall 20-point (40-20) lead.
This coupled with a further blow, Watt being withdrawn from proceedings having sustained an injury earlier in the meeting effectively provided the icing on the cake of what was starting to prove a nightmare away day for the Sussex side.
The clubs beleaguered supporters were offered a moment to smile in the next however, Woodward (who was nominated to take the rider replacement as a tactical ride) combining with Kling for a somewhat unexpected 8-1 against the run of play from Nieminen.
That welcome result shortened the margin to just 13-points (41-28) but that was as close as the Eagles were destined to come, the Hammers posting back to back 4-2’s in heats 12 and 13, Richardson getting the better of Kling and Shields seeing off the Dryml’s challenge respectively with each of their partners grabbing third place to set the scores at 49-32 with just two races left to run.
Indeed as Bridger had started, Woodward seemed set to finish, the young Australian bagging a further victory in the penultimate heat, this one coming, quite impressively, at the expense of the in form Davidsson however with Mear outpacing Kling for the odd point the scores moved to 52-35, all hope having long since passed for the visitors.
They might have wished for a morale boosting heat fifteen with which to send their fans home happy, but it was to be the Hammers who were left smiling at the end of the final four laps, former Eastbourne duo Richardson and Shields outpacing the present day equivalents Woodward and Bridger for the 5-1 that rounded off a night of triumph and an overall 57-36 score line for the home side.
Scorers :
Hammers : Adam Shields 12+2(5), Lee Richardson 12+2(5), Jonas Davidsson 12+1(5), Kauko Nieminen 10(5), Robert Mear 6+1(5), Stuart Robson 5+2(5), Rider Replacement for Joonas Kylmakorpi, – 57
Eagles : Cameron Woodward 12(6), Lukas Dryml 8(5), Ricky Kling 7+2(7), Lewis Bridger 7(6), Davey Watt 2(2), Chris Schramm 0(4), Rider Replacement for David Norris, – 36 |
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