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EASTBOURNE EAGLES 50 – SWINDON ROBINS 41 |
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Tue 12 May 2009
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| Posted by
Jenni thanks to report from Eastbourne Eagles Website |
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"Cameron Woodward stepped out of the shadows to emerge an instant hero"
In dramatic scenes at Arlington stadium, Monday evening saw Eastbourne Eagles overturn an early 8-point deficit to preserve their unbeaten home record following an incident packed 50-41 victory over Elite League table toppers, the Swindon Robins in front of the SKY Sports cameras.
In what must be classed almost unprecedented circumstances, Cameron Woodward stepped out of the shadows to emerge an instant hero with a sublime outside pass of Robins duo Leigh Adams and Travis McGown to snatch all 3-points (their fifth such home league success) for the Eagles in an unbelievable heat fifteen, a race in which he hadn’t been nominated to start.
Despite their triumph, the Sussex side were left counting the cost in terms of misfortune that beset both men and machinery throughout a meeting that arguably witnessed a record number of falls. For the Eagles David Norris was taken to hospital with a suspected fractured wrist following a collision with Swindon’s Troy Batchelor in heat 10. Then a bizarre final heat saw them robbed of the services of both nominated top scorers Davey Watt and Lewis Bridger, the latter’s machine shedding a chain following a clash with Travis McGowan in the run up to the first turn, the chain lacerating Bridger’s leg before flying up and wrapping itself around Watt’s wrist ruling him also out of the restart.
With neither rider earning a disqualification the Eagles were permitted to re-nominate their pairing, Woodward and Lukas Dryml now being preferred to face the Swindon pair. As the tapes arose of the final heat of a meeting that had already taken more than three hours to conclude, the young Eagle stalked his fellow Aussie’s for two and a half laps before mounting a do or die raid around the outside as the final circuit loomed.
This assault, quite brilliant in its execution brought Arlington to its feet and ensured that the rich applause remained ringing out for some time to come.
Woodward’s effort certainly provided a positive conclusion to fifteen nerve shredding heats of action, the Robins too suffering their injury woes; reserve Krzysztof Stojanowski preceding Norris to the local hospital while Ryan Fisher and Russian Jurica Pavlic also suffered nasty knocks, the American’s interest in the meeting also being curtailed.
Indeed with the two teams due to meet again at the Abbey stadium in just a few days (Thursday 14th May) it’ll no doubt prove a testing time for the clubs respective managements as team strengths are assembled.
It certainly proved to be20something of a nervy opening for the Eagles, the Sussex side being put to the sword from the word go by the rampant Robins who slammed in consecutive 5-1’s each in heats one and two to open up an already imposing 8-point, 10-2 margin.
Eastbourne’s walking wounded duo of Norris and Watt were the first to feel the might of Robins Grand Prix star Adams, the mighty Australian combining with fellow countryman McGowan for an opening maximum, Watt in particular looking very uncomfortable in the circumstances, pulling up before the race end while unplaced.
Indeed heat two wasn’t about to treat them any more kindly, Chris Schramm taking a tumble at the first turn, one that allowed Fisher and Stojanowski to roar away, some distance ahead of Ricky Kling to secure Swindon’s second full house, one that put them well in command of the fixture even despite the early stage of proceedings.
The Eagles were set to bite back in the next however. Once again the Robins were fast from the start but Woodward quickly punched his way through to the front, soon to be joined by youthful partner Bridger. With Troy Batchelor and Pavlic comfortably beaten on completion of the four laps, with that the Swindon lead was halved to 4-points (11-7) and the outlook immediately appeared so much brighter for the home supporters.
The mood was enhanced further as Schramm claimed his first victory in Eagles colours in heat four, an all the way effort that impressively saw him lead Fisher for the full four laps. Behind them Lukas Dryml was also making his presence felt by securing third place, his position being confirmed as England International Simon Stead took a tumble in the latter part of the race, the resultant 4-2 again slicing the visitors lead by half, the scores now standing at 13-11 in Swindon’s favour.
The impetus looked to be back with the Wiltshire outfit as Adams and McGowan blasted side by side from the start of heat five but with the latter losing control at the tail end of lap one, both Bridger and Woodward slipped past for the 3-3, Adams winning at a canter to conserve his side’s 2-poi nt advantage (16-14).
A moment of controversy blighted race six, Norris being deemed responsible for Stojanowski’s second lap fall, his subsequent exclusion drawing representations from the Eagles management but referee Chris Gay wasn’t for turning and Norris had to sit out of the rerun.
Watt proved the hero as the race resumed however as he led Stead and Stojanowski throughout, in spite of the groin injury that had forced his withdrawal from Eagles meeting as Lakeside just three days earlier.
Further intrigue was about to follow however, this time with Swindon the unfortunate recipient’s of the official’s verdict. With Kling leading heat seven, Dryml was trying all he knew to force a way past Pavlic as the riders rounded bends one and two of lap three. The Russian was to make his task all the easier as he parted company with his machine on the second turn. Bizarrely, at the same moment Batchelor also took a tumble, the referee adjudging the two incidents as separate as opposed to one laying his machine down for the other and both Robins were ruled out.
With Kling being awarded the win with Dryml second and no third placed rider, the turnaround was complete, the Eagles seizing the lead for the first time in the match, the scores moving to 22-19 in their favour.
The visitors were set to suffer again in the next, this time with Fisher suffering a fall and consequent exclusion as he endeavoured he supplement partner McGowan’s early advantage. Home hopes remained with Norris and Schramm in the second running but McGowan nipped sharply from the start once again, the resultant 3-3 maintaining the 3-point difference, one that now stood at 25-22.
The Eagles tightened their grip on the match over the course of the next two races, but only after two sickening crashes, one in each heat that saw firstly Swindon’s Krzysztof Stojanowski and then Eastbourne’s David Norris ferried to hospital in quick succession.
The first incident saw the Pole collide with Woodward on the run up to the firs t turn, the pair ending in the safety air barrier and prompting a lengthy delay as injuries were tended to. Some considerable time elapsed before Stojanowski was most unfortunately taken from the track by ambulance.
Fisher was the natural replacement but with the American also feeling the effects of his earlier fall, he too withdrew from the meeting at that point leaving Bridger and Woodward to romp home ahead of Stead, claiming their second maximum of the meeting, one that extended the home lead to 7-points 30-23.
Yet another unforeseen racing incident then saw Norris come to grief in the tenth. Indeed a halt had already been called to the race, an unsatisfactory start having been deemed but as Batchelor and Norris powered around turn two, the pair came together, the Eagle’s arm becoming entangled in the visiting rider’s rear wheel, an horrific scenario that could have realized infinitely worse consequences.
With Watt getting the better of Batchelor in the second running and Norris’ replacement Kling seeing off the threat of Pavlic, the 4-2 saw the home lead head towards double figures, the sc ores now standing at 34-25.
The Robins weren’t set to give up on the match though, Adams and McGowan providing a repeat of their first heat 5-1 to narrow the divide to a mere 5-points with a maximum advantage over Schramm and Dryml – this seeing the scores move to 35-30 with the fixture now moving towards a conclusion.
A further twist in the tale was imminent however, the Eagles being gifted their second unopposed 5-0 of the night in heat 12, Stojanowski by now already in the local hospital and fellow reserve Fisher also having withdrawn from the meeting and then Pavlic was eliminated from the race, his second fall, and a nasty looking spill at that being enough to leave Bridger and Kling to ride home unchallenged, their 5-points extending the disparity to double figures, 40-30.
This of course paved the way for Swindon to nominate Adams to ride for double points in heat 13, his win being doubled to 6-points and with Stead getting the better of Dryml and following Watt to the chequered flag earned the Robins a 7-2, one that kept them in contention, the margin returning to just 5-po ints with two heats remaining.
With both Stojanowski and Fisher now, unfortunately already out of the frame, this effectively handed the victory on the night to the Sussex side with Swindon able to only field a single rider in the penultimate race. The Eagles took a giant stride towards three more valuable Elite League points as Woodward and Kling (a superb showing from the Swedish reserve) combined for yet another Eastbourne maximum, 47-38 now the score and only a 5-1 to the Robins in the final race could still see them take some reward from the clash if they could possibly finish within 6-points of their hosts.
Clearly they had the men for the job with Adams and McGowan having ridden together superbly as a pair but the Eagles could still face the race with a degree of confidence, naming Watt and Bridger as their duo. However, fate was just about to play another part in removing both Eastbourne riders from the fray in that one freak accident but however disheartening that inevitably was, Woodward was on hand to temper the Sussex contingents despair with that one fantastic final ride to lead both Robins to the chequered flag.
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