Lakeside Hammers 56, Eastbourne Eagles 37
LAKESIDE produced the goods in front of the Sky cameras with a dominant display against keen rivals Eastbourne that put them on top of the Elite League table.

On paper this meeting always looked a cracker and after seven heats it was on course for a scintillating finish. Then the gap was only four points, but over the process of the remaining rides, the Hammers upped their game and went off to finish it in style.

It was an all round display from the Hammers that took the victory, while the visitors had to rely on GB Champion Scott Nicholls for their slight chance of victory with the GP Star finishing with 16 of his side's 37 points.

There was a slightly fortuitous start to the evening for Hammers after the first heat had been called back with Scott Nicholls and Lewis Bridger making a flying start.

Bridger was adjudged to have moved early and when it restarted Andreas Jonsson set the4 tone for the night, finishing in front of Nicholls with Leigh Lanham taking the vital third.

Lakeside extended their lead in heat four with a 5-1 maximum from Joonas Kylmakorpi and Lubos Tomicek but were soon pegged back in heat seven when the Eagles gained a 4-2 heat advantage to reduce the margin to just four points at 23-19.

But the Hammers came back after the interval bouncing and went on to three consecutive 5-1s to open up a 38-22 lead going into heat 11.

The gap was reduced slightly as Nicholls came out in heat 12 as a tactical rider and although he took the heat win, he was let down by partner Lewis Bridger as the young Brit endured a miserable night failing to score in his four rides.

Lakeside got back to business in the following heat with a 5-1 heat maximum that put the result beyond doubt before the Eagles’ gained some pride with a 5-1 of their own in heat 13.

The Eagles gave their all, and despite it being mathematically impossible, Edward Kennett came out on a tactical from 15 metres, but came nowhere near to Tomicek and Jonas Davidsson when he was forced to ride on his own in a restart after Cameron Woodward fell, the last in a number of dramatic moments during the evening.

The meeting was rounded off in dominant fashion as Adam Shields took third place on the line from Richardson with Jonsson taking the final heat win to round off an impressive display.

Lakeside Hammers: Andreas Jonsson 13, Leigh Lanham 6+1, Adam Shields 9+2, Jonas Davidsson 9+1, Joonas Kylmakorpi 7, Ricky Kling 7+3, Lubos Tomicek 5+3.

Eastbourne Eagles 37: Scott Nicholls 16, Lewis Bridger 0, Lee Richardson 8, Cameron Woodward 1, Edward Kennett 7+1, Simon Gustaffson 5+1, James Brundle 0.

Hdeat-by-heat:
1: Jonsson, Nicholls, Lanham, Bridger (4-2) (4-2) 57.6
2: Gustafsson, Kling, Tomicek, Brundle (3-3) (7-5) 58.5
3: Richardson, Shields, Davidsson, Woodward (3-3) (10-8) 58.7
4: Kylmakorpi, Tomicek, Kennett, Brundle (5-1) (15-9) 59.6
5: Nicholls, Davidsson, Shields, Bridger (3-3) (18-12) 58.2
6: Jonsson, Kennett, Gustafsson, Lanham (fell exc) (3-3) (21-15) race awarded
7: Richardson, Kylmakorpi, Woodward, Kling (2-4) (23-19) 58.9
8: Lanham, Kling, Gustafsson, Bridger (fell rem), Tomicek (exc tapes) (5-1) (28-20) 59.7
9: Davidsson, Shields, Kennett, Brundle (5-1) (33-21) 59.3
10: Jonsson, Lanham, Richardson, Woodward (5-1) (38-22) 58.8
11: Nicholls (tactical ride), Kylmakorpi, Kling, Bridger (3-6) (41-28) 58.9
12: Shields, Kling, Richardson, Gustafsson (ret), Tomicek (exc 2 mins) (5-1) (46-29) 59.5
13: Nicholls, Kennett, Jonsson, Kylmakorpi (1-5) (47-34) 58.7
14: Davidsson, Tomicek, Kennett (tactical substitute), Woodward (fell exc) (5-1) (52-35) 59.4
15: Jonsson, Nicholls, Shields, Richardson (4-2) (56-37) 58.3