Lakeside Hammers 53, Wolverhampton Wolves 40
AGAINST the odds Lakeside triumphed after a remarkable team performance on Friday evening ensuring second place in the table and keeping them on course for the Elite League play-off.

Before the meeting manager Jon Cook said the 'heart had been ripped out of the team' by injuries but all his remaining riders chipped in and produced a fine all round performance, with Andreas Jonsson and Leigh Lanham leading the way.

Wolverhampton had no answer for the Hammers’ performance with only Niels Kristian Iversen providing any resistance taking 15 points.

Hammers started the meeting in perfect fashion with Jonsson and Lanham taking a heat maximum.

More was to come for Lakeside as, after two shared heats, they went on the rampage with three consecutive heat maximums to establish a 26-10 lead after only six heats.

Wolves came back, with Iversen taking a tactical ride and the Dane forced his way to the front with team-mate David Howe in front of the battling Lewis Bridger to reduce the deficit to nine.

They hoped to continue that in the following heat, with Freddie Lindgren taking a tactical ride from 15 metres back, but it came to no avail and they fell behind again when Lanham and Lubos Tomicek took the heat maximum.

More was to follow with a further two heat advantages which gave the Hammers’ an unassailable 41-22 lead after 10 heats.

With the meeting out of reach for Wolves now, they started to give some respect to the score line, or it may have been Lakeside stepping off the gas.

The visitors gained two consecutive 4-2’s to reduce the lead to 15 points at 45-30.

Wolves gained another heat maximum in the penultimate heat with David Howe holding off the challenge of Ricky Kling in second with Kauko Nieminen trailing off at the back, for his first last place as a Hammer.

But both sides saved the best until last with an enthralling final heat. The lead changed hands several times, but it was Jonsson who prevailed whilst Lanham was forced into last place.

All in all it was a good performance for the Hammers’ and with team manager Jon Cook, promising to fill some of the gaps left by the injuries, and it will prove to be an interesting few weeks for the Hammers faithful.

Lakeside Hammers 53: Andreas Jonsson 16, Leigh Lanham 12+3, Adam Shields Rider Replacement, Kauko Nieminen 7+3, Lewis Bridger 7+1, Ricky Kling 4, Lubos Tomicek 7+1.

Wolverhampton Wolves 40: Freddie Lindgren 9+1, Ales Dryml Rider Replacement, Niels Kristian Iversen 15+1, David Howe 6+1, Jesper B Monberg 5, Chris Kerr 4, Nicolai Klindt 1.

Heat-by-heat:
1: Jonsson, Lanham, Lindgren, Kerr (5-1) (5-1) 57.9
2: Kerr, Kling, Tomicek, Klindt (3-3) (8-4) 59.2
3: Iversen, Bridger, Nieminen, Howe (3-3) (11-7) 58.9
4: Tomicek, Bridger, Monberg, Klindt (5-1) (16-8) 58.9
5: Lanham, Nieminen, Lindgren, Kerr (fell exc) (5-1) (21-9) 58.4
6: Jonsson, Lanham, Monberg, Kerr (5-1) (26-10) 58.3
7: Iversen (tactical ride), Howe, Bridger, Kling (fell exc) (1-8) (27-18) 58.6
8: Tomicek, Lanham, Lindgren (tactical substitute), Klindt (5-1) (32-19) 58.4
9: Jonsson, Nieminen, Monberg, Kerr (5-1) (37-20) 59.6
10: Lanham, Iversen, Jonsson, Howe (4-2) (41-22) 58.5
11: Lindgren, Bridger, Howe, Kling (2-4) (43-26) 59.2
12: Iversen, Nieminen, Kerr, Tomicek (2-4) (45-30) 59.0
13: Jonsson, Monberg, Lindgren, Bridger (3-3) (48-33) 58.5
14: Howe, Kling, Klindt, Nieminen (2-4) (50-37) 59.2
15: Jonsson, Lindgren, Iversen, Lanham (3-3) (53-40) 58.8

Up to and including Friday, August 22, 2008 M W D L W D L F A Pts 1 Poole 26 11 0 2 7 0 6 1296 1076 43 2 Lakeside 27 12 0 1 6 1 7 1300 1168 43 3 Swindon 28 11 2 2 5 0 8 1316 1243 39 4 Ipswich 25 10 0 3 4 1 7 1171 1112 33 5 Eastbourne 28 10 0 3 3 0 12 1258 1307 29 6 Belle Vue 27 10 0 3 0 2 12 1185 1273 22 7 Coventry 25 8 1 4 1 0 11 1094 1186 20 8 Peterborough 23 6 1 2 1 0 13 941 1131 16 9 Wolverhampton 23 7 0 7 0 0 9 1017 1082 14