|
Last Updated: Nov 28th, 2010 - 10:22:29 |
Supporters of the newly branded Eastbourne ‘Lifestyle’ Eagles will celebrate the advent of a new season, a new decade and potentially the dawning of a new era of Elite League Speedway racing at Arlington stadium this Saturday evening (7.30 p.m. start time) as title hopefuls, the Peterborough Panthers form the first opposition in 2010 in a Grand Opening Challenge match.
There would be several metaphors suitable to describe the buoyant mood at the venue, following all the uncertainty that threatened the Eagles very existence throughout much of the 2009 campaign and into the winter months. A return from the wilderness, the phoenix from the flames are just two but the important thing for the Sussex faithful is that they have a team to support and bolstered by the sponsorship tie up and quality backing from the good people at Lifestyle Europe Ltd all involved with the club are sure that a good season is in prospect.
The Eagles management have done sterling work in the recent weeks and months to market their product in the hopes of welcoming a bumper crowd to start the season as they prepare to face the team now containing one of their own prized assets, the highly talented but the occasional controversial Lewis Bridger.
However, once the moments finally tick by until start time and the tapes rise for the first time it will be down to the riders to do the talking as the Sussex battlers embark on their quest for silverware.
Although tomorrow’s (Saturday) showdown is billed as a Challenge match it is sure to be a full blooded affair, the Eagles having once again already been consigned by many of the pre-season pundits to the wooden spoon position will be all out to rubbish such claims while the Panthers will be striving to enhance their credentials as Championship hopefuls, possessing a line up as they do, seemingly solid throughout the order.
As regards the Eagles, they will be sporting a new look with which to embrace the new campaign, led into action by recently appointed skipper Cameron Woodward, and presumably spearheaded by a new breed of hero in the guise of exciting new signing, Slovenian Matej Zagar, Eastbourne retain the talents of the highly rated Simon Gustafsson, Czech-Republican Lukas Dryml and free scoring reserve Ricky Kling from their 2009 squad with Pole Dawid Lampart and the familiar, yet welcome face of Joonas Kylmakorpi joining Zagar in the newbies enclosure to complete their line up.
A closely fought and potentially explosive encounter is set to ignite right from the word go with Zagar together with terrace cult hero Dryml coming under orders alongside Grand Prix exponent Niels Kristian Iversen and Bridger to contest the first race of the new season.
Undoubtedly all eyes will be fixed firmly on the performance of the former Eagle as he makes a swift return to the track he graced for no fewer than four seasons in the senior sphere of racing in the colours of his new club.
During the winter months, 20 year old prospect Bridger felt the need to spread his wings and requested a move away from the Sussex circuit, his demeanour suggesting that having a bigger track as his home base would prove advantageous to his career. With apparently plenty more yet to come from this talented young man, the Eagles supporters will no doubt be interested to see whether Bridger can fulfill his undoubted potential with the Panthers.
Of course the presence of Bridger is merely one ingredient of a solid looking Peterborough septet, one expected to test the Sussex sides Arlington mettle to the max. Iversen and fellow Dane Kenneth Bjerre, both quality Arlington performers on their day in the past form a dynamic double threat at the head of their line up while the addition of Australian Troy Batchelor, signed from Swindon during the close season from the Swindon Robins, is another element sure to add spice to an already tantalising clash.
Indeed of casual interest to the Eastbourne observer will be the bond forged by new team mates Bridger and Batchelor, the pair having been involved in something of an altercation in Eagles final home meeting of the 2009 campaign.
In short, it all adds up to a meeting not to be missed as the Eagles come to tapes for the first time and look set to soar in season 2010.
Teams :
Eagles : 1. Matej Zagar, 2. Lukas Dryml, 3. Joonas Kylmakorpi, 4. Cameron Woodward (Captain), 5. Simon Gustafsson, 6. Ricky Kling, 7. Dawid Lampart.
Panthers : 1. Niels Kristian Iversen (Captain), 2. Lewis Bridger, 3. Ulrich Ostergaard, 4. Kenneth Bjerre, 5. Troy Batchelor, 6. Linus Eklof , 7. Krzysztof Buczkowski,
© Copyright Worldpeedway.com
Top of Page
|
