Sussex speedway squad, the Eastbourne Eagles announced their return to action and into the=2 0Elite League play off race with a hard fought 48-45 victory at Wolverhampton’s Monmore Green stadium on Monday evening. However, despite making things look straightforward in the early part of the contest, they were made to work hard for their win, and indeed they so nearly had victory wrenched from their grasp as the home side reduced a 10-point lead (38-28) held by the Eagles heading into the interval, to just a point (41-40) within the space of two races, a timely, though somewhat fortuitous 8-1 in heat 12 preceding a 4-2 seeming set to wreck Eastbourne hopes.
However, the Eagles held fast and with Simon Gustafsson (a wholly impressive performance from the young Swede) and Cameron Woodward combining for a 5-1 in a twice restarted penultimate heat, that made all the difference, the visitors wrapping up the match and the three Elite League points with a race to spare.
Indeed the Eagles had kicked off proceedings in the best possible fashion, Scott Nicholls scorching from the start to lead throughout in heat one while Lewis Bridger, his equal out of the traps, defied the every challenge of home hero Fredrik Lindgren to get on terms.
The opening 5-1 proved to be a short lived moment however, the Wolves responding in like fashion to level the scores at 6-6 in race two. Home reserve Kenneth Hansen was away and gone from the tapes leaving James Brundle and Simon Gustafsson chasing in third place ahead of Nicolai Klindt.
However a subsequent breakdown in communications between the Eagles duo saw the Swede relegated to last place, Klindt cutting through on his inside entering lap three. The Swedish Wolf then forced a way past Brundle down the back straight and heading into the third and fourth to anchor the score levelling maximum.
A promising opening to heat three seemed to proffer an Eastbourne 4-2 but Niels-Kristian Iversen’s pass of Lee Richardson heading into lap two and Hansen’s similar mastery over Cameron Woodward on the first bend of the second circuit saw the result mirrored and sent Wolves heading into race four holding a narrow, 2-point (10-8) advantage.
It was all square again following the fourth, though fortune certainly aided the Sussex sides claiming of the reciprocal 4-2. Whilst Edward Kennett handed out a comprehensive beating to opposite number David Howe, Klindt’s motor spluttered and died in the early stages leaving Brundle to ride home unchallenged in third place.
Motor problems continued to dog the home side in the next race, Hansen locking up on the second bend before grinding to a halt and this was again to play into the Eagles hands as there was no stopping Iversen who romped to his second victory, this one coming at the expense of Eastbourne opening duo, Nicholls and Bridger.
The resultant 3-3 left the match at dead lock, 15-points apiece but it was the Eagles wh o once more forged a lead following a further 4-2 in the sixth. Kennett followed his impressive opening with an equally spell binding win, this one to the detriment of Lindgren. Once again engine problems afflicted the home effort, and this time it was Ales Dryml who was affected, an early race splutter allowing Gustafsson to put sufficient distance between the pair to take the 4-2 and a 19-17 advantage.
They looked set to double their lead in the next as skipper Richardson held on for the win ahead of Howe and Woodward looked comfortable in third with Hansen trailing. However, the Dane forged a path past the Aussie down the back straight of the third lap but as Woodward tried to regain third place heading into bend three the riders became locked together and fell. The race was duly awarded as a 3-3, Richardson taking the win with Howe in second and although he hadn’t crossed the finish line, Hansen was handed the odd point, Woodward having been adjudged the cause of the stoppage.
Heat eight really saw the Eagles start to take hold of the match however, Bridger and Gustafsson pairing up for a commanding 5-1 maximum over Dryml, though it should be recorded that once again Klindt suffered with machinery problems pulling up in the early part of the race.
The 5-1 saw the Eagles lead 27-21, and following further shares of the spoils in heats 9 and 10, Kennett continuing his unbeaten in the former, reducing the previously unheaded Iversen to third place behind himself and the overworked Hansen, the Sussex side stretched the advantage to double figures, Bridger and Nicholls second 5-1 in the eleventh, this one ahead of Howe earning them a seemingly comfortable 38-28 cushion.
Comfortable it might have seemed, but history dictates that is not always how things pan out and the events of heat 12, the first race after the interval looked likely to shatter their hopes of victory.
Iversen was nomin ated to take the tactical ride but the signs set fare as Richardson took up the running ahead of the Danish World Cup winner while Gustafsson held third place ahead of Klindt.
However, Klindt, no doubt revelling in the fact that he hadn’t yet succumbed to engine failure took full advantage of a second lap loss of control by his fellow countryman to secure third place. With that Iversen too beat a path past Richardson heading into the final lap and while the Eastbourne captain tried to regain the lead down the back straight he seemed to collide with Iversen and parted company with his machine leaving Klindt to sail through for second place and the 8-1 that reduced the difference to just 3-points, 39-36.
Further anxious moments were to follow, Lindgren roaring to his second win in race thirteen, following his success in heat 10, this one seeing him gain revenge for his first heat defeat by Nicholls. With Howe also getting the better of Kennett who hadn’t previously dropped a point t o that stage, this saw the Wolves move to within a point (41-40) of the Sussex side and the momentum seemingly with them, things started to look dark for the Eagles and their supporters.
However, it’s never darkest than before dawn it is often said, and Gustafsson and Woodward did their bit in proving the proverb to be true. Heat 14 required no fewer than three attempts to start it, Woodward hitting the deck at the first time of asking, first bend bunching being adjudged by referee Graham Flint and then Hansen found himself excluded as the Australian parted company with his machine at the same point a second time. When the tapes arose for the third running it was all about Eastbourne, Gustafsson seldom looking troubled while Woodward soon eased clear of Klindt and together the pair romped home to the jubilant applause of the travelling supporters, their third away win of the campaign now safely in the bag.
For the record the final word belonged with the Wolves, Lindgren completing his third successive victory and a second win=2 0over Nicholls while Iversen took third place relegating Kennett to last place for a second time. However it hardly seemed to matter, the Eagles had done what they came to do and secured the three league points on the back of a highly creditable and solid all round display, a result that sees them enter the mix for an Elite League play off place once more.
Scorers :
Wolves : Niels-Kristian Iversen 14+1(5), Fredrik Lindgren 12(5), Kenneth Hansen 7+1(7), David Howe 6(4), Nicolai Klindt 5+2(6), Ales Dryml 1(4), Rider Replacement for Christian Hefenbrock. – 45
Eagles : Scott Nicholls 11+1(5), Lewis Bridger 9+2(4), Edward Kennett 9(5), Simon Gustafsson 7+1(5), Lee Richardson 7(4), Cameron Woodward 3+2(4), James Brundle 2(3). – 48
WOLVERHAMPTON 45
F.Lindgren 1 2 3 3 3 - 12
A.Dryml 0 0 1 E/F - 1
N.K.Iversen 3 3 1* 6^ 1 - 14+1
Rider Replacement (Christian Hefenbrock)
D.Howe 2 2A 1 1 - 6
K.Hansen 3 1 E/F 1* 2 X/2 X/U - 7+1
N.Klindt 2* E/F E/F E/F 2* 1 - 5+2
Team manager : Peter Adams
EASTBOURNE 48
S.Nicholls 3 2 2* 2 2 - 11+1
L.Bridger 2* 1* 3 3 &nbs p; - 9+2
L.Richardson 2 3A 2 F - 7
C.Woodward 0 X/F 1* 2* - 3+2
E.Kennett 3 3 3 0 0 - 9
S.Gustafsson 0 1 2* N 1 3 - 7+1
J.Brundle 1 1 N 0 N &nb sp; - 2
Team manager : Trevor Geer
Referee : Graham Flint
HEAT DETAILS
1 Nicholls, Bridger, Lindgren, Dryml, 55.00 (1-5)
2 Hansen, Klindt, Brund le, Gustafsson, 55.97 (6-6)
3 Iversen, Richardson, Hansen (R/R), Woodward, 55.60 (10-8)
4 Kennett, Howe, Brundle, Klindt (eng.fail.), 56.11 (12-12)
5 Iversen, Nicholls, Bridger, Hansen (R/R) (eng.fail.), 55.76 (15-15)
6 Kennett, Lindgren, Gustafsson, Dryml, 55.69 (17-19)
7 (Race stopped, awarded) Richardson, Howe, Hansen, Woodward (exc.fell), No Time (20-22)
8 Bridger, Gustafsson (res.repl.), Dryml, Klindt (eng.fail.), 55.97 (21-27)
9 Kennett, Hansen (R/R), Iversen, Brundle (res.repl.), 56.22 (24-30)
10 Lindgren, Richardson,Woodward, Dryml (eng.fail.), 56.02 (27-33)
11 Bridger, Nicholls, Howe, Klindt (res/repl. - eng.fail.), Hansen (exc. 2 mins), 56.52 (28-38)
12 Iversen^, Klindt, Gustafsson, Richardson (fell), 56.46 (36-39)
13 Lindgren, Nicholls, Howe, Kennett, 56.04 (40-41)
14 (Restart, first bend bunching, all four - Rerun)
Gustafsson (res.repl.), Woodward, Klindt (R/R), Hansen (exc.unfair), 57.25 (41-46)
15 Lindgren, Nicholls, Iversen, Kennett, 56.08
