Eastbourne Eagles are in the Final of the 2008 Knockout Cup competition following a titanic 54-39 victory of bitter local rivals, the Lakeside Hammers at Arlington stadium on Saturday evening.

Home skipper Lee Richardson and the rejuvenated Lewis Bridger were the home heroes of a tense last heat decider, the pair snatching a last gasp 5-1 over visiting guest duo Rory Schlein and Kevin Doolan to win the two-legged contest, the teams having entered the fray locked together on 90-points apiece, however this had proved to be a night when each and every one of the Eagles stood up to be counted when it mattered most.

Following their 11-point (52-41) defeat at the home of the Hammers on August 13th, this result saw them progress through to a Final date against either the Poole Pirates or the Coventry Bees by a 95-91 aggregate margin, the opposition having yet to be decided by a replay after each of their respective semi-finals finished as a 45-45 draw.

Of course it should be noted that the Hammers had suffered horrendous injury problems in the run up to the contest, skipper Adam Shields, Jonas Davidsson and Joonas Kylmakorpi all ruled out of action, potentially for the remainder of the season. With Andreas Jonsson also an absentee, the Swede together with Eastbourne's Scott Nicholls away contesting the Latvian Grand Prix, it would be true to report that the make up of the Hammers team was something of a cut and paste affair.

However they were well served by the three guests they employed for the evening, Ipswich's Rory Schlein in particular turning in a superb showing tallying 16-points from his 6 outings and that including a 6-pointer in heat 12, the Hammers firing in an 8-1 to haul themselves back into the meeting at a time when it seemed the Eagles were starting to dominate.

Kevin Doolan also gave a wholly impressive account of himself, arguably matching if not exceeding that which his sporting antecedent might have been expected to contribute. A 5-1 shared with Schlein in the seventh and then a penultimate rac e victory proved to be the Aussie's high points, the latter inspiring the 4-2 that drew the Hammers level on the aggregate standings heading into the final race. Billy Janniro also made a bright start to proceedings, enjoying a win and a 5-1 in heat four though machinery problems appeared to blight the latter part of his evening.

For the Eagles however, despite those few anxious moments when the Hammers doggedly refused to admit defeat, not least that nail biting last heat decider, it was smiles all the way. Bridger, who it's widely known has suffered his problems in recent weeks, appeared a star reborn, reportedly mounted on new machinery the young Eagle starred in no fewer than five of the six 5-1's that the Eagles enjoyed through the evening.

Richardson turned in a true Captain's performance, recording four wins in his six outings including the one that sparked the maximum when20he teamed up with Bridger in that all important last race and one that elicited the biggest cheer that has resounded around Arlington for many a month.

Right down the line however, it proved a far more resolute Eastbourne performance, one that certainly dispelled much of the gloom that had enshrouded the location following back to back home defeats against Ipswich and Poole in recent weeks.

Edward Kennett was also good for double figures, three wins included in his 10-point haul. Cameron Woodward was also paid for 9-points and shared in two 5-1's, heat one with Bridger and race nine with Richardson while young Swede Simon Gustafsson showed fantastic form taking a win in his opening ride, sharing a 5-1 with Bridger in the eighth and then producing two superb from the back efforts to deny Ricky Kling third place in heat 11 and the same rider second place in the penultimate race when what had seemed a likely 5-1 would have certainly given the Hammers the upper hand heading into the final race.

James Brundle should not be forgotten in all this of course, his third place (one that earned an early 4-2) ahead of Lubos Tomicek typified the Eagles fighting mettle and the 2-points he eventually garnered proved crucial in the final reckoning.       
 
Despite the absence of any noted heat leader, the match began in blistering fashion and showed rich promise for the evening ahead. Bridger blazed away from the tapes to take the win but all eyes were fixed on Woodward who played out a race long duel with Hammers guest Janniro. The pair fought valiantly, the lead changing hands on a number of occasions but to the delight of the Arlington faithful it was the Eagle w ho edged clear on the run in giving the Sussex side an opening 5-1 and one that immediately slashed 4-points from the visitor's 11-point first leg lead.

For a time it appeared that heat two might go the same way, Gustafsson and Brundle gating together whilst Kling (more usually a most impressive performer at the venue) made an uncharacteristically poor start. The Swedish Hammer swiftly made amends swooping past Brundle down the back straight at the first time of asking, however try though he might there was to be no catching his fellow countryman Gustafsson who romped home in a time of 56.3, eclipsing that recorded in the first race.

Behind them Brundle remained steadfast and furthered Eagles hopes with a battling third place and the 4-2 ahead of Tomicek.
With 6-points now having been snipped from the deficit, the visitors hit back in the third, Schlein taking a flying win ahead of Woodward and Richardson. Indeed the latter had to work hard in the early stages forcing a way past Kevin Doolan into third place. That was how20things stayed, Schlein taking the 3-points but with the Eagles duo dominating the minor places, that at least protected their 6-point lead, one that now stood at 12-6 though the aggregate standings still saw the Hammers hold a 5-point advantage, 58-53.

A moment's misfortune in the fourth and much of the hard work was wiped away however. Kennett hit the dirt on the first turn, apparently unaided, though many with an Eastbourne bias might have contested the decision but referee Christina Turnbull had no hesitation in ruling the Eagle from the second running. With Brundle having already been named as a reserve replacement instead of Gustafsson, he struggled to contain both Janniro and Kling in the rerun and sadly those efforts were to prove in vain as he trailed the pair throughout, the Hammers slamming in the 5-1 that reduced the difference to just 2-points, 13-11.

Eastbourne responded in style, back to back 4-2's in heats 5 and 6 restoring the half dozen difference. The first of these witnessed a flying win for Richardson, Woodward again jousting gamely but on this occasion losing out to Schlein for the 4-2 and then Kennett made amends for his earlier disappointment by heading the field in the sixth. Janniro tucking in neatly behind him, ahead of Bridger but nevertheless, the Eagles seemed to be soaring once more, the scores moving to 21-15 on the night but this still meant they were 5-points adrift over the two legs, 67-62 currently the aggregate.

Just as it appeared that the Eagles were getting a grip on the match however, the Hammers came back to bite them, Schlein fired in another heat victory in race seven and Doolan had the visiting supporters dancing a jig of delight as he worked his way past both Brundle and Kennett in turn to anchor the 5-1 that narrowed the difference to just 2-points (22-20) once again, the margin on aggregate stretching once more to 9-points (72-63).

Instead of them folding however, this setback spurred the Eagles on to greater things, the topsy turvy nature of the contest continuing as the home side recorded a trio of 5-1's in heats eight, nine and ten to open up an imposing 14-point (37-23) margin on the night, one that saw them lead on aggregate for the first time, 78-75 over the two legs.
Bridger and Gustafsson co ntributed the first of these, once again Kling failing to make the expected impact as he trailed in behind his Captain Leigh Lanham who scored his first point of the evening.

Richardson and Woodward supplied the second, Janniro stuttering on the start line, allowing the Eagles duo to get away from Tomicek and then the tension almost reached a crescendo as Richardson and Bridger united, team riding all the way to see off the combined threat of Schlein and Doolan for the maximum that finally saw the Eagles glimpse a sight of a place in the Final.

Kennett reigned supreme in the eleventh, heading home Doolan while Gustafsson performed heroics by fighting his way past Kling for third place and the 4-2 that stretched the scoreline to a comfortable looking 41-25, 5-points now the difference on aggregate, Eastbourne with some breathing space holding a 82-77 lead.

Many thought that might have been it, the hard work had been done and that little could have prevented the Eagles from cementing their passage into the Final.

Au contraire, Hammers supremo Jon Cook made another throw of the dice, and he was set to come up trumps as Schlein, sporting the black and white helmet for the tactical ride, raised the visiting supporters expectations once more, the win earning him 6-points and with Kling emerging clear from Richardson and Gustafsson from the start, that was how it all stayed and the resultant 8-1 turned the tie on it's head once more.

That brought the scores back to 42-33 in Eagles favour on the night, but agonisingly it had overturned the Sussex side's aggregate advantage, the Hammers now seizing back the initiative to lead 85-83.
With finger nails all round the stadium coming in for some punishment, Kennett and Bridger paired up to put the Eagles back on top, comfortably heading home Lanham and with Janniro pulling up in the mid part of the race the 5-1 extended their lead to 47-34, the difference over the two legs remaining at 2-points but importantly it was back in Eagles favour, the home side edging ahead 88-86.

Those on the terraces must surely have wondered how many more twists and turns were yet possible, but the next one was merely moments away as Doolan headed out of the start in heat 14 with Kling also moving clear of Gustafsson and Woodward for what seemed a likely 5-1 that would have turned things around yet again.

The Eastbourne duo snapped at Kling's heels for the entirety of an enthralling four laps of speedway, and it was to the delight of the home camp that Gustafsson again found a way past his fellow Swede, thus restricting the damage to a 4-2 to the visitors and keeping events on a knife edge.

By this time, the Eagles had already won the contest on the night, the scores now standing at 49-38. However, that remained of minimal significance, the score line that drew every thought and every eye was the one that rested at 90-points apiece, that being the points total over the 29 out of 30 heats so far run at the two venues.

Anxious moments were succeeded by incredibly anxious moments as Bridger and Richardson were nominated to ride for the Eagles while Schlein and Doolan were preferred by the Lakeside management. Of course this was a huge ask of two guest riders by the visitors but they had certainly played their part to the full, indeed they continued to do so as the tapes on the fateful final four laps.

For them it was to prove in vain however, Richardson streaking away to take the win while Bridger, following a brief tussle with Schlein matched him with almost every turn of the wheel, the pair hitting the chequered flag as if as one, their final 5-1 of the night meaning that a place in the 2008 Knockout Cup Final was finally in their grasp.
 
Ironically, the only unbeaten performance (by an opponent) belonged to Eagles number one berth and a rider who wasn't even present. Woodward, Kennett, Richardson and Bridger in turn had covered Scott Nicholls rider replacement rides so effectively (10-points paid 12 proving the outcome), that for once the Grand Prix star's tall scoring wasn't missed.

However, whatever the outcome, both sets of rider's should be applauded for providing a truly magnificent spectacle and a great advert for the sport.

Lakeside for overcoming extreme adversity in the run up to the fixture, never giving in and for so nearly recording what would have been a famous victory, but also the Eagles for turning in a delightful and fighting performance, putting a smile back on the faces of their supporters following several weeks of disappointment and now with a Knockout Cup Final to look forward to, restoring the feel-good factor to Arlington stadium.          
 
Eagles:
Lee Richardson 14+1(6), Lewis Bridger 13+3(6), Edward Kennett 10(5), Simon Gustafsson 8+1(5), Cameron Woodward 7+2(5), James Brundle 2(3), Rider Replacement for Scott Nicholls. 
 
Hammers:
Rory Schlein (Guest for Andreas Jonsson) 16(6), Ricky Kling 7+2(6), Kevin Doolan (Guest for Jonas Davidsson) 7+1(6), Billy Janniro (Guest for Joonas Kylmakorpi) 6(5), Lubos Tomicek 3(3), Leigh Lanham 2(4), Rider Replacement for Adam Shields