Lakeside Hammers 45, Swindon Robins 45
By COLIN MUNFORD
Lakeside produced a shocking performance on Friday which severely dents their hopes of a third place Elite League finish.
The meeting continually see-sawed with the Hammers never being able to assert full control on the race track, with almost every Lakeside heat advantage followed by a Robins one.
Leigh Adams was on majestic form - as he usually has been during his career at the Raceway. With this being his last season, it’s likely that this was his final meeting at the home of Lakeside and nothing summed the man up more than his last ride.
Heading into the final heat the scores were tied on 42 apiece and although he didn’t make the start he marshalled his partner Maciej Janowski into second spot and kept Adam Shields behind him to make sure the Robins took two points from the encounter.
After two shared heats to start the meeting off the Hammers took a narrow lead when Kauko Nieminen, although made a poor getaway, found a way past Pole Grzegorz Zengota with Jonas Davidsson taking the chequered flag.
The see-sawing then started with Swindon replying with aplomb through debutant Janowski and Dane Morten Risager.
The Davidsson Nieminen partnership came to fruition again in heat five to move the Hammers back into the slenderest of leads before Zengota and reserve Justin Sedgmen followed up in the next with a counter blow.
Peter Ljung then won to help restore Hammers’ two point advantage at 25-23.
The visitors surprised many with their handiness round the track and held their own for the second half of the meeting, reeling off four shared heats in succession before a vital heat 13.
Richardson after a minor blip in heat six with mechanical problems was back to his best and managed to hold off Adams with Shields taking a vital third in front of Sedgmen, but no-one could imagine what result heat 14 turned up.
Davidsson and Robson failed to make the gate and the Robins pair ofJanowski and Risager held on for the win despite Davidsson’s best efforts.
With the Hammers unable to get a heat advantage in the penultimate heat they had to settle for the draw and only one point, and will just be grateful for that as it could have been a lot worse in a meeting which was a fitting finale for Adams at the Raceway as the one time Hammer finished off with 14+1.
Lakeside Hammers 45: Lee Richardson 11, Peter Ljung 6+1, Kauko Nieminen 7, Jonas Davidsson 8+1, Adam Shields 8, Chris Neath 2+2, Stuart Robson 3.
Swindon Robins 45: Leigh Adams 14+1, Marc Owen 0, Grzegorz Zengota 7, Maciej Janowski 11+3, Simon Stead Rider Replacement, Justin Sedgmen 6, Morten Risager 7+1.