LAKESIDE Hammers will take on the team club owner Stuart Douglas has tagged 'Champions Elect' this Friday at the Arena-Essex Raceway in what is without doubt the biggest meeting of the season so far for the Essex based Club.

LAKESIDE Hammers will take on the team club owner Stuart Douglas has tagged 'Champions Elect' this Friday at the Arena-Essex Raceway in what is without doubt the biggest meeting of the season so far for the Essex based Club.

The Swindon Robins were most pundits choice for Champions and although Wolverhampton are currently making all the running at the head of the table the Hammers Co Promoter feels the Championship is there is be wrestled away from the Robins.

Douglas commented on the build-up to this match saying: "Swindon are a real class act and it's clear to the rest of the League that if they finish in the top two it will be difficult to match them over two legs. We have Championship aspirations of our own, and with Wolves currently leading the way, if we can also break into the top two and relegate Robins to a lower finishing position then the Play offs will be within our grasp. To do that a win on Friday is imperative."

The meeting is the fourth in a row for the Hammers against top of the table opposition at a time when the team are without Joonas Kylmakorpi and with wins already on the board against Wolves, Eastbourne and Coventry hopes are high of a similar result against the team spearheaded by the Sport's No1 League rider Leigh Adams.

To add to the drama this will be the first return to the Raceway for the Robins since they were thrashed in last years Play Off semi final amid accusations of a doctored track as well as behind the scenes fallouts with regards to both team's line up's.

Hammers Team Manager Jon Cook said: "Our semi final victory last year will live long in the memory of Hammers fans but Swindon visited us in the regular season and made us look pretty stupid as we posted our only League home defeat of the year. We certainly don't want that to happen again.

“We are not at full strength on track but the boys are totally committed to the cause and we know it's going to be a real hard night's racing. Over the years Swindon have turned themselves into probably one of the biggest clubs, if not the biggest, in Elite Speedway and this is always one of the outstanding fixtures of our season. Roll on Friday".

The action gets underway at the Arena-Essex Raceway at 8pm this Friday.