LAKESIDE Hammers have a busy week in front of them

LAKESIDE Hammers have a busy week in front of them and they will be looking for two home wins and an improved away performance in the hope that the vital Sky Sports Elite League points available from these three matches will move the Essex based Club back into the top four in the League table, which will be required if they are to progress into the end of season Play Offs.

The action starts tonight when the Coventry Bees visit the Arena Essex Raceway. The Hammers will be looking to avenge the defeat by the Bees earlier in the season when the Midlands Club knocked the Hammers out of the Knockout Cup.

Following last week’s fixtures up and down the Country in the Elite League the Hammers find themselves down in sixth place after having spent the whole of the season in the top four. A victory against the Bees, therefore, will be vital is they are to move back up into the top four come the end of the League campaign.

The Hammers go into the match with the same side that came so close in securing a victory last Monday up at Wolverhampton. They will be led by Davey Watt and Peter Karlsson, who have regularly top scored for the Hammers during what has been a difficult season. They are joined in the top five by Kim Nilsson, who had two rides in Saturday’s Scandinavian Grand Prix, which took place in Malilla, Sweden, and Stuart Robson whilst they continue to utilise the ‘Rider Replacement’ facility to cover the rides of Jonas Davidsson. At reserve they will field the usual pairing of Robert Mear and Justin Sedgmen. Mear put in a good performance for the Hammers last Thursday in the defeat away at Peterborough.

The Coventry Bees, who are currently in ninth place in the table, are spearheaded by a trio of British riders in Grand Prix rider Chris Harris captaining the side at No.1, the current British Champion Scott Nicholls and Edward Kennett. Joining them in the Bees top five will be Australian Aaron Summers and Dane Kenni Larsen. Polish rider Michal Szcepaniak rides at reserve along with Dane Jan Graversen, who has been named as a guest. The Coventry promotion have named the Dane, who rides for Leicester in the Premier League, as cover for their absent ‘double up’ pair of Adam Roynon and Josef Franc. Roynon is currently out injured whilst Franc was competing in the fifth round of the World Longtrack Grand Prix series on Saturday evening in Morizes, France.

Following Monday’s home match against the Bees the Hammers then have to travel down to Wiltshire on Thursday evening to face second placed team in the League, the Swindon Robins, before returning back to the Arena Essex Raceway on Friday, 14th September, for their second home match of the week against the Peterborough Panthers, who are currently in fifth place in the League just one place above the Hammers but on equal League points.

The first action of the week action gets underway at the Arena Essex Raceway on Monday against the Coventry Bees at the slightly earlier time of 7.30pm and is a match that the Hammers simply will have to win if they are to pursue their aspirations of a place in the Elite League Play Offs.

The ‘Kids for a Quid’ initiative has been extended to cover Monday’s match with the admission prices being �17 for adults, �14 for Senior Citizens, Students and Disabled, �12 for Unemployed and 17 and 18 year olds and children aged 6 to 16 inclusive just �1 with children under the age of six admitted free of charge provided they are accompanied by a paying adult. Proof of age or status may be requested.

All tickets may be purchased on the night but, alternatively, they are also available in advance online via the Club’s website at www.lakesidehammers.co