Mjolnir

The rule has changed this year so Swindon still get all 3 points for winning at home Really pleased that we managed to grab a point though ... hopefully we'll get some more soon. Good to see Bech getting some points this evening!

Fingers crossed you're "right" this time too!

Some fantastic photos Steve!

Glad to see such a positive post. I'm a Lakeside and Kent fan but I've visited Eastbourne most seasons for longer than I can remember and I truly hope the club will thrive in the NL.

As others have also said - he was great! I hadn't seen him ride since his first year back in the sport with Kent (where he also impressed me) so I was looking forward to seeing him at Lakeside yesterday. Good out the starts, riding the right lines and being forceful but fair on the track.

Absolutely ... if I remember correctly he was a 3 point (ish) reserve when he joined us and every time he has moved up within the team he has continued improving, despite being a big track rider by his own admission. And it's not like beating world class riders today was a one-off ... I seem to recall a particularly good meeting at Poole last year, winning heat 15! He's been rider of the year every year since joining for a reason! And a nice bloke too. His performances certainly have been a bit concerning this week, but we've seen him put on some incredible performances home and away in the past too. He has a lot of talent, he just hasn't looked like his usual self the last couple of meetings. I'm sure normal service will be resumed soon

Haha, it made me chuckle! Kings Lynn will undoubtedly travel better than they did today this season, but with the way our team is built this year I'm confident we will too. I look forward to seeing the progress that Lambert makes this season - he is surely a big part of the future of British speedway!

It's the first time for quite a few years that I haven't gone from Lakeside to Eastbourne on Good Friday - I wish I could make it to the first meeting of Eastbourne's new era! I hope there's a great turnout and some good racing. Very glad to hear that Ben will be riding after all. I won't try to predict an exact result but I do think it will be a close one!

Richard Lawson ... absolutely brilliant! He's come such a long way since he first rode for us. After running a last in his first ride, AJ looked better but he still seems to lack a bit of straight line speed. He was gating much better though and his track craft was excellent - I'm sure he'll get his set up sorted soon. Another good meeting for Kim and Eddie too. I was very impressed with Steve Boxall who fought hard and rode well - and was very lucky that his fall in his 2nd ride wasn't worse! Mikkel's performance was a bit concerning (especially after Tuesday) but it's early in the season and I'm sure he'll turn it around soon.

I agree, R/R would at least match Doolan's score I reckon, despite his brief spell as a Hammer a couple of years back.

Sometimes I find the passionate negativity on the forum a bit overwhelming so I find myself taking a few days away! Haha. Honestly, sometimes criticism is warranted or there's some controversy but some discussions can be a bit heavy going when I just want to enjoy speedway. Last week's convincing win over Leicester was a great way to start the season but I think the Stars will provide a bigger challenge. Having said that, I think we should be able to win by enough to stop them grabbing a point (assuming the meeting is on!). Hopefully Bech and Kennett can make up for their performances at Kings Lynn earlier in the week with double figures. As a Lakeside and Kent fan, I'm looking forward to seeing Steve Boxall at reserve although I would of course prefer to see Birks continue his rapid improvement around Arena Essex. Schlein is always a very popular visitor at Lakeside, although on this occasion I hope he doesn't score too many!

Fair enough, I guess not everyone will agree, but I personally think it's a good idea to reward the away team without penalising the home team for a close result. I haven't heard of it used as an excuse for declining crowds, and the majority of fans I've discussed it with are also quite pleased with the new version of the rule. I also do agree with Jon Cook's comments on it, as I was a fan who sometimes would enjoy a close meeting but still feel slightly disappointed to have dropped a point.

That's exactly how I understand it too. I think it's a nice balance - as Jon Cook put it, it's bizarre that home fans would sometimes go home disappointed even though their team had won!

I'm quite surprised that we've been written off for getting results away already. I don't think our team is particularly strong on paper, but as I've pointed out a number of times (along with other Lakeside fans) this team has been built to perform better away than previous seasons. Just out of curiosity, which of our riders do you think won't ride well away from home? I would say the only one that has been a home track specialist in particular for us in the past is Kim Nilsson, and I wouldn't be surprised if this is the year that he starts to score more away judging by his first 2 home meetings. We've taken some chances this year, but if they pay off I think we could do much better than everyone expects this season. I think a number of our riders have the potential to increase their averages. Having said that, your prediction for us is exactly what we've done in recent years, so we might just do it again!

They are, and it looked alright to me

Absolutely, it's fantastic to have him back, and he was getting back into his groove in his later rides last night. I agree that a lot depends on Eddie this season and consistency throughout a season has often been a problem for him. Fingers crossed that will be different for him at Lakeside - he's looking great so far though! Hopefully Birks will move up the rankings a bit to give us more options for a guest when necessary.

I (unfortunately) see your point on Birks and Lawson, but how often will Kennett be missing now? We have priority as he wasn't a Rye House asset when he signed for us: http://www.lakesidehammers.co/edward-kennett-statement/

Absolutely spot on Liam - Kim aside, this team has been put together to perform better on bigger away tracks this year and most of them are originally big track riders. Lawson is a perfect example of a rider mastering the Lakeside track though - and Birks is noticeably better already. I'm looking forward to seeing how Kim does away this year as he certainly seems to have brought some of his Swedish form with him this season - that win over Doyle was brilliant! I think we will be difficult to beat at home, but that's because our team is better than people seem to think. Really enjoyed last night's meeting - much more passing than last week and I think we made a point (or three!) with that result. To be fair I doubt we'll beat Leocester quite that convincingly again next time but the whole team were up for it and rode well. Team spirit seems great this year. It was great to see the riders come round the stock car track on their bikes at the end rather than in the back of a truck as well, that was nice for the fans - I hope that continues! A few Leicester riders deserve a special mention in my opinion. Wozniak really improved after his first race, Auty was very impressive and Lambert worked very hard for not many points.

I'm sure the Hammers will do their best to make sure that doesn't happen! Having Barker as a guest has definitely strengthened the Lions though.

But at the time that he signed to ride for Lakeside he wasn't your asset, he was on loan at both clubs. Len's statement made it sound like it is Eddie's preference, mostly from a financial perspective - at least that's how I read it: "As it did not affect very many fixtures, and with the riders interests at heart, Rye House were happy with the arrangement. Suddenly the picture was changed when a swap with Jason Garrity would have given Rye House official priority and Edward would have lost his place ( and substantial income) from Lakeside. So to keep faith and uphold my prior agreement with both Edward and Lakeside, the new contract and transfer agreement was delivered to the BSPA after the official start to the season, thus giving Lakeside the priority that was previously agreed." It is very frustrating for any fan / club to be missing a rider - in many ways I'm not a fan of riders doubling up between leagues. Haven't rules been brought in to reduce long term doubling up within the next couple of seasons?

Cheers Jonny, I suspected that was the case - just glad to hear that he did get something sorted as I'm sure no rider wants to do all mechanic duties for a meeting as well! Hopefully Adam gets plenty of EL guest bookings when required this year, more track time is always good! From a fan perspective I'm very glad to have Adam at Lakeside again this year.

Glad to see that you were wrong on this one! Do you know if he sorted the mechanic problem in the end? Adam had a slow start to the season, but he had a good night at Birmingham as well so hopefully he'll do well against Leciester tonight!

Good to hear Bryn!

Correct - the order is likely to be: AJ KN MB EK RL

Adam Ellis had a much better night for Birmingham last night, so hopefully that's given him a bit of a boost for tomorrow's meeting. We'll need AJ up to speed to deal with Doyle - hopefully he's feeling better!