Big win for the Hammers

The Hammers took a comprehensive win at the expense of a depleted Birmingham side, marking a return to winning ways following the Good Friday defeats against Eastbourne.

It had been some 25 years since a Birmingham side had appeared at the Arena-Essex Raceway but this wasn’t a return for the Brummies to remember with much fondness. Although guest Edward Kennett put in plenty of effort as usual, the Brummies missed former Hammers Krzysztof Kasprzak and Daniel King and also suffered huge volumes of misfortune throughout the course of the meeting.

A total of three paid or full race wins were lost by Brummies riders through mechanical failure, the first coming when Kennett lost a primary chain whilst heading home Peter Ljung and Ricky Wells in heat seven, turning a shared race into a Hammers 5-1.

The next came in heat ten when Daniel Nermark had a problem with his engine cut out and stopped abruptly whilst showing a clean pair of heels to the otherwise unbeaten Lee Richardson. Nermark’s misery was complete in the final race when he and Kennett appeared to be heading to a consolidation 5-1 – only for the Swede to stop again.

The Hammers, though, did have plenty of good performances to write home about and there were plenty of encouraging performances, particularly from Robert Mear at reserve. Mear was excellent, with plenty of fast, determined racing and three unbeaten opening rides to boot. He missed out on at least another point when an ambitious move to pass Joe Screen in heat twelve went awry but nonetheless it was a strong performance that bodes well for future meetings.

The best race of the night by far was in the penultimate heat fourteen when Hammers guest Ricky Wells, who’d been excellent all evening, crossed the line together with Screen and Piotr Swiderski after a superb race in which positions changed regularly.

Richardson finished the evening with a four ride full maximum and for a while it looked as though Peter Ljung was going to join him, although his run was stopped in heat thirteen. Richardson produced a superb ride down the backstraight to rein in Kennett and Nermark after the visitors took the early lead from the gate and never looked back.

Lakeside Hammers 61
1. Lee Richardson  - 3  3  3  3     = 12
2. Kauko Nieminen  - 1  2' 3  2'    = 8+2
3. Adam Shields    - 0  2  3  3  2  = 10
4. Piotr Swiderski - 3  R  2' 1     = 6+1
5. Peter Ljung     - 2' 2' 3  0  1' = 8+3
6. Robert Mear     - 3  3  2' 0     = 8+1
7. Ricky Wells     - 2' 3  1  3     = 9+1
Team Manager : Jon Cook
Birmingham Brummies 31
1. Edward Kennett  - 0  3  R^ 2  2  3 = 10
2. Ales Dryml      - 2  2  1  1  0    = 6
3. Joe Screen      - 1' 1  1  2  4^   = 9+1
4. Rider Replacement
5. Daniel Nermark  - 0  1  1  R  1' R = 3+1
6. Kozza Smith     - F  0  0  1' 0    = 1+1
7. Jan Graversen   - 1  1  0          = 2
Team Manager : Graham Drury
Heat Results
Heat 01: Richardson, Dryml, Nieminen, Kennett (4-2) 58.4
Heat 02: Mear, Wells, Graversen, Smith (fell) (5-1) (9-3) 59.4
Heat 03: Swiderski, Dryml, Screen, Shields (3-3) (12-6) 58.4
Heat 04: Mear, Ljung, Graversen, Nermark (5-1) (17-7) 59.3
Heat 05: Kennett, Shields, Dryml, Swiderski (ret) (2-4) (19-11) 57.8
Heat 06: Richardson, Nieminen, Nermark, Smith (5-1) (24-12) 59.3
Heat 07: Wells, Ljung, Screen, Kennett (tactical ride) (ret) (5-1) (29-13) 60.5
Heat 08: Nieminen, Mear, Dryml, Graversen (5-1) (34-14) 59.6
Heat 09: Shields, Swiderski, Nermark, Smith (5-1) (39-15) 59.3
Heat 10: Richardson, Nieminen, Screen, Nermark (ret) (5-1) (44-16) 59.9
Heat 11: Ljung, Kennett, Wells, Dryml (4-2) (48-18) 59.7
Heat 12: Shields, Screen, Smith, Mear (3-3) (51-21) 59.2
Heat 13: Richardson, Kennett, Nermark, Ljung (3-3) (54-24) 59.3
Heat 14: Wells, Screen (tactical ride), Swiderski, Smith (4-4) (58-28) 60.5
Heat 15: Kennett, Shields, Ljung, Nermark (ret) (3-3) (61-31) 59.3

Picture : Peter Ljung (Gavin Ellis/TGSPHOTO)