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Challenge Fixture : Friday 14th March 2008
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Two of the fancied teams in this year's Elite League squared off to open the speedway season as home favourites Lakeside Hammers overcame their hotly tipped rivals Poole.
Much has been made of the relative merits of all competitors in top-flight speedway circles and the Hammers' series of challenge encounters against the Pirates was evenly matched with similar results at both stamping grounds.
The Hammers returned to action boasting their familiar septet that included just one newcomer in Swedish star Jonas Davidsson and a potent-looking top-end in Grand Prix star Andreas Jonsson and returning Finn Joonas Kylmakorpi.
The action got underway in cracking fashion when Jonsson stalked early race leader Adam Skornicki before blasting past in typical AJ style at the start of the fourth lap.
The early action continued in the reserves heat when Lubos Tomicek got past Pirates' Freddie Eriksson to join Ricky Kling and deliver the first 5-1 of 2008.
Pirates never recovered the deficit after that early blow, although they made a determined fight of it. Chris Holder's first-ever race at Arena-Essex ended in victory in heat four with all-action Leigh Lanham moving through the field to keep the early excitement factor high.
Pirates' Bjarne Pedersen teamed up with Skornicki for a big 8-1 in the eleventh heat to bring the scores a little closer despite Lanham's effort and Davey Watt took three race wins - two of them over Aussie compatriot and Hammers' skipper Adam Shields.
Jonsson's supreme form appeared to be taking him to a clean sweep of victories - but his Grand Prix rival Bjarne Pedersen had other ideas when he cleverly slipped inside the Swede in heat thirteen to head AJ home in a great battle for superiority. Jonsson later declared himself unhappy with his evening's work, since he had dropped a solitary point !
Davidsson ensured he marked his debut with a heat win and he did it in fine style, too, moving from last to first in the penultimate race.
Jonsson and Shields blasted from the tapes in the final race to storm to victory and mark a season-opening win for the Hammers. With a long, hard season of league racing to come, Jon Cook's men have made the ideal start.
 Related Link: Impressive start for Hammers against rivals Poole : Scorechart and Match Facts
Related Link: Match Photographs
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