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Craven Shield fixture : Friday 21st March 2008 @ 8pm
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What a difference a few hours makes - mid-afternoon during this Good Friday speedway-fest and the Hammers were buoyant following an away success at Ipswich. Come the evening, though, and it was the Witches who turned the tables and emerged triumphant at the Arena raceway.
It had been a bizarre day weather wise at the circuit, with the official start of Spring coinciding with Arctic conditions, a drying breeze and intermittent showery spells hitting the track. The track staff worked wonders to get the circuit into racing condition, recovering from a hail storm shortly before opening time to prepare the track for this return clash.
The Hammers looked like they had carried the early afternoon form from their fabulous victory at Foxhall Heath into town as the dynamic duo of Andreas Jonsson and Leigh Lanham powered to a 5-1 over Jaroslaw Hampel, who was making his debut at the Arena track.
A couple of shared heats gave way to a Witches 4-2 through Hampel, with Joonas Kylmakorpi appearing to struggle at the back before stopping. This was quickly followed by a Louis/Swiderski 5-1 - and all of a sudden, it was very much a case of the Witches asserting their dominance over proceedings.
Louis led another maximum with former Hammers skipper Steve Johnston in heat seven. A look through the racecard showed both he, Swiderski and Hampel - the men in fast-gating form - to be scattered throughout the remaining heats in either programmed outings or as replacements for the ill Robert Miskowiak.
Tobias Kroner popped out of the gate in heat nine to defeat Adam Shields and head another Witches 4-2, although Hammers quickly redeemed this in the next race when Leigh Lanham produced an outstanding effort to keep Louis at bay and narrowly miss out to Johnston on the line.
Hammers missed out on a potential 4-2 in heat twelve wheh Lubos Tomicek suffered machine problems - and the meeting was all but over in heat thirteen when Jonsson and Kylmakorpi were left standing at the gate by Hampel and the superb Swiderski. Not even a terrific tactical ride effort from Jonas Davidsson in the penultimate race was enough to save the meeting for the Hammers.
Hammers team boss Jon Cook reflected thoughtfully at the end of the meeting when he commented: "We need to have a good think about this and what has gone wrong. We put on a great show up at Ipswich this afternoon and undone that good work here this evening.
"We've seen some fantastic effort from Leigh and Jonas tonight, but the track was the same for both sides and we need to pick ourselves up after this."
 Related Link: Hammers caught on the hop by resurgent Witches : Scorechart and Match Facts
Related Link: A good Friday for Hammers with away success at Ipswich
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