Agony for Eagles

DUGARD Eagles so nearly defied all the odds to further their Craven Shield aspirations at Arlington stadium last Saturday evening.

DUGARD Eagles so nearly defied all the odds to further their Craven Shield aspirations at Arlington stadium last Saturday evening. Their injury crisis having deepened over the preceding week, the Sussex side was effectively reduced to a four-man unit with just three regulars, Mark Loram, Joe Screen and Dean Barker manning their posts.

With eight points the difference to make up following the first leg at Wimborne Road a fortnight before, the Eagles came agonisingly close to overturning the Pirates and claiming the all important aggregate bonus point, one that was essential if they were to progress.

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In the event it was the Tony Rickardsson masterclass that kept the Pirates ship afloat. Although the Eagles successfully mirrored the 49-41 defeat that they had gone down to in Dorset, the five time World Champion made no mistake when it came to the run off against Eagles own Loram.

With injury and illness having decimated their squad, Stefan Andersson, David Norris and Savalas Clouting all absentees together with Toni Svab for whom Eagles pressed Ipswich loanee into service as a guest replacement.

While the Sussex men operated the Rider Replacement facility in place of Norris, juniors Daniel Giffard and Jamie Smith were also brought into the side but, although both gave of their best, it was a tall order to expect either to bring home the bacon against Rickardsson and company.

However, after a nip and tuck meet, a penultimate race 5-1 from the impressive Barker and Kylmakorpi duo raised the stakes and drew Eagles level on aggregate at 46-38.

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Rickardsson set a blistering pace in the last to lower the track record to 55.2 but Loram and Screen experienced little difficulty in containing Lars Gunnestad for the minor placings. The shared heat pegged the difference at eight-points (49-41); a massive achievement considering Eagles personnel difficulties but more importantly it ensured that the sides remained deadlocked at 90-points apiece over the two legs.

It came as little surprise when Rickardsson and Loram emerged to contest the run off and although the Englishmen got the drop on his Swedish counterpart out of the start, Rickardsson had captured the lead by the end of the lap and, when Loram fell on the second bend of lap two, it paved the way for a Pirates victory.

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