LAKESIDE beat Eastbourne 52-41 in the first leg of the Elite League Knockout Cup semi-final at the Arena-Essex Raceway to leave the match nicely poised for the return leg.

A date has still to be arranged for that meeting, but Hammers manager Jon Cook is wary that the match is not a done deal yet.

“It’s a useful lead to defend but there’s no way that I think the tie is over,” said Cook. “Once again, we put in a good solid all-round effort, but we know that we are going to have to repeat that effort at Arlington if we want to reach the final.”

Guest Rory Schlein proved a good stand-in for injured Andreas Jonsson returning 11 points.

And Adam Shields was his usual dependable self as he top-scored with paid 13 points.

Cook’s intention of using Kauko Nieminen in the number five slot was scuppered because the Finnish rider’s average decreed that he had to be listed as number eight.

But Nieminen remained unphased racing to a paid eight tally from his four rides.

Grand Prix rider Scott Nicholls and Edward Kennett virtually carried the visitors, accounting for a combined 30 points.

With rain falling for much of the fixture, the home side wasted little time in taking the lead when Schlein popped out of the gate to deny Scott Nicholls ,with Leigh Lanham collecting a point, although the reserves race was shared.

Shields and Jonas Davidsson grabbed a 4-2 after the Hammers’ Australian skipper had taken Lewis Bridger wide.

Another couple of similar heat advantages followed when Nieminen beat Kennett from the gate and then Shields shrugged off the challenge of Nicholls, with Davidsson in third, to open up an eight-point lead for the home side (19-11) after six heats.

Kennett then beat Schlein in a drawn race before the promising young Eagles rider was given a rider replacement ride and teamed up with Cameron Woodward for a 5-1 to reduce the deficit to eight points.

But an immediate response from the Hammers produced a heat maximum, with Lanham and Lubos Tomicek taking full advantage of a fall by Lewis Bridger.

Three shared heats followed with Kennett taking the chequered flag in heat nine before Nicholls collected two successive heat wins, one as a rider replacement.

Leading 37-29, Lakeside extended their advantage by four points when Shields and Tomicek soon dealt with the challenge from Woodward.

But that brought the expected reaction form their opponents with Nicholls being named for a tactical ride.

Schlein got the drop and pluckily held onto a narrow lead until the third lap when the Great Britain captain made a successful challenge with Nieminen in third to leave the Hammers 45-36 ahead.

With the semi-final tie settled on aggregate, every point was important.

Ricky Kling and Davidsson added anther couple to give Lakeside an 11-point margin that was protected when Schlein and Shields filled the minor places behind the fast-gating Nicholls in the final race.

Lakeside scorers: Rory Schlein 11, Leigh Lanham 5+3, Adam Shields 12+1, Jonas Davidsson 4+1, rider replacement Joonas Kylmakorpi, Ricky Kling 6+1,Lubos Tomicek 7+2, Kauko Nieminen 7+1.

Eastbourne scorers: Scott Nicholls 19, Lewis Bridger 2, rider replacement Lee Richardson, Cameron Woodward 5+1, Edward Kennett 11,Stefan Gustafsson 4, James Brundle 0.

The next home meeting for the Hammers is on Friday 22 August when Wolverhampton are the visitors in an Elite league match.