SOMEHOW salvaging their proud unbeaten home record did little to paper over the cracks of another below-par Panthers performance last night.

Captain Hans Andersen and local lad Danny King teamed up for two 5-1 maximums in the final three heats to turn a sticky losing predicament into a share of the Craven Shield spoils.

Their exploits guaranteed the most dramatic conclusion to a Showground meeting seen since the club's unforgettable title triumph of 2006 and ensured a 19-month Alwalton unbeaten streak was extended.

But what went before only provided more causes for concern as far too many riders again failed to do themselves justice, with far too many races being lost at the starting gate.

Panthers' rustiness in that area is becoming a serious worry, while excuses of a lack of track-time are fast falling on deaf ears with the new season now at the end of its fourth week.

The visit of a Lakeside outfit lacking their star rider – the injured Andreas Jonsson – ought to have provided the perfect opportunity for a crowd-pleasing Panthers success – especially given the fact they had a lengthy practice session at the Showground before racing.

And things began in promising fashion as Andersen grabbed the first victory in his 14+1 paid maximum haul in a quick 59.7 seconds.

Andersen roared from third to first on the opening lap with Morten Risager going the other way, but the hosts emerged with a 4-2 advantage.

Reserve pair Henrik Moller (looking considerably more competitive on equipment borrowed from skipper Andersen) and Claus Vissing shared the spoils in a second heat won by meeting star Ricky Kling.

Lakeside hauled themselves level with a 4-2 in heat three when Panthers man Kenneth Bjerre found himself stuck at the back after botching the start.

A hat-trick of shared heats followed before the Hammers hit the front when captain Adam Shields and Joonas Kylmakorpi sandwiched King in heat seven.

The meeting remained in the balance through another hat-trick of stalemates – a run which featured Morten Risager's best Showground performance to date with victory in heat eight and Andersen's success over Shields in a battle of the unbeaten rival captains in heat 10 – before Lakeside gained control.

Kling played a key role in back-to-back 4-2s by taking the flag in the 11th contest and then picking up a third behind Shields in the next as the Hammers moved into a 39-33 lead.
It was enough to leave most home fans fearing a defeat, but Andersen and King had other ideas.

Their first maximum reduced Panthers' arrears to two points, but that deficit grew to four in the penultimate race when only the gutsy Vissing kept the meeting alive.

While Sam Simota could make no impression at the end of another night of struggle, reserve Vissing split Hammers pair Kling and Kylmakorpi to set-up the grandstand finish in which his senior team-mates did the business.

"There was no way we wanted to lose and we had to do something about it," said King. "I managed to follow Hans home in heat 13 to give us hope and then in the last race I got round the outside with him behind.

"We are sorting out our problems and while I can't speak for the other lads, I don't we are far away."

And Panthers will need to be at the top of their game when Eastbourne hit town on Tuesday.

SCORES

Panthers

Hans Andersen 14+1 (3, 3, 3, 3, 2*)
Morten Risager 4 (1, 0, 3, 0)
Kenneth Bjerre 7 (0, 3, 2, 2)
Sam Simota 3+1 (2, 0, 1*, 0)
Danny King 11+1 (2, 2, 2, 2*, 3)
Claus Vissing 4 (2, 0, 0, 2)
Henrik Moller 2+2 (1*, 1*, 0, 0)
Lakeside
Davey Watt 6 (2, 2, 1, 1, 0)
Leigh Lanham 2+2 (0, 1*, 1*)
Adam Shields 12 (3, 3, 2, 3, 1)
Joonas Kylmakorpi 4+1 (1, 1, 1*, 1)
Jonas Davidsson 7+1 (3, 1*, 3, 0)
Ricky Kling 14 (3, 2, 2, 3, 1, 3)
Lubos Tomicek 0 (0, ret, 0)

HEATS

1 - ANDERSEN (59.7), Watt, Risager, Lanham. 4-2, 4-2.
2 - KLING (60.8), Vissing, Moller, Tomicek. 3-3, 7-5.
3 - SHIELDS (60.2), Simota, Kylmakorpi, Bjerre. 2-4, 9-9.
4 - DAVIDSSON (61.0), King, Moller, Tomicek (ret). 3-3, 12-12.
5 - BJERRE (60.0), Watt, Lanham, Simota. 3-3, 15-15.
6 - ANDERSEN (60.4), Kling, Davidsson, Risager. 3-3, 18-18.
7 - SHIELDS (60.7), King, Kylmakorpi, Vissing. 2-4, 20-22.
8 - RISAGER (61.3), Kling, Lanham, Moller. 3-3, 23-25.
9 - DAVIDSSON (61.2), Bjerre, Simota, Tomicek. 3-3, 26-28.
10 - ANDERSEN (61.3), Shields, Kylmakorpi, Risager. 3-3, 29-31.
11 - KLING (62.0), King, Watt, Vissing. 2-4, 31-35.
12 - SHIELDS (61.2), Bjerre, Kling, Moller. 2-4, 33-39.
13 - ANDERSEN (61.8), King, Watt, Davidsson. 5-1, 38-40.
14 - KLING (63.0), Vissing, Kylmakorpi, Simota. 2-4, 40-44.
15 - KING (62.1), Andersen, Shields, Watt. 5-1, 45-45.
Key: * = paid points, ret = retired.