RISING POLISH STAR COMPLETES EAGLES LINE UP

With their opening Grand Challenge fixture against the Peterborough Panthers now a mere three weeks away, the management of the Eastbourne ‘Lifestyle’ Eagles are pleased, not to mention a little relieved to put to an end the speculation surrounding the identity of their new number seven ahead of the 2010 Elite League campaign.

Poland’s Dawid Lampart, a commonly occurring name on the European and World Under-21 scene can now be revealed as the young man to put pen to paper, and the Sussex club’s promotion are delighted to welcome him to the side, completing what they believe to be a wholly attractive, youthful and cosmopolitan line up and one highly capable of challenging for silverware in the season ahead.

Despite his 19-years, Lampart has packed a great deal into his short career and already he is no stranger to picking up top honours. In the latter part of 2009, he was a member of the Polish side that captured both the Under-19 European Championship and the Under-21 World Cup within the space of three weeks, the latter being won in front of an avid 9500 strong Gorzow crowd, a meeting in which Lampart’s heat 19 victory over Denmark’s (and Wolves) Nicolai Klindt and Eagles own Simon Gustafsson proved crucial.

Just for good measure, 2009 also saw him finish on the rostrum at the Individual Speedway Junior Polish Championship.

Lampart’s appointment has been well received by the remainder of the Eastbourne septet, particularly so new Eagles skipper Cameron Woodward with whom he occupies a team berth as a member of the Stal Rzeszow side, one that also features Arlington cult hero Lukas Dryml, in the Polish league. Indeed the young Pole’s talents can claim to be sought after as he has also represented both Hammerby in Sweden and Holsted in the Danish league.

Now the time is right to add the English Elite League to his itinerary and the Eagles co-promotion of Bob Dugard, Trevor Geer and Mike Bellerby are delighted to be the ones to have captured the services of the Pole that many feel is destined for the very top of the sport.

Of course, this will not be the first time that the Arlington faithful have had to capture a glimpse of Lampart in action. He was a member of the Poole team who took on the Eagles in the home and away Draper Tools Challenge in October of 2009 as well as travelling with them to Ipswich’s Foxhall Heath, although ongoing machinery problems undoubtedly curtailed his scoring, two seized motors forcing an early end to his involvement at Wimborne Road.

Eastbourne bosses remain wholly confident however that a sustained run in the side will reveal the very best of the up and coming star and that his riding alongside Rzeszow team mates Woodward and Dryml will prove vital in making him feel at home at the Sussex circuit which in turn can only prove of benefit to him.

Eastbourne co-promoter Mike Bellerby commented, “Our search for a number seven has proved something of a long drawn affair but we are delighted with the outcome. We are sure that our loyal supporters will play their part in welcoming Dawid Lampart to the Arlington fold and now with everything signed, sealed and delivered we can finally look forward and focus our efforts totally on the season ahead, the forthcoming matches and the important business of challenging for honours”.

 Of course this announcement, for the time being at least, will surely draw a line under Eagles pursuit of Russian star Denis Gizatullin. It remained one of the sports worst kept secrets that Gizatullin was their number one target throughout the winter months, however with time increasingly at a premium, the continued absence of a suitably passed English Test Certificate, one they were assured on a number of occasions had been obtained, proved the critical factor in forcing the clubs management to concentrate their search elsewhere.

The Russian World Cup performer’s sporting prowess remains highly regarded by the club’s bosses, Bob Dugard in particular and hopes remain high that Gizatullin might feature strongly at Arlington some time in the future.

“Naturally we are disappointed that Denis will not be joining us, at least in the short term” continued Bellerby “each of us had invested considerable time in capturing his signature, but with time very much of the essence the simple fact of the matter was that we had to get something sorted in order to give us a settled side well in time for the new season and I repeat we are delighted with the outcome”.

“We will continue to monitor the situation carefully however, certainly the matter will not drop, and should circumstances allow, who knows, we may yet get to welcome Denis Gizatullin to Arlington at some time in the future” he concluded.