Lynn Stars 38 Eastbourne 24

(after ten heats, result stands)

Reserve Lewis Rose stole the show as the Lynn Stars bounced back from successive league defeats in a rain-curtailed meeting at the Norfolk Arena.

Rose helped himself to a paid ten as the hosts collected maximum points against the play-off chasing Eagles.

The victory gives Lynn a six-point buffer over second-placed Poole at the top of the Elite League standings.

Stars team boss Rob Lyon welcomed the decision to bring the meeting to a halt early.

Lyon said: 'You have to take everything into consideration, the public, the riders and the track. The safety of everyone is paramount.

'We've got the three points and the meeting won, but it would have been nice to finish it as our riders were really enjoying it.'

Both sides made changes to their line-ups.

For the Stars, Belle Vue's Michael Palm Toft guested for the injured Dane Nicklas Porsing while the Eagles made two alterations to their starting seven.

Simon Gustafsson, son of former Stars' legend Henka, replaced the absent Mikkel Michelson and Max Clegg came in at reserve for broken-leg victim Lewis Blackbird.

Iversen held the lead from flag to finish in the opener with the Eastbourne pairing of Bjarne Pedersen and Timo Lahti following him home in a 3-3.

There was no doubting the result of heat two with the Lynn pairing of Lewis Kerr and Lewis Rose storming out of the gates for a convincing 5-1.

The Stars increased their advantage to eight points with another 5-1 in heat three before the same combination were involved in a 3-3 in the next after Rose came in as a late replacement for Palm Toft, who touched the tapes prior to the start.

Lynn's dynamic Danish duo of Iversen and Bjerre piled on the misery for the visitors with a home maximum in heat five.

But the Eagles reduced the arrears to only six points in the following race after Pedersen, in as a tactical ride, collected double points in a 7-2 - Eastbourne's only heat advantage of the evening.

Joonas Kylmakorpi was streets ahead of the opposition in a shared heat seven and there was no separating the teams in the next as the Stars held a 28-22 lead just past the halfway point.

The heavens opened before the start of heat nine, but the Stars maintained their focus with two successive 5-1's to surge even further clear of the south coast outfit.

Rain continued to hammer down on the Saddlebow Road circuit and referee David Watters quite rightly brought a halt to the proceedings five heats ahead of schedule.

In the end the elements proved too much for the track - fresh from the news that it will host the Elite League Riders' Championship in late September.

Lynn Stars 38: Iversen 8+1 (3), Lambert 3+2 (3), Schlein 6+1 (3), Palm Toft 1+1 (2), Bjerre 6 (2), Kerr 7+1 (3), Rose 8+2 (4).

Eastbourne Eagles 24: Pedersen 8 (2), Lahti 4+1 (3), Woodward 5 (4), Kylmakorpi 4 (2), Gustafsson 1 (3), Clegg 0 (3), Halsey 2 (3).