Kim Nilsson (blue) crashes out with Jacob Thorsell (yellow) in heat six of last night's 52-40 win for Lakeisde over Peterborough ( Gavin Ellis/TGSPHOTO)

Elite League: Lakeside Hammers 52 Peterborough Panthers 40

Lakeside kept their end of the bargain with a three point home win over fellow play-off challengers Peterborough last night.

Now the Hammers will have to wait and see how other results go next week to see if they make the end of season showdown.

But it wasn’t all plain sailing for the Purfleet side as they didn’t seal the three points needed until a final heat maximum from skipper Davey Watt and the ever-dependable Peter Karlsson.

Kim Nilsson had one of his best meetings of the season for the hosts as he took victory in heat one, with Watt stranded at the back.

Over the next two heats the Hammers gated and unsurprisingly secured maximums through Robert Mear and Justin Sedgmen in the first, then Karlsson and Robson followed suit.

But the rider replacement facility used at number five for the hosts failed to work in its opening two rides as the Panthers picked up maximums with guest reserve Patrick Hougaard proving a wise choice, and formed a profitable partnership with Linus Sundstrom all night.

Heat eight saw Nilsson in the action again as he managed to join Mear in another maximum after a pass on Norbert Kosciuch and the Hammers began to dominate.

Two consecutive maximums in heats nine and 10 saw Lakeside open up a 37-23 lead.

You would have though the Hammers were home and hosed when they negated both tactical rides in successive heats.

First Watt and Nilsson kept out Linus Sundstrom then Nilsson capped off his fine night holding off a below-par Ryan Sullivan.

Going into heat 12 the hosts were 40-28 ahead but the Panthers kept their hopes alive with a Sundstrom and Hougaard maximum after a rare Karlsson fall.

But for one of the very first times this season, the Hammers took a maximum in heat 13 with Watt and Karlsson doing the business, though those fears crept in once more with that Sundstrom-Hougaard maximum in the penultimate heat.

Watt and Karlsson stepped up to the plate though in heat 15 to send the Hammers fans home happy and end the regular season on a positive.

Whether it continues into the play-offs remain to be seen.

Lakeside Hammers 52: Davey Watt 11+1 (from five rides), Kim Nilsson 11+2 (5), Peter Karlsson 14+1 (6), Stuart Robson 6+2 (5), Justin Sedgmen 2+1 (3), Robert Mear 8 (6)

Peterborough Panthers 40: Ryan Sullivan 8+1 (5), Norbert Kosciuch 5+2 (5), Linus Sundstrom 10+2 (6), Krzysztof Buczkowski 4+1 (5), Jacob Thorsell 0 (2), Patrick Hougaard 13+1 (7)