World speedway champion Nicki Pedersen is to be at the heart of next year's Eastbourne Eagles speedway team.

The news that the 2004 team would be built around the Dane was given to fans yesterday afternoon at Arlington during the interval of the British League Cup Final against Poole.

Club owner Terry Russell said: "Nicki and I, we have a deal and he will be an Eagle next year."

Russell went on to give the team that finished this year's campaign a massive vote of confidence.

He said: "If I had my way - and I don't know what the regulations are going to be next year - I would have the same team here next year as we had this."

On track the Eagles gained a 48-42 win in the first leg of the final, thanks in part to a battling show by Neville Tatum.

Tatum, who this summer has been riding 1,000 metre tracks on the continent, had not ridden speedway for 18 months. He quickly showed he had not forgotten how to ride the small tracks, scoring a vital five points from the No. 7 berth.

The Horsham-based rider had been talked into riding while playing golf with Eagles team manager Olli Tyrvainen and a group of friends.

Those friends were at the match to watch Tatum and he said: "Fortunately, I have not disgraced myself. I am quite pleased with it."

The match was marked by tactical manoeuvrings by both sides in the run-up to tapes up.

British League Cup teams have to be built within a 36-point limit so eyebrows were raised when the visitors drafted world No. 4 Leigh Adams into their team at No. 1.

He has been virtually unbeatable at Eastbourne this year and he again went through the card yesterday afternoon.

Eastbourne countered by moving young Dane Ulrich Ostergaard to the No. 1 spot to shield their heat leaders from coming up against Adams too many times.

The move worked. A Poole rider won ten of the 15 races. Time and again the Eastbourne riders packed the minor places and when the Eagles came up against weaker Poole team members, they struck.

After eight races the scores were level at 24-24. Eagles' David Norris streaked to victory in heat nine, defeating the previously unbeaten Bjarne Pedersen. Joonas Kylmakorpi was third and the Eagles had a narrow advantage. They seized the chance with Dean Barker and Ulrich Ostergaard taking a maximum 5-1 in heat ten.

These two races gave Eastbourne the upper hand in the closing stages, although it took some heroics from the club's senior riders, Norris and Dean Barker in the final heat.

Adams flew from the tapes, followed by team-mate Pedersen. A 5-1 looked on the cards, a result which would have left Poole in the driving seat for the second leg on October 29. Norris caught and passed Pedersen on the last lap. His opponent retaliated but got into trouble on the back straight.

Barker attacked and forced his way past Pedersen who fell on the last turn. Norris and Barker had salvaged a 3-3 and that result could prove vital.

EASTBOURNE: David Norris 13, Dean Barker 10, Adam Shields 8, Joonas Kylmakorpi 7, Neville Tatum 5, Ulrich Ostergaard 3, Matt Read 2.

POOLE: Leigh Adams 15, Bjarne Pedersen 10, Antonio Lindback 7, Tony Primmer 4, David Ruud 3, Rickie Ashworth 2, Scott Pegler 1. Bonus points: Ostergaard 2, Kylmakorpi 2, Tatum 2, Barker 1, Read 1.