Hammers name next season's team

Adam Shields will return as Hammers captain, after injury last season.

Lakeside Hammers co-promoter Jon Cook is confident their 2009 line-up will be capable of challenging for honours.

The club have named Adam Shields, Jonas Davidsson, Joonas Kylmakorpi, Kauko Nieminen, Chris Mills, Lee Richardson and Stuart Robson as their new team.

Cook told BBC Essex: "It's pretty much our first-choice team to be honest.

"We're delighted we've got everyone that we wanted and everybody was keen to ride for us over any other team, so we're totally delighted."

Cook was also confident the Hammers had put together the best team possible within the constraints of the new 39.90 points average and the current economic situation.

"We were always going to have to let quite a number of riders go, but I think we've come out of it in pretty good shape", he said.

"We've got some very exciting new assets at the club and a very exciting season ahead."

Cook, who co-promotes the Elite League outfit with Stuart Douglas, was also heartened by the number of riders wanting to ride for the Essex side.

"The phone has been red hot with riders that have phoned asking if there was an opportunity to come to us and that certainly wasn't the case in the first close-season that Stuart and I had together," he admitted.

"It's by a little bit of luck and a lot of hard work that we've got to where we are, where there is now actually prestige attached to our club."