Swindon Robins move into third after defeating Lakeside

Coming into the meeting following a break of racing for over two weeks, many were unsure of how Alun Rossiter’s Robins would perform on such a crucial night of racing. However a dominant performance from the Wiltshire club over their Essex counterparts firmly tightens Swindon’s grip on those all important playoff places.

 

A mixed Lakeside Hammers team saw them with Belle Vue Aces Craig Cook step in at the number one position for club Captain Andreas Jonsson who was unavailable due to commitments in Poland, and a team consisting of only six riders with rider replacement being used throughout the night for the unavailable Kim Nilsson.

 

The opening heat of the night brought a nervy start to proceedings as Craig Cook touched the tapes and was penalised, having to start 15 metres back in the re-run, however Swindon failed to take advantage as Rohan Tungate failed to keep up with Jason Doyle and finished last giving a drawn heat at the start.

 

A similar race followed in heat number two as Swindon’s Charles Wright propelled to an easy win however a blown engine at the start line meant that Stefan Nielsen failed to complete the race giving another drawn heat and a score of 6-6 after the opening two heats.

 

Eventually the Swindon Robins managed to take a heat advantage as well as the lead in heat three with Aussie duo Nick Morris and Josh Grajczonek finishing first and third respectively to earn the Robins their first 4-2 heat advantage of the night.

 

The two point was to be short lived as Stefan Nielsen once again encountered bike problems in heat four and Justin Sedgmen only managing to finish second giving the Hammers their first 4-2 heat advantage and once again levelling up the scores with a total of 12-12 after four heats.

 

Any nerves surrounding the Swindon riders weren’t to be noticed though as after the short interval, Rohan Tungate and Charles Wright combined exceptionally to get the better of Lakeside’s Lewis Bridger and Lewis Kerr to earn Swindon their first 5-1 heat maximum of the night.

 

More of the same was the order from team boss Alun Rossiter, and after a drawn heat in six, back-to-back 5-1 maximums followed in seven and eight as Jason Doyle and Josh Grajczonek displayed their experience on a Speedway bike to keep Richard Lawson and Edward Kennett away in heat seven, whilst Justin Sedgmen and Stefan Nielsen made perfect gate starts to hold of the challenges of Bridger and Kerr in heat eight.

 

An entertaining and action packed night of racing saw the Swindon Robins lead by twelve points come the halfway stage and a promising score of 30 – 18.

 

With the away side trailing by over ten points, team manager Kelvin Tatum took the opportunity to pay his trump card in heat nine, sending out Edward Kennett on a tactical ride who was partnered by reserve Robert Mear in the yellow helmet colour.

 

Kennett made a quick start propelling to the front from the off with Swindon’s Charles Wright hot on his heels in second, however struggling for speed Rohan Tungate was passed by the Hammers’ Mear and Lakeside taking a massive 7-2 heat win to narrow the points gap to just seven on the night.

 

Wary of the oppositions challenge and eager to get the home win, the Robins needed to put out a dominant display in heat ten and thankfully they did as Nick Morris and Josh Grajczonek once again excelled in their return to heat leader roles earning the Robins their fourth 5-1 heat maximum of the night and once again extending the gap between the two sides with a score of 37-26 with just five heats remaining.

 

Three drawn heats and a 4-2 race advantage in heat twelve, courtesy of wright and Nielsen, followed for the Swindon club and an all round fantastic team performance on the night meant that come the final two heats Swindon had won, with Lakeside unable to take anything away from the Abbey Stadium on what was a frustrating night of racing for the Hammers.

 

Edward Kennett and Craig Cook managed to earn the away side a 4-2 race advantage in heat fifteen but for the Swindon Robins it was smiles all round as they rose further up the Elite League table into second place on 28 points.

 

The Swindon Robins are next in action on Friday 1st July facing an away trip to the Coventry Bees.

 

 

 

SWINDON 52: Charles Wright 10+1, Josh Grajczonek 10+1, Jason Doyle 9+1, Nick Morris 8+1, Justin Sedgmen 7+1, Rohan Tungate 4+1, Stefan Nielsen 4

 

LAKESIDE 41: Edward Kennett 18, Craig Cook 10, Lewis Bridger 5+2, Lewis Kerr 4+2, Robert Mear 4, Richard Lawson 0, Kim Nilsson r/r

 

 

Elite League points: Swindon 3 Lakeside 0