Swindon 54 Peterborough 39 

The Robins take all 3 points and Adams gains a maximum

 

Swindon produced their best display of the season to dispatch Peterborough by a 15-point margin, as the Robins maintained their 100 per cent home record over the Panthers that stretches back to 1993.

 

The Robins gained a heat advantage in the opening race and successfully overcame a late Panthers’ charge to collect all 3 Elite league points on offer. The meeting provided top-notch entertainment from the outset as a well prepared Blunsdon race-strip served up an array of super racing and produced a variety of racing lines.

 

Swindon’s scoring was headed by Leigh Adams who notched a flawless fifteen-point maximum. The Robins’ skipper rode impeccably throughout and delivered a true master class that the Panthers’ septet simply couldn’t match.

Elsewhere, Polish youngster Grzegorz Zengota delivered a tremendous performance and amassed a paid-ten point score from his four ride schedule. The quietly spoken second-string was deservedly awarded the Swindon Man of the Match award – his first in Robins’ colours.

 

Meanwhile, Justin Sedgmen and Cory Gathercole delivered eye-catching hauls from the Swindon reserve berth. Both were in the thick of the action throughout, Sedgmen in particular who displayed bundles of tenacity and lashings of speed.

Simon Stead collected a seven point total, Morten Risager amassed paid five whilst Mads Korneliussen enjoyed a solid night and returned a paid eleven score. Swindon fans were relieved to see Stead escaped unscathed from heavy heat seven fall when mounting an outside bend one challenge on Troy Batchelor.

Peterborough were well served by their guest inclusion Davey Watt and Danish international Kenneth Bjerre. However, support was thin on the ground for the aforementioned pairing with heat leaders Lewis Bridger and Troy Batchelor falling well short of double-figure hauls.

Panthers’ guest reserve Craig Cook demonstrated his raw potential by registering two well deserved heat wins. The British youngster, making his Blunsdon debut, amassed a six-point score and certainly impressed the Abbey Stadium faithful.

 

A Swindon 4-2 opened proceedings as Leigh Adams and Grzegorz Zengota combined. Peterborough guest Davey Watt recovered from a sluggish start and passed Zengota in the final stages to prevent the Robins registered a larger advantage.

The exciting Craig Cook romped to a tapes-to-flag victory in the ensuing heat to ensure a points share, before success for Kenneth Bjerre in race three saw the Peterborough register a second successive winner.

 

Swindon notched their first 5-1 of the meeting in heat four as Mads Korneliussen and Cory Gathercole combined. With the Robins nurturing a 6-point lead, Peterborough hit back with a 4-2 from the Australian duo of Davey Watt and Troy Batchelor in race five.

Adams and Zengota combined again in heat six to provide Swindon with a 5-1 as Ronnie Russell’s side moved into an 8-point lead. A points share courtesy of a Kenneth Bjerre heat win followed in race seven, before the impressive Zengota linked up with Cory Gathercole to secure Swindon a well acquired 5-1 in heat eight.

Simon Stead fell whilst mounting a challenge on Troy Batchelor in heat nine and the race was subsequently awarded. The resultant 4-2 in Peterborough’s favour reduced Swindon’s lead to 10-points.

 

However, Leigh Adams and Grzegorz Zengota maintained their excellent partnership with a 5-1 in race ten as Swindon moved into a commanding 14-point lead.

Peterborough manager Trevor Swales nominated Davey Watt for a tactical ride in race eleven and the Australian didn’t disappoint. The 6-3 in the Panthers favour was followed up with a 5-1 from Craig Cook and Lewis Bridger in race twelve.

With Swindon’s lead slashed to seven points Leigh Adams and Mads Korneliussen responded in fine fashion with a big ‘fiver’ in a power-packed race thirteen. A 4-2 for the Robins in the penultimate race was followed by an identical result in the concluding encounter as Ronnie Russell’s side finished the meeting in style.

 

photos by Ian Lewis