SWINDON gained one Elite League point after suffering a slender 49-46 defeat in an incredible meeting against Coventry which saw both sides nominate riders for tactical outings.





COVENTRY
Chris Harris (C) 2 6 3 2 3 - - 16
Ben Barker 0 2* 3 2* 0 - - 7 (2)
Edward Kennett 2 2 2 2* - - - 8 (1)
Lewis Bridger D 1* R 2 - - - 3 (1)
Krzysztof Kasprzak 1 3 3 0 - - - 7
Josh Auty D 0 1 - - - - 1
Przemyslaw Pawlicki D 2* 2* 3 R - - 7 (2)
Team manager: Alun Rossiter

SWINDON
Leigh Adams (C) 3 3 2 6 2 - - 16
Morten Risager 1 F 0 - - - - 1
Grzegorz Zengota 1 1 0 1 - - - 3
Mads Korneliussen 3 R 1 3 - - - 7
Simon Stead 3 1 3 1 1* - - 9 (1)
Justin Sedgmen 2* 0 1 0 - - - 3 (1)
Thomas H. Jonasson 3 2* 1 0 1 - - 7 (1)
Team manager: Ronnie Russell
Referee: Tony Steele

Ht 1: Adams, Harris, Risager, Barker, 59.6 (2-4)
Ht 2: (Re-Run; Awarded) Jonasson, Sedgmen, Pawlicki (f, disq), Auty (f, disq), No Time (2-9)
Ht 3: (Re-Run) Korneliussen, Kennett, Zengota (f, rem), Bridger (f, disq), 60.0 (4-13)
Ht 4: Stead, Jonasson, Kasprzak, Auty, 60.6 (5-18)
Ht 5: Adams, Kennett, Bridger, Risager (fell), 59.0 (8-21)
Ht 6: Harris (TR), Barker, Stead, Sedgmen, 58.8 (16-22)
Ht 7: Kasprzak, Pawlicki, Zengota, Korneliussen (ret), 60.2 (21-23)
Ht 8: Barker, Pawlicki, Jonasson, Risager, 60.2 (26-24)
Ht 9: Stead, Kennett, Sedgmen, Bridger (ret), 59.4 (28-28)
Ht 10: Harris, Barker, Korneliussen, Zengota, 59.9 (33-29)
Ht 11: Kasprzak, Adams, Auty, Jonasson, 59.6 (37-31)
Ht 12: Pawlicki, Kennett, Zengota, Sedgmen, 60.8 (42-32)
Ht 13: Adams (TR), Harris, Stead, Kasprzak, 59.5 (44-39)
Ht 14: Korneliussen, Bridger, Jonasson, Pawlicki (ret), 60.1 (46-43)
Ht 15: (Nominated) Harris (r), Adams (w), Stead (y), Barker (b), 59.4 (49-46)

Programme changes:
Ht 4: Auty replaced Pawlicki; Ht 6: TR Harris (Double points); Ht 7: Pawlicki replaced Auty; Ht 11: Jonasson replaced Risager; Ht 13: TR Adams (Double points); Ht 14: Pawlicki replaced Auty.

NOTE: Under the league scoring system, Coventry gained 2 points and Swindon received 1.


THIS topsy-turvy bank holiday encounter certainly served up fifteen heats of speedway action to remember.

The Robins started in sublime fashion and held a commanding 18-5 lead after the completion of five races. However, a trio of Coventry advantages which included a well-worked 8-1 quickly ensued as the home side overturned Swindon’s lead, and amassed a two-point cushion of their own.

A Swindon 4-2 in race eight levelled the scores, before quick fire advantages from Coventry in heats ten, eleven and twelve saw Alun Rossiter’s side move into a ten-point lead.

Robins’ skipper Leigh Adams was nominated for a tactical ride in race thirteen and the Australian stalwart didn’t disappoint as he roared to victory.

The resultant 7-2 reduced Coventry’s lead to five points which just two races remaining. Mads Korneliussen and Thomas H. Jonasson combined for a Swindon 4-2 in the penultimate encounter as Swindon took the meeting to a tense last heat decider.

However, there wasn’t to be a fairytale ending for Swindon as Coventry’s Chris Harris roared away from the tapes to register a comfortable victory in a tense finale to the meeting. The resultant 3-3 maintained the Bees’ three-point lead and meant both sides gleaned Elite league points from the encounter.

A terrific 16-point haul from Leigh Adams topped the Robins’ score-chart. The Milduran born rider dropped just two points to opposition riders and showed eye-catching speed throughout.

Adams was well supported by a characteristically tenacious paid 10 point return from in-form British heat-leader Simon Stead.

Meanwhile, Thomas H. Jonasson started the evening extremely strongly indeed and concluded the evening with paid 8 from his five ride schedule

Reserve partner Justin Sedgmen, deputising for the injured Cory Gathercole, notched paid 4 and went about his riding with trademark determination.

Elsewhere, Mads Korneliussen collected two heat wins as he carded 7. The Dane recovered from a pair of disappointing outings in the mid-part of the meeting to register a crucial tapes-to-flag victory in heat fourteen.

Coventry were well served by Chris Harris who contributed 16 points, whilst the British pairing of Edward Kennett and Ben Barker weighed in with useful hauls.