SWINDON kicked off their season with a 56-38 Challenge match defeat at Lakeside on Friday evening.
The Robins were forced to go into the match with a makeshift line-up following problems with their three Polish riders.
Cameron Woodward and former Hammers rider Leigh Lanham were drafted in but they couldn’t stop the Wiltshire side going down to an inevitable defeat.
Scott Nicholls marked his Swindon debut with 9 points, but it was left to the reserve Josh Grajczonek with a 7+1 tally to provide the only visiting race winners (twice).
The Hammers opened up with a 5-1 in heat 1 and they steadily built up a 27-15 advantage after the completion of race 7.
Lanham’s tactical ride in heat 8 did provide the Robins with a share of the spoils with a double-point second place behind Kauko Nieminen, but Lakeside immediately followed that up with a 4-2 and a 5-1 to lead 40-22.
Heat 11 did see Swindon finally gain a 5-3 race advantage when Nicholls (tactical ride) and Lanham followed up home Peter Ljung, but the Hammers held firm in the closing stages to run out comfortable winners.
LAKESIDE 56: Lee Richardson 14+1, Kauko Nieminen 10+2, Adam Shields 9+1, Lewis Bridger 9, Peter Ljung 8, Kyle Legault 4+2, Robert Mear 2
SWINDON 38: Scott Nicholls 9, Leigh Lanham 7+2, Simon Stead 7+1, Josh Grajczonek 7+1, Justin Sedgmen 5+1, Cameron Woodward 3+1, Tomasz Chrzanowski R/R
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