SWINDON edged a superb 46-43 victory over Poole in a tense affair at the Abbey.

The Robins put in a gutsy display to come out on top against a powerhouse Pirates side.

Although they narrowly missed out on all three points, it was a hugely impressive victory for Alun Rossiter's men as they bounced back from a slow start to overcome a tough test.

It was another determined performance from the Abbey outfit after victory over King's Lynn last week - and Rossiter was delighted by the result.

He said: "It would have been nice to get all three points but I was happy just to take the win really.

"Poole are a good side around here and they have plenty of strength all the way through, so it was a good performance from us to just come out on top."

Skipper Troy Batchelor led by example with a hard-fought 12 point haul, whilst Simon Gustafsson continued his good form to record three race wins on his way to double figures.

Reserve Steve Worrrall once again impressed whilst Dakota North also enjoyed a good night, with the pair combining for a crucial 5-1 in heat 12 to give Swindon some breathing space entering the closing stages.

Despite both experiencing difficult evenings, heat-leaders Peter Kildemand and Nick Morris both made useful contributions to help Swindon edge victory.

Swindon 46: Troy Batchelor 12, Simon Gustafsson 11, Steve Worrall 8+2, Dakota North 7+1, Peter Kildemand 5+1, Nick Morris 3+1, Nathan Greaves 0

Poole 43: Darcy Ward 12, Maciej Janowski 8+1, Kyle Newman 7, Josh Grajczonek 5, Przemyslaw Pawlicki 4, Vaclav Milik 4, Brendan Johnson 3+2

Elite League points: Swindon 2 Poole 1