Home hopes dashed by Robins

April 5, 2013

The Vortex Hammers’ hopes were dashed as Swindon completed a quick fire double over them with this four point victory at the Arena-Essex Raceway.

The away side took the lead after heat six and never looked back, managing to keep a suitable points gap between them and the Essex men as the home side struggled to make in-roads into the advantage the visitors had pieced together.

The Vortex Hammers managed to take the meeting down the stretch and force a last heat decider for at least a draw and a share of the spoils – but despite a from-the-back victory by Peter Karlsson, the second place secured by Robins’ Peter Kildemand was enough to see the reigning league champions home.

Karlsson topped the home score chart with paid twelve points leaving four race wins between the remaining six men – not enough to cause the powerful Robins’ top four of Kildemand, Hans Andersen, Troy Batchelor or Edward Kennett particularly big problems.

The home highlights came in the opening race, when a broken saddle for Hans Andersen saw Karlsson and then partner Kim Nilsson through. That aside though, it was a thrilling heat thirteen that served up the evening’s top race on a night when starting was paramount as Karlsson and Andersen endured a ding dong over the course of the opening lap. It took a fence scraping Andersen every inch of effort to hold off Karlsson whilst at the rear his partner Batchelor overhauled Davey Watt to put the Robins into what would be an insurmountable position heading into the final two races.

Lakeside Hammers = 43

1. Peter Karlsson 3 2 1' 2 3 =11+1
 2. Kim Nilsson 2' 0 2 2 =6+1
 3. Lewis Bridger 0 2 2 2 =6
 4. Poitr Swiderski 3 F 1' 3 =7+1
 5. Davey Watt 3 1 3 0 F =7
 6. Richard Lawson 0 0 1 1 =2
 7. Robert Mear 1 1 1' 1' =4+2

Swindon Robins = 47

1. Hans Andersen 1 3 2 3 1' =10+1
 2. Rider Replacement
 3. Peter Kildemand 1' 2' 3 3 2 =11+2
 4. Eddie Kennett 2 3 3 F 2 =10
 5. Troy Batchelor 2 3 3 1 =9
 6. Steve Worrall (G) 0 2' 1 0 0 =3+1
 7. Kacper Gomolski 3 0 1 0 0 0 =4

Heat Results

Heat 01: Karlsson, Nilsson, Andersen, Worrall 60.4 5-1 (5-1)
 Heat 02: Gomolski, Worrall, Mear, Lawson 61.8 1-5 (6-6)
 Heat 03: Swiderski, Kennett, Kildemand, Bridger 59.6 3-3 (9-9)
 Heat 04: Watt, Batchelor, Mear, Gomolski 60.2 4-2 (13-11)
 Heat 05: Andersen, Bridger, Worrall, Swiderski (fell) 60.3 2-4 (15-15)
 Heat 06: Batchelor, Karlsson, Gomolski, Nilsson 60.2 2-4 (17-19)
 Heat 07: Kennett, Kildemand, Watt, Lawson 60.0 1-5 (18-24)
 Heat 08: Kennett, Nilsson, Mear, Gomolski 60.3 3-3 (21-27)
 Heat 09: Batchelor, Bridger, Swiderski, Worrall 60.2 3-3 (24-30)
 Heat 10: Kildemand, Nilsson, Karlsson, Kennett (fell) 60.0
 Heat 11: Watt, Andersen, Lawson, Gomolski 59.2 4-2 (31-35)
 Heat 12: Kildemand, Bridger, Mear, Worral 59.8 3-3 (34-38)
 Heat 13: Andersen, Karlsson, Batchelor, Watt 60.6 2-4 (36-42)
 Heat 14: Swiderski, Kennett, Lawson, Gomolski 60.2 4-2 (40-44)
 Heat 15: Karlsson, Kildemand, Andersen, Watt (fell) 60.2 3-3 (43-47)

Heat 8: Robert Mear (blue) and Kim Nilsson (red) (Rob Newell/TGSPHOTO)