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SWINDON ROBINS 49 - EASTBOURNE EAGLES 41 |
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Fri 3 Apr 2009
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Thanks to Elite-eagles.com |
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ELITE LEAGUE A MATCH : THURSDAY 2nd APRIL 2009
Sussex speedway squad Eastbourne Eagles battled heroically but in t he final reckoning they found themselves unable to halt the charge of many people’s title favourites the Swindon Robins at Blunsdon stadium on Thursday evening.
The Wiltshire outfits eventual 49-41 victory realised the maximum 3-point reward for their efforts but they were made to work hard for their win thanks to a tigerish display from the Sussex side for whom both Lewis Bridger and reserve Simon Gustafsson were again outstanding amid an array of impressive performances.
Indeed the clash had been written off by many as a virtual no contest with the Eagles widely predicted to fill the wooden spoon position in season 2009 while their illustrious hosts are hotly tipped to occupy the upper reaches of the table as the campaign heads towards the Play Offs.
However as the match started to unfold, something of a role reversal appeared in=2 0evidence, the Eagles taking charge thanks to a reserves race 5-1 from Gustafsson and Ricky Kling, and protecting their lead right up to the conclusion of heat seven.
Indeed it wasn’t until the ninth race that the home side finally eased clear of their opponents, thanks largely to the sterling work of powerful heat leader trio of maximum man Leigh Adams, Troy Batchelor and Simon Stead.
Even then it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Blunsdon boys, the Eagles narrowing the margin to just 2-points, thanks to a superb maximum from Bridger and Gustafsson in the twelfth, and there were some anxious moments for the Robins to endure prior to their pulling away once more in the closing three races and indeed had it not been for a rare off night for Davey Watt the title hopefuls might well have been left counting the cost.
As the action got underway, David Norris certainly matched him for the first two bends but as home hero Adams got his wheels in line there was never any doubt as to who would take top honours in heat 1. The Grand Prix exponent duly stormed to the 3-points, but with Norris holding onto second place and Watt battling through in the early part to secure third the opening race points were split.
Once again the evidence was there for all to see that the Eagles wouldn’t be content to be anybody’s whipping boys in the next however. The first running of heat two was halted and cited as an unsatisfactory start, Krzysztof Stojanowski being warned to remain stationary on the grid but at the second time of asking it was the Eastbourne reserve duo of Gustafsson and Kling who blazed away to take maximum points, a 5-1 that saw the Sussex side open up an early 8-4 advantage.
Bridger fought an absorbing duel with Stead in the third, keeping the visitors nose s in front, Jurica Pavlic eventually outpacing the tenacious Cameron Woodward for third place, ensuring a second share of the spoils in the three heats so far contested.
Heats four and five were to double that tally of shared races, the fourth initially looking to weigh in favour of the home side. Though Batchelor was destined to hold onto his lead however, Gustafsson and Lukas Dryml in turn gradually reeled in and passed Gathercole to maintain the 4-point margin, 14-10 still in favour of the Eagles.
Certainly Norris was showing no ill effects of the Swindon circuit, one that has literally dealt him some severe blows in the past, as he led heat five, but Stead was destined to get the better of him. However with Watt holding onto third place as the expense of Pavlic, it remained the unfancied visitors who led the way, the scoreline moving to 17-13.
Further shocks seemed set to follow as Dryml made a lightning start to lead Adams in the sixth, but unfortunately for the Sussex side it wasn’t to remain that way, a momentary w obble for the Czech Republican leaving the gap that Adams was certain to exploit. With McGowan also accounting for Kling in third place, the Robins 4-2, their first heat advantage of the evening saw them halve the Eagles lead, one that now stood at 19-points to 17.
A further such advantage in the next finally saw parity restored between the two sides, Batchelor overcoming the hard working Bridger to capture his second win while Stojanowski headed Woodward, the young Aussie eventually pulling out of the race with machinery problems.
With 21-points apiece now the score, Norris and Gustafsson combined to block the minor places behind McGowan but importantly ahead of Gathercole, the teams remaining level pegging but now with the scoreline standing at 24-24.
They had certainly fought courageously but the visitors were finally forced to succumb to their host’s building pressure in race nine, Stead and Pavlic teaming up for the Robins first 5-1 of the night, this one coming at the expense of Dryml and Kling.
Still they weren’t about to concede defeat however and although Adams was again a runaway winner of heat 10, Bridger followed in hot pursuit while Woodward was able to get the better of fellow countryman McGowan, the resultant 3-3 witnessing the sixth such result of the night and an overall 32-28 scoreline.
The balance looked set to be redressed in the next as Norris and Watt powered away from the tapes but it was soon set to go wrong, Batchelor moving through on the inside of the pair but with Norris dropping his machine on the second turn, Stojanowski being too close in attendance to avoid the melee, the race had to be halted, the Eastbourne icon understandably being disqualified as the cause of the stoppage.
Batchelor romped to his third win in the rerun, though Watt continued to exert sustain pressure throughout, but with Stojanowski riding home unchallenged for the third place point, suddenly the margin extended to 6-points, 36-30 and suddenly the Robins looked set to make home advantage count.
However, a further twist to the tale was20yet at hand, Bridger scorching from the start to seize another fine win, but with the greatest of respect to him, all eyes were fixed on Gustafsson as he fought valiantly through to conquer Stojanowski while remaining ahead of Swindon heat leader Stead throughout the four laps. With the youthful Eagles duo crossing the line in one and two, their second 5-1 of the evening (and the second one involving the young Swede) saw the difference reduce to just 2-points, 37-35, the visitors, almost unbelievably to some were still well in with a shout of taking some reward from the clash.
Such hopes were set to dim following the next, unfortunately for the Sussex battlers, Batchelor and Adams, both as yet unbeaten by a visitor reciprocated in dominant style, powering away to leave Dryml and Watt trailing in their slip stream. For once Watt appeared well out of sorts and pulled out of the race with a lap left to run and although Dryml didn’t give up the fight there was never going to be any catching of the flying Aussie duo.
With the 6-point (42-26) margin now restored, Pavlic made sure of victory on the night for the home team as he fended off the challenge of the hardworking Gustafsson who wrapped up=2 0another polished double figure display with second place. Woodward remained comfortable in third but his task was made all the easier as Stojanowski suffered an engine failure in the latter stages, however the resultant 3-3 ensured that they could not now win the clash, but a favourable result in the last could still have seen them leave Blunsdon with a match point to their name.
Sadly it was not to be. With Watt seemingly out of sorts, the Eagles nominated Bridger and Dryml to face the imposing Adams / Batchelor combo.
Well Bridger fought valiantly, leaving the start ahead of the host duo but as Adams eased through on the inside of the Eagle as the pair exited turn two the writing was effectively on the wall, Swindon heading for a maximum three match points, courtesy of a 7-point plus victory. With Batchelor getting the better of Dryml for third place, the Robins closing 4-2 realised for them a 49-41 win.
For the Eagles they were left just hovering below the points winning bracket, but following such a determined performance they could travel home with pride fully intact and surely in the kno wledge that people up and down the country would soon be reviewing predictions of their finishing as 2009 wooden spoonists.
Scorers :
Robins :
Leigh Adams 14+1(5), Troy Batchelor 13(5), Simon Stead 9(4), Jurica Pavlic 6+2(4), Travis McGowan 4(4), Krzysztof Stojanowski 3(5), Cory Gathercole 0(3) – 49
Eagles :
Lewis Bridger 12(5), Simon Gustafsson 10+2(5), David Norris 6(4), Lukas Dry ml 5+1(5), Davey Watt 4+2(4), Cameron Woodward 2+2(4), Ricky Kling 2+1(3) – 41 |
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