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Elite League B Fixture : Friday 3rd September 2010
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Lowly Swindon pulled off a shock draw against a Lakeside Hammers side that failed to fire on all cylinders as the race for the Elite League play-offs hit fever pitch.
The Robins were heavily depleted with the loss of both Simon Stead and Mads Korneliussen but performed extremely well to take the extra two league points on offer for obtaining an away draw.
The home side failed to hit the high of the previous two weeks which saw them gain maximum points against both Wolverhampton and Ipswich. It took two excellent rides from number one Lee Richardson in heats thirteen and fifteen to steer their way past the obstacle that was Leigh Adams and his Robins.
Adams made what was very likely to be his final ever appearance at the Arena Raceway, a track that he rode at with distinction in the mid Nineties. An opening heat win over Richardson got his evening off to a fine start and he'd feature in many more races before the night was up.
The first real action came in the third race when Greg Zengota took a tumble having lost out on third place to Kauko Nieminen. Race winner Jonas Davidsson showed considerable speed as he took the chequered flag and this was form that he took into his clash with Adams in heat five, a race which he won thanks for the quick start and clever second turn. Kauko Nieminen slotted into second place but Adams chased him down and cooly executed a clinical pass to snatch second after a couple of laps were up.
Richardson suffered huge disappointment in the sixth race when he pulled up after one lap with clutch trouble. It left Robins reserve Justin Sedgmen a clear run at victory and it allowed the young Aussie reserve to take his second consecutive victory of the night following up a debut win in heat two.
Zengota made another quick start in heat eight and held firm over Adam Shields for just over two laps before the Hammers skipper rode a wide line to swoop into the lead. This pass helped the Hammers prevent the Robins from taking the lead in the match with the scores at this point locked level at 21 points a piece.
The Hammers held a 5-1 from the gate in heat eight which appeared to signal the start of a much anticipated march towards establishing some king of control over the meeting. The impact of the advantage was lessened after three laps, though, when Robson was passed by Robins' reserve Morten Risager for second place.
The home side entered the second half of the meeting two points to the good and there they remained for the next four heats as both sides shared two heat winners each as racing became tighter. It was Adams' turn to establish a little dominance, collecting both of these victories as Richardson and Nieminen did so for the Hammers.
Richardson got the vital drop over Adams from the start in heat thirteen, leaving the Robins skipper to fend off fellow Aussie Shields for second place. Disaster struck for the home side, however, in the penultimate race as they lost their four points lead to an impressive Janoswki/Risager 5-1, the duo heading home Davidsson.
With tension felt by all, the tapes rose on the final race with Adams lining up on the inside gate. Richardson appeared to get the early drop and he was able to get across the Robins number one, pulling clear down the backstraight and leaving Adams to help Janowski home to ensure that the meeting spoils were shared. It left the Hammers and their team boss Jon Cook eager to pull off a result during Monday's televised home clash against Peterborough to make certain of their play-off spot.
 Related Link: Under par Hammers held by Robins : Match Stats
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