Swindon's 2008 Elite league campaign concluded in disappointing fashion as the Robins were comprehensively defeated by a fast starting Lakeside sextet on a characteristically eventful night of Play off speedway.

Alun Rossiter’s side struggled to master the painfully slick Purfleet track and in truth never looked likely to overhaul the home side. The Hammers held the ascendancy throughout and limited Swindon to just five heat victories, all of which came from Leigh Adams and a resurgent Travis McGowan.

Swindon were hampered by the withdrawal of Croatian starlet Jurica Pavlic who was forced to pull out of the meeting after just two rides due to sickness.

Pavlic’s pointless return along with disappointing contributions from James Wright, Troy Batchelor and Mads Korneliussen meant Swindon’s middle order were ravaged by Lakeside all night long.

The Hammers started the meeting well, but really turned in the style in the middle sector by hitting Swindon with eight successive heat advantages for which the Robins simply had no response.

A fifteen metre tactical substitution ride for Leigh Adams and then a conventional tactical ride for Troy Batchelor did little to halt the Lakeside charge as the home side roared into the Elite league playoffs for the first time in their history.

Leigh Adams and Travis McGowan notched twenty seven of Swindon’s thirty three points but support was severely lacking for the Australian duo. The performance of the recalled McGowan was the only bright spot for Swindon, the twenty seven year old excelled from the reserve berth and contributed a superb haul.

Elsewhere, Cory Gathercole deserved more than his eventual solitary point score and was certainly right amongst the action as the night progressed.

Lakeside Hammers
1. Adam Shields R/R
2. Tomasz Jedrzejak 3 2* 2* 2* 1 - - 12 (3)
3. Andreas Jonsson 3 3 3 3 3 - - 15
4. Leigh Lanham (C) 2* 1 3 2* 2 - - 10 (2)
5. Edward Kennett 1 3 3 2 1* - - 10 (1)
6. Ricky Kling 0 1 1* 1* - - - 3 (2)
7. Kauko Nieminen 2 1 3 X - - - 6

Swindon Robins
1.Leigh Adams (C) 2 2 1! 3 3 3 - 14
2. James Wright 0 0 0 - - - - 0
3.Jurica Pavlic 0 0 withdrawn
4. Troy Batchelor 1 2 0! 0 - - - 3
5. Mads Korneliussen X 1 1 F - - - 2
6. Cory Gathercole 1 0 0 R - - - 1
7. Travis McGowan 3 2 0 1 2 3 2* 13 (1)