Match Report: Swindon Robins vs. Exeter Falcons - 12/08/01 - Knock-Out Cup Semi 1st Leg


Swindon Scorers
1.Claus Kristensen : 0,2,1',0 = 3+1
2.Martin Dixon(C) : 2,1',2,2 = 7+1 
3.Alan Mogridge : 2,1,3,2 = 8
4.Oliver Allen : 1',3,2',3,2' = 11+3
5.Charlie Gjedde(G) : 3,3,3,3,3 = 15
6.Alun Rossiter(R) : 3,2',1,0,1 = 7+1
7.Ritchie Hawkins(R) : 0,0,0 = 0

Exeter Scorers
1.Lawrence Hare : 1,2,2,1',0 = 6+1
2.Seemond Stephens : 3,0,3,ef,0,2 = 8
3.Mark Simmonds : 3,1,3,1,0 = 8
4.Bobby Eldridge : r/r
5.Michael Coles : 2,3,1,3,2,1 = 12
6.Jason Prynne : 1',0,0,0 = 1+1
7.Krister Marsh : 2,1',0,1 = 4+1
 
Heat Details.

Heat  1 - Stephens ; Dixon ; Hare ; Kristensen ; 70.7         (2-4)(2-4)
Exeter pair gated, Dicko picked off Hare on lap two but his partner Claus was well adrift.
Don't know if it was his machinery or if he didn't like the wet. Hopefully this won't turn 
out to be one of his two or three point nights.
Heat  2 - Rossiter ; Marsh ; Prynne ; Hawkins ; 70.9          (3-3)(5-7)
Marsh shed a chain before the race started and had to frantically get another bike.
Ritchie touched the tapes at the start so had to start from 15 metres back.
Rosco made the gate whilst Ritchie tried hard to catch Prynne but the Robins had to settle
for a share of the points.
Heat  3 - Simmonds ; Mogridge ; Allen ; Prynne ; 70.7         (3-3)(8-10)
Simmonds gated and was gone. Moggo always had second sewn up but a subdued Ollie 
struggled to hold off Prynne which didn't auger well for the rest of the meeting.
Another shared heat kept the Falcons in front which wasn't what the Robins fans were
expecting at all.
Heat  4 - Gjedde ; Coles ; Marsh ; Hawkins ; 69.3             (3-3)(11-13)
A funny moment at the start as the riders lined up in the wrong gate order.
Coles just got the drop on Charlie but by bend 3 our guest was in front.
From there on he pulled further away and the interest centred on third place.
Ritchie held off Marsh until the final bend but a mistake let the former Robin through for
another share of the spoils to keep the Falcons in front.
Heat  5 - Allen ; Hare ; Mogridge ; Stephens ; 69.4           (4-2)(15-15)
I didn't think this race was ever going to start as first Stephens then Moggo went around
the tapes for a practice lap with everybody at the start line. They were both given a
public warning by the referee after the race.
When the race started Ollie made a good gate to lead Hare with Moggo and Stephens adrift in 
the minor positions. A first heat advantage brought the Robins level.
Heat  6 - Coles ; Kristensen ; Dixon ; Prynne ; 70.1          (3-3)(18-18)
Coles made the gate but Claus got us excited for a couple of bends as he looked like he 
might make a challenge but second was where he finished. Dicko was adrift but held off
Prynne to keep the scores level.
Heat  7 - Gjedde ; Rossiter ; Simmonds ; Marsh ; 68.8         (5-1)(23-19)
A first maximum for the Robins brought the biggest cheer of the night.
Charlie gated and was gone and on bend two Rosco flew past Simmonds to set us up 
for the 5-1. Despite Simmonds best efforts including a last ditch attempt on the final 
bend Rosco used all his millions of years of experience to hang on.
I'm beginning to think Charlie likes riding at Blunsdon!!
Heat  8 - Stephens ; Dixon ; Marsh ; Hawkins ; 68.5           (2-4)(25-23)
Wondered before the race why Rosco wasn't brought in for Ritchie??
The Fryer who was in attendance gave Ritchie some tips at the start line before the race.
Whatever he said didn't work as for the third time Ritchie came home with no points.
The Exeter pair gated but Dicko managed to pick off Marsh on bend 3 and looked set to
swoop around Stephens aswell. Alas Stephens going better than he usually does at 
Blunsdon held on to win and reduce the Robins lead to just two points at the halfway stage.
Heat  9 - Mogridge ; Allen ; Coles ; Prynne ; 69.3            (5-1)(30-24)
Moggo just made the gate from Coles with Ollie away third.
Colesy looked a bit down on power and on lap 3 Ollie went inside him to set up the second
Robins 5-1 of the night and open up a six point lead. I think we know what comes in the 
next heat though.
Heat 10 - Simmonds ; Dixon ; Kristensen ; Stephens(R) ; 69.8  (3-3)(33-27)
As expected Exeter brought in Stephens as a tac sub.
Claus made the gate from the Exeter pair to raise our hopes but firstly Simmonds and
then Stephens picked him off to relegate the Robins pair to the back.
Dicko appeared to ride hard to get Claus out of the way and go in pursuit of the Exeter
pair. It all looked to no avail until bend 3 of the final lap when Stephens suffered a 
puncture and the race was shared. Stephens did a nice bow in front of the Robins fans as 
he parked his bike at the start finish line in response to their friendly banter.
Heat 11 - Gjedde ; Hare ; Rossiter ; Stephens ; 68.7          (4-2)(37-29)
Stephens was given a bit longer to change his tyre after his heat ten misfortune.
The two minute warning went on forever though.  I managed to grow a beard waiting for 
the start.
When the race did start Charlie made the gate but a lapse let Hare through for the lead.
Charlie soon regained the lead and pulled away for his third win. That 15 point max is in 
sight again. Rosco comfortably third with Stephens after all his messing about well adrift.
Heat 12 - Coles ; Mogridge ; Simmonds ; Rossiter ; 68.6       (2-4)(39-33)
Colesy came in for Prynne as a tac sub and duly won the race. 
Rosco briefly held third from Simmonds but the Exeter man retook third place to give the
Falcons a heat advantage and reduce the Robins lead to six points with three races to go.
Any thoughts of a big lead appear to have gone and we're now hoping for an 8-10 point
advantage at best to take to the County Ground tomorrow.
Heat 13 - Gjedde ; Coles ; Hare ; Kristensen ; 68.7           (3-3)(42-36)
Charlie gated again for another win. Claus also made the gate but before we could look
forward to another 5-1 Colesy picked him off on the second bend.
Claus held off Hare until the last lap though so a heat advantage was still on the cards but
yet again he seemed not to have the appetite for the battle when Hare passed him.
Claus almost got third place back on the last bend but the one point was awarded to Hare
to share the heat and keep the Robins six points up.  You could say he held on by a Hares breadth.
Heat 14 - Allen ; Stephens ; Rossiter ; Simmonds ; 68.7       (4-2)(46-38)
The match was sewn up in the penultimate heat with a breath taking ride from Ollie.
After the Exeter pair made the gate Ollie came from last to first in one lap , firstly
overtaking Rosco and Simmonds and then pulling ahead of Stephens on the back straight.  
Rosco also picked up a vital third place from tac sub Simmonds.
Heat 15 - Gjedde ; Allen ; Hare ; Coles ; 68.4                (5-1)(51-39)
Swindon won the toss and went from gates 1 and 3.
Charlie gated and went on to complete another 15 point max in Swindon colours in the 
fastest time of the night.  I wonder what his plans are for next year??
All the drama was behind where Ollie missed the gate but just as previously he picked off
the Exeter pairing superbly to complete a paid 14 for himself and give the Robins a twelve
point victory that had looked unlikely for most of the night.Both Charlie and Ollie then 
treated the good sized crowd to a procession of wheelies.

Final Score : Swindon 'Soft Water' Robins 51 Exeter Falcons - 39 

A handy 12 point lead to take to the County Ground for tomorrow's second leg.
Not as many as we'd have liked at the start but more than we could have dreamed of with only a two point lead at the halfway stage.

On an individual front Charlie with 15 and Ollie with paid 14 were the undoubted stars but Moggo with 8, Dicko and Rosco both with paid 8 more than played their part.
Claus with paid 4 and Ritchie with 0 were way below their best and will need to improve in the coming meetings if the Robins are to continue their pursuit of any trophies this season.

For Exeter, Coles with 11 and 8s for Hare,Stephens and Simmonds all had their moments during the meeting.
Marsh showed his liking for Blunsdon with a paid five but Prynne for the second time here this season looked a little bit out of his depth.  R/R and T/S yielded only two points from Bobby Eldridge's four programmed rides.

After the meeting Charlie picked up the top points scorers prize whilst Ollie was named man of the match for the second week running emphasising how much we missed him when he was injured.

Thanks to Zippy and Bear for the Match Report.


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