ALUN Rossiter described Swindon Robins as a ‘home from home’ for his two Australian racers, amid the club’s mid-season break for the Speedway of Nations.

Nick Morris and Troy Batchelor both learnt their craft on the bike down under before earning careers in the sport after signing with Buxton Hitmen and King’s Lynn Stars respectively.

The pair, who have both represented their country in the Speedway World Cup, have linked well at the Abbey Stadium thus far – and Rossiter admits they’ve settled into their roles in Robins colours well.

“In fairness to Nick (Morris), he has stepped into the role as captain well, and he doesn’t get fazed by it,” said Rossiter, who announced Morris as the club’s new number one on the eve of the season.

“It’s not like a monkey on his back or anything.

“He gets on with it, and for a young kid, he has old shoulders on him.

“We’ve got in a lot of meetings so far, which is good. Hopefully we can carry on with that.”

Meanwhile Batchelor made a return to the Abbey Stadium this year after spending part of last season at King’s Lynn before being axed after refusing to race because of track conditions.

The 30-year-old Queenslander tops the average charts for the Robins so far with a standout 9.45 points from every 12 available.

It’s a considerable improvement for Batchelor, whose current rolling average stands at 8.57, and Rossiter believes the experienced Aussie has matured since his last stint with the Robins in 2015.

The Robins boss said: “Troy calms things. He’s home for me.

“He’s been away for a couple of seasons and had some bad luck with injuries. Now he seems to be settling down and he’s matured a lot from the old Troy Batchelor that we knew.

“He brings a bit of humour but has some experience to him too. He’s comfortable where he is too, Swindon is his home – that’s what I think.”

Swindon are next in SGB Premiership action on Wednesday, June 13, at Leicester Lions where Rossiter’s men will be looking to maintain their positive start to their league campaign.