IT WAS the worst possible start to the season for Swindon Robins after the meeting was abandoned after heat 13 with three Robins riders being taken to hospital.

The Poole Pirates were handed the maximum away win with the south coast club leading the meeting 47-33 at the end of heat 13.

However it was an evening marred by injuries for the Robins as Troy Batchelor, Lewis Rose and Adrian Miedzinski all required urgent medical treatment.

The Robins skipper was taken to hospital with a rib injury after coming off his bike in the third heat, before Lewis Rose was also helped from the track by an ambulance after a coming together with Kyle Newman in heat 12, injuring his ankle.

Polish rider Miedzinski was the next to keep the medical staff at the track busy after he got a suspected hand injury after crashing in the lead of heat 13, causing the meeting to be brought to an abrupt end.

At the second time of asking Kyle Howarth got away well in the first heat and despite a wobble in the first corner he was able to hold onto the lead.

Chris Holder sat in behind on the back straight and couldn’t get close to the Robins leader.

A mistake from Adrian Miedzinksi on the penultimate corner cost him third spot to Josh Grajczonek.

In the second heat it was Swindon’s Lewis Rose, who got the advantage into the first corner, to lead Newman.

Charles Wright got the better of Paul Starke in the second lap to take third spot and give Swindon an early lead.

After a false-start in the third heat Nick Morris went into the barriers on the second lap as he was fighting for second spot behind leader Batchelor.

They attempted to get the race underway for a third time but it was abruptly brought to a stop as Batchelor’s foot rest got caught up in the spokes of Maciej Janowski’s wheel before the first corner and the Aussie was sent over the handlebars of his bike.

The Robins skipper was helped back to the pits in an ambulance before being taken to Great Western Hospital for a precautionary scan.

From the fourth start of heat three Janowski was able to storm away from the line and looked comfortable from the front all the way.

Dakota North followed him, beating Howarth into the first corner, with the Swindon rider struggling his way round the track.

In heat four Kacper Gomolski took the early lead and on the second lap Grzegorz Zengota looked to have got the better of the Poole rider in the first corner but the Pole was able to hold him off, with Newman and Wright making up the last two places.

Howarth got away well in heat five and kept the inside line around the first corner to take the lead ahead of Grajczonek.

But on the penultimate lap Grajczonek was able to sneak past Howarth with Rose finishing third and Starke bringing up the rear.

Zengota made the perfect start to take the lead ahead of teammate Morris after the first corner.

With Holder and Janowski left trailing behind in third and fourth the Robins were able to pull the score back level at 18-18.

Parity was not restored for long as the two Poole riders were aggressive from the start of heat seven and took the early lead with North leading Gomolski.

Rose settled for third after Miedzinski went down in entrance to the second corner.

Poole further extended their lead in heat eight as Newman took the lead into the first corner with Grajczonek close behind.

Grajczonek took the lead away from his teammate and Newman also fell behind Zengota in the second lap but was able to pull second place back to claim the second maximum in a row with Wright finishing last.

In heat nine Gomolski took the lead from the first corner but Howarth pushed him all the way and on the second lap looked like he could have taken the leader.

Newman settled for third spot for Poole with Rose coming in fourth.

Swindon gave Morris the tactical ride in the tenth heat but Holder took the lead from the first corner with Morris holding off Grajczonek for third spot.

Morris, in the chequered colours, was able to overtake Zengota in the second lap to make the most of the tactical rider.

North was disqualified from heat 11 for his second false start of the meeting with Newman coming in in his place but it did not affect the Pirates as they restored their 10 point lead.

Miedzinski looked to have got the better start and take the lead into the first corner but Janowski outdid him down the back straight to take the lead for the remainder of the race, with Newman coming in third ahead of Howarth.

Heat 12 was marred by a nasty accident involving Rose, Newman and Starke.

Newman went into the first corner too deep and the two Swindon riders, Wright and Rose capitalised, before the heat was brought to a premature end on the second lap.

With Wright leading Rose and Newman got caught up going into the second corner and collided with the barriers with Starke putting his bike down to avoid colliding into the pair.

After the heat was re-started, with Rose disqualified and receiving treatment, Poole ensured that they were leaving with a win with a maximum.

Newman and Starke were aggressive from the start squeezing out Wright.

The reserve looked to have got back to second spot but went in too far into the first corner of the last lap and settled for third spot.

Heat thirteen was awarded to Morris after Miedzinski went down in the second lap while leading the race.

Miedzinski took the lead into the first corner and Morris did enough to keep Holder behind him. However with the race looking like a certain 5-1 for Swindon Miedzinski went out in the second lap to bring the heat and the meeting to an abrupt end.

With both Rose and Miedzinski needing to be taken to the hospital with ankle and hand injuries respectively, and not enough medical staff left at the track to let the meeting continue.

SWINDON ROBINS

Adrian Miedzinski (0,FX,2,FX) 2, Kyle Howarth (3,1,2,2,0,)8, Nick Morris (FX,2,4,3) 9, Grzegorz Zengota (2,3,1,1*) 7+1, Troy Batchelor (R)0, Lewis Rose (3,1,1,0,FX) 5, Charles Wright (1,0,0,1) 2

POOLE PIRATES

Chris Holder (2,0,3,2) 7, Josh Grajczonek (1*,3,3,0) 7 +1, Dakota North (2*,3,TX) 5+1, Kacper Gomolski (3,2*,3) 8+1, Maciej Janowski (3,1,3,1*) 8+1, Paul Starke (0,0,2*) 2+1, Kyle Newman (2,1,2*,1,1,3) 10+1