SWINDON Robins kept their play-off hopes alive with an impressive 50-42 win over Poole Pirates.

Darcy Ward was making his home debut for the Robins against his parent club and he showed them what they were missing with a paid 12.

Swindon were boosted by the return of captain Tory Batchelor from injury, with Hans Andersen coming in to replace Nick Morris.

The highly-anticipated first heat lived up to the hype as Chris Holder took the lead out of the first corner, before pulling up coming out of the second corner to gift Ward the lead.

Behind him Eduard Krcmar flipped his bike on the penultimate corner before getting to his feet and pushing his vehicle for the remainder of the lap to earn his hardest point in speedway.

Heat two finished in a nasty accident as Charles Wright took Paul Starke underneath on the last corner, forcing the Poole reserve to pull up and he lost control of his bike taking out Lewis Rose, who was caught between Starke and the barrier, before being helped into the back of an ambulance with a shoulder and wrist injury.

Kyle Newman had already crossed the finish line before the accident to take the win with the two Robins being handed second and third, with Starke disqualified.

Batchelor took the lead in heat three out of the first corner from the two Poole riders, Maciej Janowski and Dakota North, with Andersen pulling up on the second lap.

Grzegorz Zengota took the lead out of the first corner in heat four as behind him Wright looked to take Newman several times before being pipped on the line.

In heat five Davey Watt took the lead in the first lap before Wright took him on the start of the second, as Krcmar tried to find a way past but failed with Starke retired on the last lap Zengota continued to justify the decision to keep him in the side as he did Janowski for speed down the back straight, but the points were split with Andersen pulling up again on the second lap.

Batchelor and Ward were in control of heat seven before North lost control going into the first corner of the second lap, with Kacper Gomolski taking evasive action behind.

On the second running Ward pushed Gomolski wide in the first corner with the Poole rider ending up in the barriers and was excluded before Batchelor and Ward completed a procession in the third running.

With the meeting slipping away from Poole Watt made the tactical ride tell in heat eight, but it wasn't followed up as Swindon were able to minimise the damage with Wright and Zengota following up in second and third respectively.

A professional display from Poole in heat nine saw Poole continue to reel Swindon back in as Gomolski, followed by Newman, claimed the maximum.

Swindon gave themselves a bit of breathing room in heat 10 as Andersen finally found a set up that worked to take the lead, but he was pushed all the way by Holder.

Ward showed his class in heat 11 as he took Janowski round the outside of the second corner to take the win by a distance, but Krcmar continued to struggle at the back.

The pressure was on Wright in heat 12, with Rose out of the meeting, but he dealt with it perfectly to take the win and share the points with Starke having to push his bike home for the final lap.

Ward continued to dominate against his parent club as he took heat 13 to all but wrap up the win for the Robins, before Andersen and Zengota secured a maximum in heat 14, with North falling on the second lap.

Poole were able to finish on a high with a maximum from Janowski and Holder but it was too little, too late, as they finished eight points off Swindon, who went home with a morale boosting win.

SWINDON ROBINS: Darcy Ward (3,2*,3,3,0) 11+1, Eduard Krcmar (1,1,0,0) 2, Hans Andersen (R,R,3,3) 6, Grzegorz Zengota (3,3,1*,2*,1) 9+2, Troy Batchelor (3,3,1,1) 8, Charles Wright (2,1,3,2,1,3) 13, Lewis Rose (1*) 1+1.

POOLE PIRATES: Chris Holder (X,1*,2,0,2*) 5+2, Davey Watt (2,2,6^,0) 10, Dakota North (1*,XF,1*,XF) 2+2, Kacper Gomolski (0,XF,3,1) 4, Mciej Janowski (2,2,2,2,3) 11, Paul Starke (XF,X) 0, Kyle Newman (3,2,0,2*) 7+1.