SWINDON Robins rider Nick Morris enjoyed a strong start to the 2017 season by finishing fourth in the opening round of the Australian Speedway Championship today.

Morris collected 13 points from his five heat rides in Adelaide, with that haul only bettered by the 14 claimed by former Swindon team-mate Justin Sedgmen, who spent the 2016 Elite League season at the Abbey Stadium.

The 22-year-old was never out of the top two in his heat races but could not live up to that level in the final, trailing home fourth as Davey Watt claimed victory ahead of Sedgmen and another former Robins rider, Troy Batchelor.

However, Morris remains in a strong position heading into the remainder of the championship, sitting in third place on 14 points, three behind Watt and Sedgmen, who are tied at the top of the standings on 17.

Today’s meeting at Gillman Speedway was the first of four rounds in this year’s competition, with the next taking place at Olympic Speedway Park in the city of Midura, Victoria, on Saturday.

Rounds three and four will take place in Undera, Victoria, and Kurri Kurri, New South Wales, on January 11 and 14 respectively.

Morris, who has been signed up by Swindon team manager Alun Rossiter to spend a sixth straight season at the club this year, finished second in his opening ride of the night behind Sedgmen but was triumphant in his next two heats.

He had to settle for another second-place in his fourth ride as Watt took the chequered flag first but Morris came roaring back to finish with three wins and 13 points from five rides with a fine victory in his last heat.

Sedgmen led the way on 14 points after the conclusion of the 20 heats, with Morris and Watt level one point behind.

Batchelor, Sam Masters and another of Swindon’s 2016 septet, Rohan Tungate, were tied on 10 points and went up against Max Fricke for the right to take the last place in the final, with the former claiming the honours.

Sadly, Morris was unable to recapture the excellent form he had shown throughout the night when it mattered most in the final as he never featured prominently in the race, with Watt taking a relatively untroubled victory from the gate.