TEAM boss Lee Kilby hopes this season's experiment with a Swindon Sprockets team will be sustained after the second-string outfit signed off their National Trophy commitments with a home defeat to Plymouth last night.

In-form Sprockets number one and Swindon Robins reserve Zach Wajtknecht completed a superb 15-point maximum in a last-heat decider, but his side slipped to a 46-44 defeat.

Wajtknecht has led a Sprockets line-up made up largely of riders from other teams for the duration of the Trophy and Kilby hopes the club will consider maintaining the team in future campaigns.

“It’s been nice to have the Sprockets racing again – obviously the Robins have to be our top priority, and this sort of racing has to pay for itself, so we now need to review how these two meetings have gone,'' said Kilby.

“It’s frustrating because if we’d been in with a shout of qualifying there might have been a few more people here tonight, but we didn’t have that edge to the meeting.

"I would like to think we’d consider racing at this level in future, and I’ve very much enjoyed it – it’s been a great experience.”

Wajtknecht steamed past Devils’ top man Adam Roynon on the second lap for his fifth win of the night, but Roynon held on for the match-clinching second place despite a mid-race scare which brought Dan Greenwood back into contention.

The Sprockets had taken the early advantage thanks to a 5-1 in Heat 3 when Benji Compton was disqualified after a turn three clash which ended with Greenwood in the fence.

But Compton bounced back to record three race wins and with Callum Walker impressing at reserve, the visitors pegged back an eight-point deficit with consecutive 5-1s in Heats 7 and 8.

The scores remained level through five successive shared heats but the Devils made the vital move in Heat 14 with Compton and Walker teaming up for a 5-1 to put their side ahead for the first time.

And despite Wajtknecht’s excellence in the decider, Roynon did enough to ensure the Devils finished the group with four wins out of four as they head into the final.

Kilby added: “It was a close meeting and on a different day I think we could have beaten them. But there are no complaints from us, they’re a good side and good luck to them for the final.

“Zach is in the form of his life, and you can see it his eyes. There’s a different level of aggression there which wasn’t there before, and he’s been superb at this level and was passing information on to everyone – he’s a top man to deal with.''

Swindon Robins return to action in the SGB Premiership at home to Wolverhampton Wolves next Thursday (June 29).

SWINDON 44: Zach Wajtknecht 15, Dan Greenwood 8+1, Layne Cupitt 8+1, David Mason 7, Taylor Hampshire 4, Lewis Whitmore 2+1, David Wallinger r/r.

PLYMOUTH 46: Callum Walker 12+2, Adam Roynon 12, Benji Compton 10+1, Luke Priest 7+1, Richard Andrews 4+2, William O’Keefe 1+1, Henry Atkins r/r.