SWINDON failed to get through a meeting at the seventh time of asking last night, but at least Alun Rossiter’s side are getting closer.

The Robins’ Elite League clash with hosts Poole was abandoned after seven heats with the scores at 24-24 as the Wimborne Road track was waterlogged.

That disappointing state of affairs followed on from six postponements in a row due to the wet weather, but referee Dave Robinson was left with no choice following a mid-meeting downpour.

And although the result will not stand as 12 heats were not completed, boss Rossiter was delighted with the display of his team and said that although a result had not been secured, the team had sent out a message to the rest of the league.

“Everyone keeps saying Poole are favourites, but with that performance I think we showed that we are going to be in there,” he said.

“The boys’ attitudes were spot on. I’m pleased with them because they put a marker down and did us proud.

“Poole were coming in quite hard and we were coming in quite hard, and you could see it was a top-of-the-table clash. It was very hard racing.

“They would have been strong with Chris Holder and Darcy Ward in heat 15, but the beauty of it is they wouldn’t have been together in 13, so I thought we might have been in a position to get some points.”

Rossiter also backed Robinson’s decision to abandon the meeting and was philosophical about the latest setback caused by the weather.

“It was one of those things,” he said. “It was the right call, we’ve got a long season ahead and it’s a marathon not a sprint.”

The abandonment was hard luck on Swindon, who had provided their hosts with stiff competition throughout the ill-fated meeting.

In difficult conditions - and despite just one heat win in the first six - the Blunsdon side managed to keep the meeting close.

A 5-1 from Simon Stead and Jason Doyle in heat seven seemed to have turned the tide in Swindon’s favour, before the impressive Peter Kildemand notched his second win.

But ultimately the weather intervened and both sides will have to meet at Wimborne Road again and have another go.

Elsewhere in the Elite League last night, Wolverhampton’s local derby with Coventry and Belle Vue’s clash with Eastbourne were both called off before either meeting had been started.

Swindon are next in action against Eastbourne at the Abbey Stadium on Thursday.