SWINDON returned to the top of the Elite League table with a hard-fought 55-38 win over King’s Lynn at the Abbey on Thursday.

Justin Sedgmen became the latest rider to make a big impression at reserve with a six-ride paid maximum for the Robins, whose margin of victory was increased by a strong end to the meeting.

Indeed, after heat 10 the home side led by just three points, but three 5-1s in the last five races enabled the Robins to pull off a comfortable success.

The Stars looked set to mount a strong challenge when they recorded two 5-1s of their own in the first three heats, even skipper Jason Doyle being on the receiving end of a tough first bend in heat one.

But Doyle responded in perfect style, and with Sedgmen and Nick Morris in top form as well, Swindon were able to hit back.

A 5-1 from Doyle and Josh Grajczonek over Robert Lambert in heat seven began to take them clear, with the visitors’ main threat coming from GP star Niels-Kristian Iversen and former Robins man Mads Korneliussen.

Swindon’s Rohan Tungate crashed out of the meeting as he took a heavy fall on the second bend in heat 10 and was withdrawn with possible soft tissue damage.

Iversen and Korneliussen banked an 8-1 from heat 10 when the Stars’ number one went for double points, and at 33-30 it looked like a nervous finale was on the cards.

But Sedgmen teamed up with Doyle for maximum points in heat 11 and then took the honours in heat 12 too to extend the lead to nine points.

The visitors faded late-on, with Lambert unable to take his place in the re-run of heat 14 after a fall and Iversen coming to grief too in the finale, both of which ended in Robins 5-1s.

Swindon boss Alun Rossiter said: “We knew they would come at us early-doors, but I always felt we would be stronger towards the end of the meeting and that’s how it turned out.

“It was tough early on, I was a bit surprised with a couple of the decisions which I thought were a bit harsh, but hopefully Rohan and Robert are okay. Rohan has hurt his shoulder, I don’t know how bad it is but he’s pretty sore.

“The beauty of our team is that we always have a strong reserve, as Justin showed."

Robins are next in action in the return fixture at King’s Lynn next Thursday, before the Bank Holiday Monday (May 30) home showdown with Poole.

SWINDON 55: Justin Sedgmen 17+1, Jason Doyle 13, Nick Morris 12+2, Stefan Nielsen 6+2, Josh Grajczonek 4+1, Charles Wright 3+1, Rohan Tungate 0.

KING’S LYNN 38: Niels-Kristian Iversen 14, Mads Korneliussen 9+2, Lewis Rose 6, Troy Batchelor 5+1, Robert Lambert 4+1, Kai Huckenbeck 0, Carl Wilkinson 0.