COVENTRY BEES 41 SWINDON ROBINS 49 - Will maximum man Zagar prolong stay? (From This Is Wiltshire)

COVENTRY BEES 41 SWINDON ROBINS 49 - Will maximum man Zagar prolong stay?

8:00am Saturday 20th June 2009

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MATEJ Zagar produced another masterclass last night leaving Swindon Robins’ fans praying Alun Rossiter can keep hold of him when the pair hold summit talks next week.

Zager piled up another maximum as Swindon came back from Brandon with the full four points.

Slovenian ace Zagar, 26, was drafted in to cover for the injured Troy Batchelor a month ago and team boss Rossiter is hoping to make it an extended stay after another superb display.

Rossiter said: “We knew he was a good rider when we brought him in but he’s far exceeded all of our expectations.

“He’s done very well and he’s been great to work with - I have to say it’s been a dream to have him here.

“We will sit down after the weekend and see whether he wants to stay or go - it all depends on whether he is willing to commit to us.”

Zagar’s display was matched, as ever, by skipper Leigh Adams with a paid maximum, starting with a win in heat one.

Bees No 1 Scott Nicholls was left on the line as his engine failed, leaving opposite number Adams to power away while Paul Hurry easily held off Filip Sitera.

Heat two was all square and a 5-1 to the hosts in the third levelled up the scores on the night with Eddie Kennett and Rory Schlein edging out Simon Stead and Travis McGowan in a thriller.

Zagar opened his account with another brilliant ride in a re-run heat four.

Nudged out of the way by Chris Harris on bend one, the Slovenian cut inside him at the climax of the third circuit to take the flag.

Adams and Zagar were then victorious in the next two races but the Robins had to settle for a pair of 3-3s.

Harris claimed his only win of the night in the seventh but Stead’s impressive display in the next, supported by McGowan, stretched the visitors’ lead to four points.

The next four heats were all shared as the Bees failed to chip into that advantage.

Zagar took heat nine, Nicholls 10, Adams 11 and Kennett a really exciting 12th before a delayed interval.

The meeting resumed with a titanic tussle in the 13th as the dream team of Adams and Zagar faced off against British speedway posterboys Harris and Nicholls.

And it was the Robins duo that reigned supreme, with Nicholls gating well before being reeled in by Zagar and then picked off by Adams for a superb maximum that moved Swindon within touching distance of an away win.

The victory party was put on hold as Coventry hit back with a controversial 5-1 of their own in the penultimate outing of the night - Schlein and Wells seeing off McGowan and Hurr with some team riding that the Robins duo felt crossed the line, with Schlein clashing with McGowan, prompting an angry post-race confrontation.

But Swindon’s win - and extra point - was sealed when Adams and Zagar were reunited to demolish Schlein and Kennett in the last.

It rounded off a fine display, particularly with the likes of Jurica Pavlic, Cory Gathercole and Ryan Fisher missing the trip.

A delighted Rossiter added: “Considering we were riding with half a team it was a great result.”

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