Batch second in riders final

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Swindon Travel Hub

Troy Batchelor was left to rue the one that got away having claimed second in the Premiership Riders’ Championship.

The CFS Filtration Robins charger topped the qualifying charts with 13 points, stealing a march on world champion Jason Doyle by beating his fellow Australian in heat 11.

But former Robin Doyle had the last laugh with a spot-on start in the final to lift the crown at Poole. Hans Andersen finished third with home hero Brady Kurtz missing out on the podium.

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“It was all about the starts, Doyley pipped me to the corner and went where I wanted to go,” said Batchelor.

“The next thing I knew Hans (Andersen) was all over me and I was too busy with that battle to go to chase down Doyley. He isn’t slow and just rode away.

“It is always disappointing to lose after topping the score charts and getting the pick of the gates. When you scrape into the final it is different.

“At the same time, to be up there all meeting, mixing it with everyone and get on the podium is good. It is where you want to be.”

Swindon had two other riders in the competition with Nick Morris’s heat-12 fall seemingly turning his evening.

The Robins number one bagged five points from his first two races but missed out on the all-important top six with a total of seven.

Adam Ellis, a last-minute replacement for Belle Vue’s Craig Cook, battled manfully for his five points against the odds.

“Adam got the call around 3 o’clock and could only turn up with one bike because the other was being repaired,” said Batchelor.

“He did a good job for a last-minute replacement and that was no surprise because he has been doing a fantastic job for the team.”

PREMIERSHIP RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP
Final: Doyle, Batchelor, Andersen, Kurtz, 61.06.
Semi-final: Kurtz, Andersen, Thorssell, Harris, 60.87.

Qualifying heats: Doyle 13, Batchelor 13, Kurtz 11, Andersen 10, Harris 9, Thorssell 9, Fricke 9, Proctor 7, Morris 7, Wright 7, Masters 6, Iversen 6, Ellis 5, Grajczonek 4, Newman 3, Nicholls 1.

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