Newport Wasps 57, Swindon Robins 33

Newport Wasps maintained their stunning start to the season and in an eventful meeting the pairing of skipper Craig Watson, pictured, and Frank Smart was too much for Swindon Robins, who were missing the injured Charlie Gjedde.

And they provided some of the fastest times - Watson winning the first in 61.5sec and Smart clocking 61.56sec in heat four but Paul Fry was pretty quick too, coming home in 61.61sec to win heat seven.

But Watson had the fastest of the meeting - 61.29 in heat 10., 61.66 in heat 13 and 61.51 in the last of the meeting.

Wasps collected three maximum heat wins to finish off a protracted afternoon with skipper Watson and Smart, back in Newport colours, paired in two of them.

Watson said: "I have been working exceptionally hard to get into the position I have reached.

"But I haven't done it alone. My mechanical team have worked just as hard and I have received very good sponsorship from Mallett Transport."

It is already obvious that this season is not about one, or two, or even three riders. It's about a team and Watson added: "The boys are improving and getting on really well together and everyone is so keen to win."

That was patently obvious almost from the first gate because the six-point deficit from the first leg had disappeared by the end of the second heat and the aggregate scores were level when Wasps picked up the first of seven heat maximums.

Smart, such a favourite with the crowd - and there was another big turnout for a M4 derby clash - was not far behind Watson in the honours' stakes with 12 points.

And, without wishing to get carried away at such an early stage of the season, this new-look Wasps line-up looks capable of gaining some kind of silverware. The fans who suffered much last season, not to mention Stone, certainly hope that will be the case.

The meeting provided talking points right from the off when the first heat was rerun and the Robins Paul Lee was excluded as was skipper Paul Fry in the third which helped Wasps make a flying start to open a 26-10 lead after six heats.

In the third, Scott Smith came through to overtake Chris Neath - at Newport last season - for a second Wasps maximum in the opening three heats, the luckless Ben Howe winning and then finishing second to Alun Rossiter in heat five - Swindon's first heat win - before the fateful heat nine crash. Heat 10 was another Watson win.

But more than that there was tremendous riding from all four and that really had the big crowd buzzing as Watson just kept his lead from skipper Paul Fry who suffered a couple of exclusions as did Paul Lee.

Wasps: Craig Watson 15 (5), Lee Dicken 5+1 (4), Ben Howe 5 (3), Scott Smith 8+3 (4), Frank Smart 12+2 (5), Barrie Evans 9 + 1(5), Carl Wilkinson 3 +1 (4). Robins: Alun Rossister 8+1 (5), Paul L ee 2+1 (4), Paul Fry 8 (6), Chris Neath 5 (4), Oliver Allen 8+1 (6), Richie Hawkins 1 (3), Jason King 1 (2).