SWINDON Robins will take a significant 10-point lead into Thursday’s SGB Premiership play-off semi-final after dominating Wolverhampton Wolves 49-39 on a tricky night at Monmore Green.

Falling riders and a lack of track grading throughout caused no end of problems for the meeting staff as the first leg eventually concluded at almost 10pm.

However, following a half-an-hour delay courtesy of an impromptu heavy rain shower at around 7pm, the racing did eventually get underway and the Robins were thankful for some slick conditions in the midlands.

Jason Doyle made a belter from the inside gate to take the win in the first heat of the night while Adam Ellis fell as he struggled to get to grips with the wet track.

Ellis would not be the last rider from either side to suffer the same fate, but the race was awarded and shared nonetheless.

Rossiter’s men claimed a 4-2 advantage in the second as Vissing won at a canter – all four riders nursing their bikes around the greasy track in an attempt to stay upright – before Swindon scooped their first 5-1 in the third.

Tobiasz Musielak hit the front from the start while Rasmus Jensen appeared to be struggling at the back before slipping between both Wolves riders and joining his Polish teammate at the front.

The visitors’ early six-point lead was reduced in the fourth however as both Robins completely missed the start, and only Batchelor had the speed to put any pressure on the Wolves riders.

The Australian slotted into second before just about managing to hold off Jacob Thorsell in third.

The sloppy track conditions continued to play havoc with all the riders and took no exceptions to claiming victims.

Former world champion Jason Doyle fell on the first bend with no one around him in the fifth, and when a couple of laps later, Ellis suffered the same fate, Wolves took a 5-0 heat win to take the lead for the first time on the night.

A pair of shared heats followed in six and seven as the wet weather continued to make a mockery of the wheel to wheel racing that fans usually expect at Monmore Green.

Batchelor didn't look to put a lot of effort in once Kyle Howarth has been ejected from heat six as Sam Masters took a comfortable win.

One man who did not struggle on the night was Tobiasz Musielak. He motored to the front in heat number seven as Jensen initially held Douglas off at the back before experiencing engine problems and retiring.

Adam Ellis really struggled in his opening two, but came back with aplomb in heat eight, winning at a canter ahead of Becker and Vissing.

The Dane did hold second for a brief time, but Becker easily passed him to help reduce the damage on the home team.

Wolves then banged in an important 5-1 of their own in heat number nine as Rory Schlein and former Robin Nick Morris took full advantage of Troy Batchelor’s untimely dismount.

The topsy-turvy meeting continued its unpredictable nature in the 10th as Rossiter’s men were the beneficiaries of another fallen rider.

Jensen jumped at the start before ending up at the back, but thanks to Becker coming off on the second lap, the Dane was fortunate enough to pick up third, despite some bike troubles near the end.

Musielak looked to be one of the only riders to be enjoying conditions, and he claimed first ahead of a pacey Sam Masters.

And a one point deficit turned into a first-leg lead that Robins boss Alun Rossiter could have only dreamed of prior to the first tape rising.

After Doyle just about avoided Ellis on the back-straight following an impromptu wheelie, the Robins pair cruise around to take the first of three 5-1s in the final five heats in heat 11.

Becker headed up a Wolves 4-2 in the 12th before Doyle and Batchelor hammered another nail in the Wolves coffin with another 5-1 in the 13th.

The 14th heat saw another extraordinary 5-0 scoreline, this time to Rossiter’s Robins following the exclusions of Morris and Becker.

Vissing and Jensen just had to go through the motions to take the simplest of wins.

And in the 15th, Jason Doyle powered away from the gate to make sure Swindon's lead stayed at 10 points ahead of tomorrow's scheduled second leg.