Depleted Eagles, forced to compete without the injured David Norris, pushed Swindon hard last night but missed out on another away win as they went down 51-39.

Leigh Adams, the star for Eagles at Arena-Essex, turned villain as he helped himself to a paid maximum to lead Robins to victory.

Adam Shields started like an express train with three straight wins but tailed off as he was plagued by mechanical problems. Good support for Shields though came from guest Joe Screen and captain Dean Barker.

Eastbourne made the worst possible start, conceding three 5-1 maximums in the opening four heats, however, they fought back to cut the gap to only 28-26 after nine races.

Then engine failures for Shields proved costly as Swindon stepped up a gear to take victory and the bonus point following their 55-41 win at Arlin