OXFORD ace Jason Crump put up a superb show before having to give best to world champion Tony Rickardsson in speedway's Elite League Riders Championship at Swindon last night.

The Aussie looked the man to beat after a brilliant first ride with fellow countryman Leigh Adams before seeing off world No 2 Jimmy Nilsen and then Rickardsson.

Crump's teammate, Todd Wiltshire, who came in as a late replacement for the unwell MIkael Karlsson, was also working wonders with a first-heat win over Greg Hancock, and then also slammed Rickardsson.

The first hiccup of the night for the Oxford camp came in heat 12 where Wiltshire found Ronnie Correy too hot.

The Oxford pair clashed in heat 16 where Crump scythed through both Chris Louis and Wiltshire to maintain his 100 per cent record, with Wiltshire second.

But Crump met his match in heat 17 when Hancock got first run, before Wiltshire blotted his copybook in heat 20 with a last place.

However, Crump had done enough to go straight through to the final and Wiltshire, having beaten Hancock in the opening heat, earned the right to make the semi. The outside gate did the blond bomber no favours and he couldn't cope with the likes of Adams, Joe Screen and Nilsen.

Crump had the pick of the gate positions in the final and after settling for red, just failed to clear the world champion by the second bend and finished second. Top four: 1 A Rickardsson, 2 J Crump, 3 J Screen, 4 L Adams.

HEAT DETAILS

Heat 1: Wiltshire, Hancock, Boyce, Norris 65.4 secs. Heat 2: Screen, Correy, Dugard, Parker (exc/tps) 65.7. Heat 3: Rickardsson, Nilsen, Louis, Sullivan 65.6. Heat 4: Crump, Adams, Loram, Andersen 64.8. Heat 5: Hancock, Screen, Louis, Loram 65.1. Heat 6: Andersen, Norris, Sullivan, Parker 65.5. Heat 7: Crump, Nilsen, Correy, Boyce 65.4. Heat 8: Wiltshire, Rickardsson, Adams, Dugard 65.8. Heat 9: Adams, Nilsen, Parker, Hancock 65.0. Heat 10: Crump, Rickardsson, Screen, Norris 65.7. Heat 11: Andersen, Dugard, Boyce, Louis (ret) 66.8. Heat 12: Correy, Wiltshire, Loram, Sullivan 66.1. Heat 13: Rickardsson, Hancock, Correy, Andersen 65.4. Heat 14: Nilsen, Loram, Dugard, Norris 66.2. Heat 15: Adams, Screen, Boyce, Sullivan 66.4. Heat 16: Crump, Wiltshire, Louis, Parker (ret) 66.5. Heat 17: Hancock, Crump, Dugard, Sullivan 66.2. Heat 18: Louis, Adams, Norris, Correy 66.6. Heat 19: Rickardsson, Loram, Parker, Boyce 66.05. Heat 20: Screen, Nilsen, Andersen, Wiltshire 66.8.

Semi-final: Adams, Screen, Nilsen, Wiltshire 66.6.

Final: Rickardsson, Crump, Screen, Adams 66.7.

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