IPSWICH Witches team manager Peter Simmons sees Scott Nicholls as his trump card in tonight's Elite League meeting at lowly Poole (7.30pm).The Pirates were last season's champions, but they are having a disappointing campaign and have struggled to gain results both home and away.

Elvin King

IPSWICH Witches team manager Peter Simmons sees Scott Nicholls as his trump card in tonight's Elite League meeting at lowly Poole (7.30pm).

The Pirates were last season's champions, but they are having a disappointing campaign and have struggled to gain results both home and away. They beat the Witches 59-33 in the 'A' fixture at Wimborne Road on July 8 when Nicholls was missing and replaced by No.8 Jerran Hart.

“We went to Dorset in good spirits the last time,” said Simmons. “But with young Jerran doing well but unable to score we were on the wrong end of a defeat.

“With Scott riding we will have a spearhead and someone who can get among the Poole top order.”

The Witches will use the rider replacement facility for Tobi Kroner, who underwent an operation in his native Germany on Sunday. He suffered a triple fracture of his collar bone in a crash at Foxhall Stadium last Thursday at the end of the Anglian Pairs meeting.

Simmons said: “We will use rider replacement for Tobi at Poole and at home to Belle Vue on Thursday. We will take it from there when we know more about Tobi's condition.”

Kroner is reserve for the Grand Prix final qualifier at Coventry on September 18, and will be keen to be fit in time for that.

The rider is confident surgery will speed up the repair process and that he will be back in action for a meeting or two before Coventry.

With an average of 4.77, Kroner's rides tonight and tomorrow can be taken by Robert Miskowiak and the two reserves - Dawid Stachyra and Carl Wilkinson.

Daniel King returns to skipper the Ipswich side after suffering a cracked sternum towards the end of last month and if he and Troy Batchelor can give good support to Nicholls Ipswich can expect to improve on the meagre one league point they have earned this year.

Former Witch Hans Andersen, who finished on the rostrum in last weekend's GP, will be leading the Poole challenge with Bjarne Pedersen and Chris Holder two other quality riders. Ipswich will be looking to get among the rest of the side for the bulk of their points.

Poole Pirates: H Andersen, J Screen, L Madsen, B Pedersen, C Holder, B Wilson and S Boxall.

Ipswich Witches: S Nicholls, Rider replacement, R Miskowiak, D King, T Batchelor, D Stachyra and C Wilkinson.