IF you had been living on a different planet and were watching Ipswich Witches for the first time last night, you would have been hard-pressed to understand why they were bottom of the Sky Sports Elite League.

IF you had been living on a different planet and were watching Ipswich Witches for the first time Monday night, you would have been hard-pressed to understand why they were bottom of the Sky Sports Elite League.

In front of the Sky cameras, the Suffolk side put on a full-blooded, ferocious performance to crush Swindon Robins at Foxhall Stadium. It was super stuff from the home side.

Admittedly performances like this have been few and far between for the loyal Witches fans to enjoy, but if Edinburgh fans, or any other Premier League title hopeful were watching, they won’t fancy facing the Witches in a relegation\promotion play-off, should Ipswich stay bottom and be their opponents.

From the off, the Witches were magnificent and had the meeting sewn up long before the end.

Pole Chris Slabon led the early charge, with four paid heat wins in the first eight races. But on a night dedicated to Help for Heroes, our Armed Forces heroes, the Witches fans could at least be glad their local heroes on speedway bikes did their bit.

The Witches got off to the perfect start as Slabon and Scott Nicholls shot away from Leigh Adams and Morten Risager in heat one.

Kozza Smith rode a hard reserves race, as the Witches extended their lead, before Grzegorz Zengota fell while leading heat three.

He was excluded, but his partner Mads Korneliussen won the re-run.

Slabon was in excellent form and he won an exciting heat four, as Simon Stead worked hard to pass Smith.

And when the Pole passed Risager in heat six, the Witches were 12 ahead. Swindon’s tactical ride ploy went to pieces as Ales Dryml and Dawid Stachyra raced from the start, with Korneliussen falling on turn one, but sportingly getting up immediately.

The Witches were flying now and Slabon won his third race in heat eight as he remained unbeaten.

Ipswich continued to turn the screw, despite Leigh Adams winning a tactical heat 11 ride.

Stachyra’s heat 14 win meant every Witch had tasted the chequered flag in their biggest win of the season so far.

Yes this was the Witches night and the whole of the speedway world were witness to the fact Ipswich Speedway is very much alive and kicking.

Scorers

Ipswich: S Nicholls 12+1, C Slabon 12+2, D King 11+1, A Dryml 7+1, R/R, D Stachyra 7+1, K Smith 7+1

Swindon: L Adams 14, R/R, G Zengota 1, M Korneliussen 8+1, S Stead 6+1, M Risager 8, J Sedgmen 0

Witches 3 pts. Robins 0 pts.

Heat details

1 Slabon, Nicholls, Risager, Adams 58.7 5-1

2 Smith, Risager, Stachyra, Sedgmen 60.2 9-3

3 Korneliussen, Dryml, King, Zengota (f/ex) 58.4 12-6

4 Slabon, Stead, Smith, Sedgmen 59.5 16-8

5 Adams, King, Dryml, Sedgmen 58.1 19-11

6 Nicholls, Slabon, Stead, Risager 59.3 24-12

7 Dryml, Stachyra, Zengota (tac ride), Korneliussen 59.8 29-13

8 Slabon, Smith, Risager, Zengota (f) 60.3 34-14

9 King, Stead, Dryml, Sedgmen 59.6 38-16

10 Korneliussen, Nicholls, Slabon, Zengota 59.3 41-19

11 Adams (tac ride), King, Stachyra, Risager 59.6 44-25

12 King, Risager, Smith, Zengota 59.8 48-27

13 Nicholls, Adams, Stead, Smith 59.4 51-30

14 Stachyra, Risager, Korneliussen, Dryml 60.6 54-33

15 Adams, Nicholls, Korneliussen, Slabon 59.3 56-37