Cup semi-final awaits Witches if they win well

IPSWICH ‘Sackers’ Witches have just one job to do tonight.

Win their clash with Plymouth Devils by more than six points and a League Cup semi-final place will be theirs.

In a League Cup group that includes Somerset and Rye House, as well as the Witches and Devils, it is all coming down to the final two meetings tonight and at Rye House on Sunday, where Plymouth also visit.

That meeting however at Hoddesdon could be irrelevant if the Witches do the business tonight and finish top of the group, something Ipswich star Morten Risager is confident will happen.

“We want to win and we want to win well,” he said.

“We are already out of the KO Cup and we were annoyed about that, so we want to try and make a League Cup final place.

“Plymouth are a decent side on paper especially, with Ty Proctor who will love Foxhall and Chris Schramm who knows the way round.

“They haven’t done as well as I thought they could do, but they went to Somerset and nearly beat them, we must be at it from the start.”

The Witches will be without No.1 Ben Barker, who is riding for his Elite League club Birmingham tonight.

Usually the priority with a doubling-up rider is always the Premier League side, but as tonight’s meeting has been re-arranged – the original one last month rained off – it’s Birmingham who can call on Barker’s services first.

Not that Ipswich will mind having Edinburgh’s Craig Cook as a guest.

Cook was fourth in last week’s British Final and is very comfortable around Foxhall.

“Craig Cook is a good guest for us,” Risager added.

“Alongside Jason Doyle, he is the best rider in the Premier League.”

Tonight’s teams

Ipswich: C Cook, R Hawkins, R Tungate, M Risager, L Lanham, A Ellis, C Heeps.

Plymouth: T Proctor, J Bates,. C Schramm, C Gathercole, M Lemon, J Anderson, T Kurtz

ON Wednesday, June 26, the annual Kim Jansson Twenty/20 cricket match takes place at Chantry Park between and Ipswich Witches XI and a Media XI. Free admission, licensed bar, raffle and auction.