CHRIS Harris has been drafted into the Ipswich Evening Star Witches side to race at Poole tonight.The current British GP champion will be riding at No.1 as a guest replacement for Chris Louis as the Suffolk side look to go second in the table with a sixth straight victory.

Mike Bacon

CHRIS Harris has been drafted into the Ipswich Evening Star Witches side to race at Poole tonight.

The current British GP champion will be riding at No.1 as a guest replacement for Chris Louis as the Suffolk side look to go second in the table with a sixth straight victory.

“If we can get nine away points out of nine that would be fantastic,” team manager Pete Simmons said.

“We've gone for Chris Harris because I think rider replacement could be just a bit too much to ask of my riders after such a hectic spell.

“It was the reason I left Jarek (Hampel) out of the last heat at Wolves, he was shooting off to Sweden on Tuesday.

“We must concentrate on these two meetings as we have a two-week break afterwards and it will give the guys a chance to re-charge the batteries.”

But tonight's clash in Dorset is set to be their toughest encounter of the season with the Pirates one of only two sides, the other being Lakeside, who have yet to drop a point at home in 2008.

However make no bones about it, the Witches are full of confidence, buoyed by wins at Eastbourne and Wolverhampton and they race a Pirates side who could be missing top star Chris Holder.

Holder was injured in an under-21 qualifier in Poland on Sunday and missed the Pirates defeat at Belle Vue on Monday, as well as pulling out of his Swedish commitment yesterday. His chances are more in favour of him riding than not however.

Poole boss Matt Ford knows it is a crucial meeting for his side. "This is a match that we really must win,” he said.

“Ipswich have gained some good results of late and so they will come to us full of confidence.

“Like Neil (Middleditch) I was very disappointed we lost in Manchester on Monday night but the loss of Chris (Holder) really blew our chances.

“But that has gone now and we have to look to the task in hand.”

Tonight will see the battle of the two best reserves in the Elite League at the moment, Piotr Swiderski for the Witches and fellow Pole Adam Skornicki for the home

Teams

Poole: K Kasprzak, F Eriksson, C Holder or R/R, M Zetterstrom, D Watt, D Davidsson A Skornicki.

Ipswich: C Harris, R Miskowiak, T Kroner, S Johnston, J Hampel, P Swiderski, C Schramm