League Cup Ipswich Witches 51 Sheffield Tigers 39

Paco Castagna and his broad smile lit up Foxhall Stadium as Ipswich Witches produced a competent performance to beat off a highly-fancied Sheffield side on Saturday night.

The young Italian, who has been so struggling for form, won heat two and linked up with Morten Risager for a match-winning 5-1 in heat 14 to gladden the Foxhall faithful who were starting to worry about Castagna’s credentials.

Son of former Ipswich favourite Armando Castagna, Paco is a long way from achieving what his dad did – as yet anyhow.

However, at Foxhall on Saturday night he recorded his best Witches score of the season to help see the Suffolk side to victory.

“I feel so good, I feel so wonderful,” Castagna beamed in the pits afterwards.

“It’s just unbelievable the way it has gone for me. It’s been horrible. At Sheffield on Thursday (where he failed to register a point), it was the bottom, the very bottom.

“I had to do something and I’ve spoken to some people, who I won’t name, who have told me to really want it.

“Nico Covatti has helped me. At least I can go home in the van tonight with a smile on my face.”

More from Castagna, James Sarjeant and full meeting review in Monday’s Ipswich Star and East Anglian Daily Times

Heat details

1 Sarjeant, King, Stead, Berge 58.8 5-1

2 Castagna, Greaves, Ritchings, Hall 59.2 9-3

3 Bates, Risager, Howarth, Kerr (f/x) 59.0 11-7

4 Garrity, Covatti, Greaves, Ritchings 58.9 13-11

5 Stead, Risager, Berge, Kerr 58.9 15-15

6 Garrity, Sarjeant, Hall, King (15m) 59.2 17-19

7 Covatti, Bates, Howarth, Castagna 59.3 20-22

8 Sarjeant, Berge, Ritchings, Greaves (f) no time 24-24

9 Kerr, Garrity, Risager, Hall 58.5 28-26

10 Sarjeant, King, Bates, Howarth 58.7 33-27

11 Covatti, Stead, Castagna, Berge 58.8 37-29

12 Howarth, Kerr, Ritchings, Hall 59.9 40-32

13 Stead, Covatti, King, Garrity (f) 58.5 43-35

14 Risager, Castagna, Bates, Greaves 58.6 48-36

15 Covatti, Bates, Garrity, Sarjeant (15m) 58.3 51-39

Ipswich 3pts. Sheffield 0pts.

Scorers

Ipswich: D King 5+3, J Sarjeant 11, L Kerr 5, M Risager 8, N Covatti 13, P Castagna 6+1, D Ritchings 3+1

Sheffield: S Stead 9, D Berge 3, K Howarth 5+1, J Bates 9, J Garrity 9+1, R Hall 1, N Greaves 3