Ipswich Witches 55 Sheffield Tigers 35
Ipswich Witches are through to the final of the KO Cup after a tremendous 20 point victory over Sheffield at Foxhall tonight.
With two great guests in Ty Proctor and Mason Campton and a confident performance from the Witches regulars, the home side hit the Tigers from the off and although a maximum to Sheffield in the fifth slowed their progress, they were soon in control again.
12 points up on the night and level on aggregate after eleven heats the home side scored two crucial 5-1’s in heats twelve and 13 to take them 20 up on the night.
It was then down to reserve Nathan Greaves to do the honours with a typical gutsy performance to keep Jan Graversen behind him for a tie winning second spot in the penultimate heat.
Skipper King and then Greaves won the first two heats, with their partners picking up vital third places, before Cameron Heeps and Mason Campton came from behind to score a maximum 5-1 in the third.
Bjerre took 3 and 3/4 laps to get past Mountain in the fourth, but with Proctor winning the home side were 10 up on the night.
That was reduced in the next after Heeps and Nicholls clashed with the Witches man rearing into the fence and being excluded, with Sheffield gaining gained their own 5-1 in the rerun.
Bates won the sixth to keep the visitors within six on the night and six up on aggregate before Greaves and Proctor restored the homes sides 10 point advantage with a 5-1 in the seventh.
A win for Heeps in the next kept it that way and with Heeps winning again in the ninth and Campton finishing third, the home side had squared things on aggregate.
Two shared heats followed before the Witches brought Foxhall alight with their maximums in 12 and 13 and Greaves’ points in 14 to secure them of a place in the final, where they will be up against either Glasgow or Peterborough.
The home leg of the final will be next Thursday.
Scores
IPSWICH: D King 12+1, C Heeps 12, M Campton 5+1, T Proctor 11+1, N Greaves 13+2, C Mountain 2
SHEFFIELD: Nicholls 13, T Kurtz 3+2, L Bjerre 4+1, J Bates 9, J Graversen 6, G Wood 0
Heat Results:
1 King, Campton, Nicholls, Kurtz 55.6 4-2
2 Greaves, Graversen, Mountain, Wood 57.2 8-4
3 Heeps, Campton, Bjerre, Bates 58.0 13-5
4 Proctor, Bjerre, Mountain, Wood 58.0 17-7
5 (rerun) Nicholls, Kurtz, Campton, Heeps (F.exc) 57.3 18-12
6 Bates, Greaves, King, Graversen 58.1 21-15
7 Greaves, Proctor, Greaves, Bates, Bjerre 57.9 26-16
8 Heeps, Graversen, Kyrtz, Mountain 57.5 29-19
9 Heeps, Nicholls, Campton, Wood 57.0 33-21
10 King, Bates, Bjerre, Mountain 56.6 36-24
11 Nicholls, Proctor, Greaves, Kurtz 57.7 39-27
12 (rerun) Heeps, Greaves, Graversen, Bjerre (F.exc) 58.7 44-28
13 (rerun) Proctor, King, Nicholls (15m), Graversen 57.7 49-29
14 Bates, Greaves, Graversen, Campton 58.8 51-33
15 King, Nicholls, Proctor, Bates 57.5 55-35
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