Ipswich Witches 43 Workington Comets 47
Ipswich Witches suffered more injury woe as Danyon Hume and new-boy Jonas Jeppesen both crashed out at Foxhall tonight as the Witches suffered defeat.
The two were involved in a nasty heat eight spill which left Hume with a serious arm injury and Jeppesen a wrist injury.
The fact the Witches took the meeting to a last-heat decider was credit to them, but Workington just had enough to get the job done.
The Witches simply ran out of riders and could only field Connor Mountain in heat 14.
Rory Schlein and Scott Nicholls had brought the crowd to their feet with a 5-1 in heat 13 to bring the scores level, but Mountain couldn’t stop the Comets pair as they took a four-point lead into the final race.
Nicolai Klindt won that well.
It was a cracking opening heat after Mason Campton gated.
Rory Schlein roared back under his fellow Aussie going into turn three, while Connor Mountain was busting a gut to keep Rene Bach behind him, until he made a mistake on bend two, last lap and Bach nipped through.
The Witches reserves Mountain and Hume were at the back in the next, but Mountain managed to split the Comets’ duo, Hume fell.
Heat three was a cracker. Nico Covatti started off 15m after touching the tapes, as Jeppesen chased Campton, bucking and rearng all over the place. It was spectacular stuff as Covatti got into third and Dan Beweley fell on the last lap.
Nicolai Klindt hit the tapes in heat four, but the Witches couldn’t make the most of his handicap, Workington reserve Rasmus Jensen beating Witches guest Scott Nicholls.
The Witches got their noses in front after Schlein gated strongly alongside Klindt. Hume roared into second and the home side sped off for a 5-1. Nicholls rode a very brave heat seven to pass Jensen down the back straight.
Hume made a great gate in heat eight, but Campton got past. Hume then almost slid off and Jeppesen couldn’t take evasive action. Both riders crashed into each other as they went tumbling down.
It was a nasty crash and the end of Hume’s night as he was taken to hospital with an arm injury, Jeppesen damaged his thumb.
When the action got back underway Covatti cut back to win heat nine, with Jeppesen pulling up at the back and out of the meeting.
Klindt shot from the start in race 11 as Bewley held off all the attentions of Covatti and the Comets took the lead again. Nicholls and Schlein gated to the front after a hard first turn in heat 13 as the scores levelled. But Workington regained the lead in race 14 as Klindt won the last race.
On Friday the Withes travel to Edinburgh.
Heat details
1 Schlein, Campton, Bach, Mountain 57.0 3-3
2 Jensen, Mountain, Bickley, Hume 58.3 5-7
3 Campton, Jeppesen, Covatti (15m), Bewley (f/x) no time 8-10
4 Jensen, Nicholls, Mountain, Klindt (15m) 57.2 11-13
5 Covatti, Campton, Bach, Jeppesen 56.9 14-16
6 Schlein, Hume, Bickley, Klindt 59.0 19-17
7 Nicholls, Jensen, Bewley, Mountain 57.9 22-20
8 Campton, Jeppesen, Bickley, Hume (f/x) no time 24-24
9 Covatti, Klindt, Jensen, Jeppesen 57.4 27-27
10 Klindt, Schlein, Bewley, Covatti 57.0 29-31
11 Nicholls, Campton, Bach, Mountain 58.7 32-34
12 Jensen, Covatti, Bewley, Mountain 57.0 34-38
13 Nicholls, Schlein, Jensen, Klindt 58.4 39-39
14 Bewley, Jensen, Mountain - 3 riders only 58.6 40-44
15 Klindt, Schlein, Nicholls, Bewley 57.0 43-47
Ipswich 0 pts. Workington 3 pts.
Ipswich: R Schlein 12+1, R/R, N Covatti 9+1, J Jeppesen 4, S Nicholls 12+1, C Mountain 4+1, D Hume 2+1
Workington: R Bach 3+3, M Campton 12, R/R, D Bewley 6+1, N Klindt 8, K Bickley 3, R Jensen 15+2
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