Ipswich Witches 59 Scunthorpe Scorpions 32
Ipswich Witches roared to joint top of the Championship table after a thumping win over beleaguered Scunthorpe at Foxhall Stadium tonight.
The visitors were hampered by the loss of Aussie Ryan Douglas after a frightening heat three crash with home star Kyle Newman. Both riders walked away from what looked a nasty one and the Witches then went on to put the Scorpions to the sword.
Justin Sedgmen was another in the wars after a spill with Stefan Nielsen in heat 12, but he walked away from another bad-looking crash – Nielsen suffering a suspected broken collar bone.
It was a difficult night for the visitors, while the home side lapped up the points, winning 12 of the 15 heats, two of them by 5-0 margins.
Rory Schlein and Justin Sedgmen were unbeaten, as was Danny King, although he did have a time exclusion in the final race.
Indeed King got the Witches off to a great start shooting from gate four, as Cameron Heeps got the better of Nielsen as the Witches took a heat one lead. Nielsen was out in the next and he won easily as Witches debut boy Nathan Greaves did well to pass Josh Bailey. It was a lovely sunny evening on the Heath but it turned sour at the start of heat three as Scunthorpe’s Douglas reared up after 30 metres and Newman had no-where to go and rode over him. The two carried on for about 10 metres before stopping, Douglas laying motionless on the floor.
Newman was up quick but there was concern for Douglas.
Fortunately after attention he got to his feet, but took no further part in the meeting.
Sedgmen gated to the front in the re-run as Newman took advantage of a Lewis Kerr slip to get into second. Both Witches gated well in heat four but Greaves locked up as Josh Auty passed.
Sedgmen and Newman were at it again in heat five, with another maximum. With Douglas out of the meeting, the Scorpions were on a hiding to nothing and Heeps and King thumped in another maximum. Schlein won heat seven and Nielsen slipped off on turn two of heat eight after Heeps made a great gate. In the re-run Bailey slid off as the home team skated to an easy 5-0, with Greaves winning his first race for the Witches.
Heat nine was a good one as Newman and Josh Auty passed and re-passed at the back with Sedgmen making it three wins on the bounce in heat 10. Sedgmen crashed into Nielsen as a trungated meeting was held up once more.
Sedgmen missed his last ride as Lewis Kerr picked up six points on a tactical ride.
King and Schlein were too good in the next as Schlein both completed four unbeaten rides and when Bailey was excluded for falling on turn two on heat 14, the Witches picked up their second 5-0 of the evening.
Kerr at least gave the visiting fans something to cheer with a win in the nominated race, heat 15, but poor Scunthorpe were glad to get away from Foxhall, as the Witches fans’ celebrated.
Ipswich: D King 11+1, C Heeps 10+2, J Sedgmen 9, K Newman 7+2, R Schlein 11+1, C Mountain 3+2, N Greaves 8.
Scunthorpe: M Palm Toft 6, R/R, L Kerr 12, R Douglas 0, J Auty 5+1, S Nielsen 5, J Bailey 4+2
Heat details
1 King, Palm-Toft, Heeps, Nielsen 55.8 4-2
2 Nielsen, Greaves, Bailey, Mountain 58.0 6-6
3 Sedgmen, Newman, Kerr, Douglas (f/x) 57.6 11-7
4 Schlein, Auty, Greaves, Bailey 58.9 15-9
5 Sedgmen, Newman, Palm-Toft - 3 riders only 57.5 20-10
6 Heeps, King, Auty, Nielsen 568 25-11
7 Schlein, Kerr, Bailey, Mountain 57.5 28-14
8 Greaves, Heeps, Bailey (f), Nielsen (f/x) 59.3 33-14
9 Sedgmen, Nielsen, Auty, Newman 57.9 36-17
10 King, Heeps, Bailey, Kerr (ex) 57.5 41-18
11 Schlein, Palm Toft, Bailey, Mountain 57.1 44-21
12 Kerr*, Greaves, Mountain, Nielsen (f/x) 58.2 47-27
13 King, Schlein, Auty, Palm Toft 56.1 52-28
14 Newman, Mountain, Bailey (f/x) - 3 riders only 58.9 57-28
15 Kerr, Heeps, Palm Toft, Greaves 57.9 59-32
*tac ride points count double
Ipswich 3 pts. Scunthorpe 0 pts.
Championship
P Pts
Edinburgh 8 20
Ipswich 10 20
Glasgow 7 17
Redcar 8 14
Sheffield 6 12
Peterborough 6 12
Scunthorpe 11 10
Workington 5 8
Newcastle 4 6
Berwick 9 1
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