THE Ipswich Evening Star Witches' seven-match unbeaten run came to a crashing end at Foxhall Stadium last night.In front of a live television audience the Witches were well-beaten by a Poole side who gained ample revenge for their defeat at home to the Witches two weeks ago.

Mike Bacon

THE Ipswich Evening Star Witches' seven-match unbeaten run came to a crashing end at Foxhall Stadium last night.

In front of a live television audience the Witches were well-beaten by a Poole side who gained ample revenge for their defeat at home to the Witches two weeks ago.

Without a home meeting for almost three weeks, the home side looked all at sea and out of touch in the early stages and by the time they had blinked they were already eight points down after just four races. Poole were quick out of the blocks from the start, while Ipswich looked a shadow of the side who had gone on such a great run to put themselves top of the league only three weeks ago.

But with the fixture list a complete nonsense, the Witches came into this meeting having ridden six in eight days a month ago, only then to find they went almost three weeks without one.

Certainly there will be few in the Witches side of the pits who would welcome ideas put forward to have one home meeting every other week, as the Witches clearly needed a home fixture between their last one against Belle Vue on May 22 and last night. The Ipswich riders were making no excuses, however, with Poole simply too fast from the start and with a heat leader trio of Chris Holder, Bjarne Pedersen and Davey Watt they always had enough throughout.

The visitors from Dorset got off to a great start through Holder in a fast time, and on a track that was to see no less than 11 heats won under the one-minute mark.

Daniel Davidsson won heat two, with Steve Johnston having to split the two Poole reserves, but only after Magnus Zetterstrom made a mistake.

Piotr Swiderski came from behind to pass Adam Skornicki in the next, and when Chris Schramm was passed by Davidsson in heat four, already the writing was on the wall for the home side.

Indeed it wasn't until heat six that the Witches produced a heat winner, when Jarek Hampel won from the inside gate.

And when Johnston produced what proved to be the highlight of the night for the home side as he roared past Pedersen down the back straight, there was a glimmer of hope for the Foxhall faithful.

However, that was short lived as Poole went 10 points ahead after the first maximum of the night in the next.

Swiderski's tactical ride was snuffed out by Watt and Robert Miskowiak inflicted Holder's first defeat of the night in heat 11.

Swiderski finished the meeting in style with two late wins, but this meeting was over long before then, and the fired up Pirates travelled south with their Elite League play-off hopes firmly back on track, while the Witches will have to put this one to bed as soon as possible.

However, with no scheduled home meeting for almost three weeks once more, they are going to have plenty of time to reflect on this one.