Why sit on the fence at the Ipswich Witches press day?

That was the scenario our own Mike Bacon put to Witches two young reserves Connor Mountain and Danyon Hume as they chatted to Mike on Monday about their hopes for the season ahead.

Both exciting young talents on track, they showed they craft off-track too as they talked about the year ahead, getting over their injuries and then answered a series of ‘one or the other’ questions.

Meanwhile, British champion and Witches No.1 Danny King was another in good form at the press conference, held at Ipswich Sports Club, in Henley Road.

He joined up with Kyle Newman, who is vice-captain at Poole Pirates this season, as well as riding for the Witches, in a video chat with Mike... where the amount of kebabs that both riders had consumed over the winter came up in conversation!

The Witches begin their 2017 campaign at home to Sheffield Tigers on Saturday night, start 7.30pm.

It’s a meeting where children go free and will be a very good early test of the team’s credentials against one of the clubs who, along with the Witches, are vying for a play-off place.

Witches director of speedway Chris Louis admitted: “Sheffield do look good and it will be a tricky start for us.”

“We have a slightly different-shaped track and although it won’t look that much different from the outside, it will ride differently.

“It could take us a few meetings to get used to it, but I think it will very much favour us as the season unfolds.”