Ipswich Witches 60 Scunthorpe Scorpions 32
Ipswich Witches cruised to a comfortable victory over Scunthorpe Scorpions at Foxhall Stadium tonight to leapfrog Glasgow into second place in the Championship table.
The home side dominated, as they have on so many occasions at home. They now head north for two crucial away encounters at Berwick and Newcastle this weekend, knowing positive results from both will be a big boost to their play-off hopes.
Tonight’s meeting was as routine a win for the Witches as there can be in speedway.
Three Witches were unbeaten, Danny King, Cameron Heeps and Rory Schlein, while the visitors won just one race.
This home form is setting the Witches up nicely, however more points on the road are needed.
King got the Witches off the perfect start, flying from gate four to win the opener, before Josh Bailey rode a fine first lap to lead the Witches reserves in heat two. It was the visitors’ only heat win.
The Witches took an early grip on proceedings with Justin Sedgmen gating to the front and Heeps passing Ryan Douglas at the start of lap two, heat three.
Schlein was the next Witch to take the chequered flag with Connor Mountain holding off Michael Palm-Toft for a couple of laps, before the Scorpions skipper passed. The Witches had started well and Heeps shot from the inside to win the next, with Sedgmen baulked out on the first turn.
Palm-Toft came a cropper on the third turn of lap one as Kyle Newman closed the door on him as the pair raced to the turn. It was a fair move by Newman and Palm-Toft was excluded.
The resultant 5-1 maximum to the Witches took them 12 ahead.
Schlein and Newman took the chequered flags in the next two on a sultry night on the Heath as the home side closed in on another three points points at Foxhall.
Sedgmen and the impressive Heeps were away well in heat nine as the Scorpions sting was slowly being sucked out of them.
Josh Auty shot from gate four for the visitors with Newman and King following.
King was soon round his partner before executing a fine pass on Auty on lap two. Tero Aarnio was out on a tactical ride in heat 11 but King put pay to that and Auty had to ride hard to pass Mountain in the next.
The Witches were home and dry and Schlein even managed to follow partner King home in heat 13, despite a final bend puncture.
Ipswich: D King 14+1, K Newman 8+1, C Heeps 13+2, J Sedgmen 8+1, R Schlein 11+1, R Branford 2+1, C Mountain 4.
Scunthorpe: L Kerr 2+1, T Aarnio 10, J Auty 7+1, R Douglas 4, M Palm-Toft 3, C Wilkinson 2+1, J Bailey 4+1
Heat details
1 King, Aarnio, Newman, Kerr 56.3 4-2
2 Bailey, Mountain, Branford 58.8 7-5
3 Sedgmen, Heeps, Auty, Douglas 57.2 12-6
4 Schlein, Palm-Toft, Mountain, Bailey 57.7 16-8
5 Heeps, Aarnio, Kerr, Sedgmen 57.2 19-11
6 Newman, King, Wilkinson, Palm-Toft (f/x) 24-12
7 Schlein, Douglas, Auty, Branford 56.8 27-15
8 Newman, Aarnio, Wilkinson, Mountain 58.3 30-18
9 Heeps, Sedgmen, Palm-Toft, Bailey 57.3 35-19
10 King, Auty, Newman, Douglas 57.2 39-21
11 Schlein, Aarnio*, Branford, Kerr (e/f) 58.0 43-25
12 Heeps, Auty Mountain, Wilkinson 57.9 47-27
13 King, Schlein, Kerr, Bailey 57.3 52-28
14 Sedgmen, Douglas, Bailey Branford 57.9 55-31
15 King, Heeps, Auty, Aarnio 57.5 60-32
*tac ride points count double
Ipswich 3 pts. Scunthorpe 0 pts.
Championship
P Pts
Edinburgh 19 41
Ipswich 20 40
Glasgow 16 39
Redcar 19 35
Sheffield 15 30
Peterborough 17 28
Newcastle 15 22
Workington 11 21
Scunthorpe 21 17
Berwick 21 10
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