Berwick Bandits 40 Ipswich Witches 50

Ipswich Witches picked up their first away victory of the season with a comprehensive victory at Berwick tonight.

The Foxhall Heath side welcomed Kyle Newman back in the fold after his injury lay-off, but it was Cameron Heeps who was the star of the show.

The young Aussie, who as just recovered from a sickness bug netted a superb match-winning paid 14.

But he wasn’t alone.

All the Witches contributed, with Danny King and especially Rory Schlein excellent, while Newman won his first race in Witches colours.

It was just the boost the Foxhall side needed after an injury-hit start to the season and to pick up all four points on offer was a bonus too.

The Witches appeared to be heading to a good start in heat one as King and Heeps led the way after both Bandits made a hash of the first lap.

However, King fell on his own on lap three, Heeps did well to avoid him, as an easy 5-1 maximum for the visitors was turned into a shared head, with King excluded.

Connor Mountain passed Lee Payne in the next heat as the home side took the lead on a track that was far from easy.

Newman picked up his first Witches points as Schlein’s tapes to flag victory levelled the scores up.

Heeps was away in heat four, but Lewis Bridger passed him on the last lap in another shared heat after guest rider Jack Parkinson-Blackburn, who was riding in place of Danyon Hume, passed Payne.

Heeps was out again in heat five, his third ride – and he shot to the front alongside King as the Witches at last got their noses in front and Schlein impressed with his second win of the night in the next.

Bridger was looking good and he won heat seven to inflict Schlein’s first defeat of the night.

Both Parkinson-Blackburn and Jay Etheridge hit the deck in heat eight as the excellent Heeps was away and gone again. Parkinson-Blackburn won the race to the line with Etheridge as the Witches took a six-point lead.

Former Witch and Berwick skipper Kevin Doolan lowered King’s colours in a spaced out heat nine. But it was a short respite for the beleagured home side.

Schlein rode a brave heat 10 to roar past home No.1 Nick Morris as the Witches got their lead back to six points with just five heats to go.

King and Heeps made great starts in the next, but Bridger was all over the visiting duo, passing King on the final lap and almost catching Heeps.

However, Heeps’ win put the Witches eight points ahead and the Suffolk side were closing in on their first away win of the season.

Schlein’s third race win of the night put the Witches within touching distance of victory as Parkinson-Blackburn again did well to hold onto third place. King clinched the meeting for Ipswich with a tapes to flag win in heat 13 and now it was case of could the Witches pick up all four points, by winning by more than six points.

Newman made sure they could with his first win in Witches colours with the excellent Parkinson-Blackburn, proving a fine choice of guest, as he followed his partner home after rounding Liam Carr.

Berwick finished with a 5-1 of their own as Bridger passed Schlein.

But this had been the Witches night and just what they needed after such a difficult start to the campaign.

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Scorers

Berwick: N Morris 7+1, J Etheridge 2+2, K Doolan 11, L Carr 2, L Bridger 12+1, B Hopwood 3, L Payne 3

Ipswich: D King 9, C Heeps 13+1, R Schlein 15, K Newman 6+1, R/R, C Mountain 2, J Parkinson-Blackburn 5+3

Heat details

1 Heeps, Morris, Etheridge, King (f/x) no time 3-3

2 Hopwood, Mountain, Payne, Parkinson-Blackburn (r) 69.6 7-5

3 Schlein, Doolan, Newman, Carr 66.6 9-9

4 Bridger, Heeps, Parkinson-Blackburn, Payne 67.2 12-12

5 King, Heeps, Doolan, Carr 67.0 13-17

6 Schlein, Morris, Etheridge, Mountain 67.1 16-20

7 Bridger, Schlein, Newman, Hopwood 66.6 19-23

8 Heeps, Payne, Parkinson-Blackburn, Etheridge 67.6 21-27

9 Doolan, King,Carr, Mountain 66.8 25-29

10 Schlein, Morris, Newman, Etheridge 67.4 27-33

11 Heeps, Bridger, King, Hopwood 67.2 29-37

12 Schlein, Doolan, Parkinson-Blackburn, Payne 67.4 31-41

13 King, Bridger, Morris, Newman 66.9 34-44

14 Newman, Parkinson-Blackburn, Carr, Payne 69.6 35-49

15 Doolan, Bridger, Schlein, Heeps 67.2 40-50

Berwick 0 pts. Ipswich 4 pts.

Championship Table

Pl Pts

Edinburgh 6 16

Glasgow 6 16

Ipswich 8 14

Redcar 6 11

Sheffield 5 9

Peterborough 5 9

Workington 4 8

Scunthorpe 9 7

Newcastle 4 6

Berwick 7 0