Ipswich boss Paul Hurry eased the pressure on returning Swedish star Philip Hellstrom-Bangs as the Tru7 Group Witches raced to a 51-38 victory over King’s Lynn at Foxhall on Thursday.
Despite racing just one meeting since May 7 ahead of the East Anglian derby showdown, the Witches extended their unbeaten home record to five matches in all competitions, with their third home win over the Stars in 2026.
Skipper Danny King led the scoring on 12 paid 13 points, while Richard Lawson impressed on 11 and Tobiasz Musielak tallied 10.
Since his last Witches match on April 30, Hellstrom-Bangs has been sidelined due to suspension, before suffering a period of illness. Despite scoring two paid three points, all accrued when he was second in heat two, he produced a spirited display, temporarily holding off former Speedway GP star Chris Harris, before crashing out of heat seven.
Hurry was encouraged by what he saw from the Avesta-born man but hopes he can relax into his racing.
He said: “After that crash, I went and had a chat with him. I sensed he was feeling the pressure of performing. I sat him down and said, ‘Philip, you have done your job in heat two – your job was to get a 5-1. Anything you get from any heat after that is a bonus. If that happens again, he should just let the heat leader go and follow them. You are better off following them and learning rather than trying to stay in front of them and crashing. He’s learning and he hasn’t had many meetings this year, so he has done well.”
Hurry was delighted to see his side power to victory as his riders get reacquainted as a team after a quiet run of fixtures.
He said: “We haven’t really ridden together a lot. The boys have been riding for other clubs, and they are still finding their feet with each other.
“It’s just about taking the time to settle in. You can never take things for granted, and you always have to keep on pushing. But this was a good night, and it was great to go racing again.”
Next up for the Witches is a Rowe Motor Oil Premiership trip to Belle Vue on Monday, before they welcome the Aces to Foxhall on Thursday, with advance tickets available online HERE now.
FINAL SCORES
IPSWICH TRU7 GROUP WITCHES 51: 1. Tom Brennan 6+2, 2. Danny King 12+1, 3. Richard Lawson 11, 4. Scott Nicholls 5+2, Tobiasz Musielak 10, 6. Philip Hellstrom-Bangs 2+1, 7. Jason Edwards 5.
KING’S LYNN STARS 38: 1. Max Fricke 14, 2. Jordan Jenkins 4+1, 3. Chris Harris 6, 4. Ben Cook 3+1, 5. Jan Kvech 6, 6. Cooper Rushen 4, 7. Sam Hagon 1.