Ahead of the ‘Tru Plant’ Witches’ clash with Peterborough in the Premiership at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 22nd August, we are giving away two tickets to the meeting and a team polo shirt as this week’s social media competition prize.
All you have to do to enter is retweet this tweetand follow our account on Twitter or like this Instagram post and follow our account on Instagram or like and share this Facebook postand like our account on Facebook. Entries close at 8am on Thursday 22nd August. A winner will be selected at random and will be presented with the prize at a meeting at Foxhall. The winner must be able to attend this fixture.
‘Tru Plant’
Witches boss Ritchie Hawkins lifts the lid on what it is like to be a team
manager in speedway.
With the Ipswich riders so evenly matched in the averages in
2019, it has been an ever-changing line-up from week to week and Hawkins
explained his methods behind rotating the riding order this season.
“Things have been a little unique this year with our riders
being so close to each other in the averages from one to seven and I have spent
a lot of time changing the line-up, which is unusual in speedway,” said
Hawkins.
“Before the season started, I thought it would be something
that worked and instead of sticking someone at one number, we are looking at
every meeting on a meeting by meeting basis and what is going to be the most
effective partnerships for that one meeting, not for the whole season. I am
looking at everything from the track we are at, to the opposition and how they are
lining up, countering their line-up and things like that.”
The boss has been impressed with how the riders have
responded to changing their position in the side so frequently, with it being
traditional in speedway to stay at a certain number for the majority of the
season.
“I have always changed the riding order the odd time in the
past but this season because of how close the averages are it has been every
week really. We have seen the riding order change quite frequently, but I would
say that the team has responded to it well and there have been no complaints
about it. I think when I first put Richard (Lawson) at two, that raised a few
eyebrows but that worked really well.
“It has been traditional for speedway riders to stay at a certain number and know what they are doing but our riders have adapted to it and they have not worried about doing it. Both of our reserves from the start of the season have moved up into the main body of the team and so that changed the thinking a little bit again.”
Finding the perfect partnerships in a team is something all team managers are keen to do, and Hawkins says that the last month has been the time to experiment ahead of the play-offs, should they qualify.
“Some riders search for the outside and some prefer the inside, ideally you want a combination of the two in a partnership every race, that’s the perfect combination. That is not possible, and we have more riders who prefer the outside over the inside, so it is hard to balance. One thing I have seen is Danny (King) and Cam (Heeps) getting in each other’s way quite regularly and you can see where it does not work in some cases. Whereas, some people pairing up works really well like when Richard is at two.
“Jake (Allen) has moved up and I was keen to see him ride with Danny as they have built a good relationship off track. You always hope that chemistry works on track, I’m not saying it always does, but we have been in a position where over the last month we have experimented with pairings. My sole focus is winning the play-offs. Yes, we have to get there, and we cannot take any risks, but we are in a good position where we can experiment with pairings and line-ups so that when we get to the play-offs, we are 100% confident with the order and we know what the best option is.”
In August, Krystian Pieszczek dropped down to reserve having been at number five for a good part of the season but the boss believes he was riding well at that position.
“I know Krystian was finding it hard at five and I have spent a lot of time talking to him about it. He has been so professional and to use a snooker analogy, he was practicing putting the ball into a small pocket before moving onto the bigger pockets at reserve. He had it very hard and with dropping to reserve it should have got extra easy in a way. He did well at five and improved and although he has struggled in recent weeks, he could be a trump card at reserve if we get him firing again. He did not drop down because he was riding badly, he was in a very tough position and our reserves have been so good.”
The role of a team manager has perhaps been overlooked in
the sport for some time, but Hawkins is pleased that his position is being
talked about this season, whether it be in positive or critical way.
“It’s what you put into it, you could turn up and fill the
programme in I guess but I put a lot into it. I suppose a couple of years ago
it was easier because people thought I did nothing! Chris (Louis) took all the
stick for everything and I went under the radar. People are aware I do a lot
more now, but it is nice that people are talking about a team manager and their
decisions. It is positive because people should be talking about it like any
other sport. In football you question why a player is playing in a certain
position and you question formations.
“I don’t mind the critics, we are at the top end of the league, it has been working for the majority of the season. We put together a good team and I enjoy being with them all, we have a good team spirit. One of the best things is the amount of people, guests who have rode for us, mechanics who have helped us, that have said how much more fun it is at Ipswich. They comment on the team spirit we have compared to other sides and how it is clear to see why we are doing so well because of the bond we have got. That is the biggest compliment you can get because I would like to think I am a part of that.”
Team spirit has been a key part of Ipswich sides in recent
years and the boss says that having a family feel at the club helps with that.
“What helps is that the mechanics stick with the team rather
than follow a rider about. Everyone at Ipswich, including the staff, is very
friendly and Chris has kept that family feel at the club. There is a bond
already here that people come into and we like to keep the mechanics involved
as part of the team. Especially at away meetings, everyone is together, and we
have seen in previous years that one bad egg can bring everyone down, so it is
good to have the right characters around the place.”
The ‘Tru Plant’
Witches host the Peterborough Panthers at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 22nd
August in a Premiership clash that starts at 7.30pm.
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Tickets are available on the gate and are priced at £18 for
adults, £16 for concessions (60+), £5 for students (16-17). Children 15 and
under go free. Official programmes are priced at £3 and are available at the
stadium. Car parking is free for all supporters. Debit and credit card payments are accepted.
WHAT’S THE STORY?
The ‘Tru Plant’
Witches play host to another East Anglian battle as they take on the
Peterborough Panthers at Foxhall on Thursday. Ipswich were in action on home
shale last Thursday when they took on the Swindon Robins and were well beaten
at Foxhall on a disappointing night. The Suffolk side have enjoyed good results
against the Panthers in 2019, winning at Foxhall whilst also winning twice at
the East of England Arena & Events Centre, collecting the maximum eleven
points on offer in the process.
The home side welcome back Edward Kennett at reserve following
the 10 day ban he was given from the Speedway Control Bureau. Team manager
Ritchie Hawkins has made a change to the riding order for this meeting, with
Richard Lawson moving back to number two where he did so well earlier in the
season. Cameron Heeps now finds himself at number three whilst captain Danny
King is at number five. The Witches will be looking to complete a clean sweep
of victories over Peterborough this season but will know their performances
need to improve vastly at Foxhall if they are to win and edge closer to
confirming their play-off spot.
FROM THE MANAGER…
‘Tru Plant’ Witches
team manager Ritchie Hawkins looks ahead to Thursday’s clash…
“This week we need to get three points and a home win
otherwise things will start to become difficult for us to make the play-offs.
We need to get some wins on the board and get ourselves in a more secure
position. A couple of home defats have dropped us back down into the race for
the top four.
“I have switched the riding order around and Richard as you
would expect did well at number two previously in the year, he is a very solid
number two. Cam is extremely good around Ipswich and is having a great season.
For him to be in the number three position and be a heat leader, he should be
ready to step up to that role.
“The Panthers are having a very tough season but when you
look at their team, they have a lot of former Ipswich riders and they are going
to come here looking to do well and get a win. We need to make sure we up our
game and be sharper. We need to be more focused and determined to get back to winning
ways. We will not take them lightly with the side they are bringing, and we
need to be 100% focused and ready to do the business.
“We need to rebuild now, and a win starts that rebuilding
process. We still have a month until the play-offs start if we can perform well
over the next few meetings, then we can get ourselves back into a strong
position, starting on Thursday night.”
THE PANTHERS…
Peterborough have endured a difficult season to say the
least. Before a wheel was turned in 2019 things started to go wrong and as the
season has gone on, injuries have hampered their chances and despite many team
changes their fortunes have not improved. The Panthers are currently bottom of
the Premiership and even the most ardent of their supporters would admit that
their play-off hopes are over. They have been defeated four times at home and
have picked up just four points on their travels but will be hoping to put a
dent in Ipswich’s hopes for the top four.
Two former Witches lead the Peterborough side with Ipswich-born Scott Nicholls riding at number five. There are not many riders that know Foxhall better than the seven-times British champion who was part of the Ipswich treble-winning team of 1998. Rohan Tungate returns to Foxhall at number one. Former Witch Hans Andersen misses out with a wrist injury and rider replacement will be used at four in his absence. Ben Barker guests for the injured British champion Charles Wright and Ulrich Ostergaard deputises for Ty Proctor who is out with a back injury.
AROUND THE TRACKS…
Ipswich were
heavily beaten on home shale last Thursday as Swindon ran out 53-37 winners whilst King’s Lynn beat Wolverhampton
54-36 to keep their play-off hopes alive.
On Monday night, Belle Vue were defeated 43-47 on home shale by Wolverhampton at the National Speedway Stadium. King’s Lynn beat Peterborough 53-37 and Poole recorded a 46-44 win over Swindon.
‘Tru Plant’
Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins says he will look at how his team can
improve after they were heavily beaten 37-53 by Swindon on Thursday night at
Foxhall in the Premiership.
Ipswich never got going and were well beaten as the visitors
cruised to a comfortable victory, their first on the road this season and
Hawkins said that he and his team need to assess recent performances to work
out what has gone wrong in recent weeks.
“We are not happy, and the performance was not very good,”
said Hawkins. “No one has gone away happy or pleased with it. I can’t make any
excuses and I can’t see any obvious reasons for it. We need some time now to
figure out what has gone wrong and what has changed to see why we are not performing
and put that right.
“Whatever it is and whatever factors are affecting us
individually and as a team in the last couple of performances, we can’t dwell
on. We need to look at how we can improve and what has changed and put that
right so that we start performing again.”
It was the second home defeat of the season for the Witches,
but the boss believes that they can turn their home form around as the fight
for the play-offs continues.
“We have lost at home and we are not happy. We have not been
comfortable in the last two home meetings and it is something that can turn
around quickly. It is not like suddenly we can’t race, we can’t do well, and we
can’t win, we need to look at why it is not happening for us at the moment and
put that right.
“We need to come into our home meetings with confidence and
perform. No one is going to be happy being battered at home and have two heavy
defeats on the trot but there is no point in getting down in the dumps about
it. We are looking to be in the play-offs and looking to fight to win them. We
will look at what we need to do to improve.”
Having been relatively secure in the top four all season,
Ipswich could get dragged into the fight behind them after Thursday’s defeat, but
the manager thinks that a bit of pressure could help them find their form
again.
“We are going to drop down into that fight now having been
in a comfortable position and we got into that comfortable position with how we
performed. If we keep performing like we have done tonight, then we will be in
the fight just to make the play-offs.
“Maybe it will refocus us but at the moment it is too soon
after the meeting to put your finger on what exactly went wrong but it is a few
factors not just one thing that will change the performances drastically. It is
going to be a combination of things that we need to work on individually and as
a club.”
Witches guest Nico Covatti top scored with 12+1 from reserve
and Hawkins was full of praise for the former Witch.
“Nico was our best rider and did brilliantly. I can’t credit
him enough, he did a great job and we thank him for coming in. It was nice to
see him and catch up and he was brilliant.”
Cameron Heeps made his return from injury scoring 4+1 and the
boss is keen to get reserve Krystian Pieszczek firing again with the Polish
rider struggling for form since his drop down to reserve.
“I think Cam is sore, but he just wasn’t making great starts
like everyone else. He will be ok, I think.
“Krystian has finished in Poland now I think and maybe he is
spending too much time off the bike, I don’t know. I guess he is one of the factors
that we need to look at to get him back firing, but he is not the only one or
the only thing. That is one of the things we will look at because Krystian at
reserve could be a trump card, but he has struggled in the last few meetings
and we need to put that right.”
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PREMIERSHIP TABLE
Team
Meetings
Points
Poole
16
36
Ipswich
19
36
Belle Vue
20
35
Swindon
17
32
Wolverhampton
19
29
King’s
Lynn
17
25
Peterborough
18
17
WHAT HAPPENED?
The ‘Tru Plant’ Witches fell
to a heavy defeat at Foxhall on Thursday night as they were beaten 37-53 by the
Swindon Robins.
It was a miserable night for Ipswich who started slowly and never
recovered. The home team provided just three race winners all night as the
Robins extended their lead further and further as the night went on, to record
their first away win of the league season. Guest Nico Covatti top scored for
the hosts with 12+1 from reserve.
The Robins started with a 5-1 in heat one thanks to Adam Ellis who
won, and Jason Doyle followed him home, making it consecutive home meetings
that the hosts had started with a 5-1 against them. The home pair made the gate
in heat two and were on a 5-1 with guest Covatti and Krystian Pieszczek at the
front but as Covatti entered the third turn on the opening lap, he pushed the Pole
wide and he dropped to the back meaning a 3-3. The Robins started heat three on
a 5-1 with Rasmus Jensen at the front but Danny King managed to get past Tobias
Musielak to limit the damage to a 4-2 to the away side, leaving the Robins 6-12
up.
Troy Batchelor eased to victory in heat four to continue Swindon’s
strong start as Covatti and Richard Lawson ensured it ended in a share of the
points. Things got worse for the Suffolk side in heat five as Doyle and Ellis recorded
another maximum for the Robins to put them 10 points in front. Chris Harris led
heat six, but Batchelor went under the Witches number one coming out of turn
four on the second lap to take the lead as the heat was shared, giving Swindon
a 13-23 lead, with the Witches struggling.
Heat seven was stopped with a Robins rider warned for moving at
the start but it was Musielak who won the re-run ahead of Lawson and Pieszczek
in a 3-3 as his partner Jensen retired on the first turn after locking up, but
that kept the away side comfortably ahead. Guest Covatti was the only Witches
rider to have won a heat up to this point and he won again in heat eight as
Ellis held off Cameron Heeps for second as the Witches got their first heat
advantage of the night. Covatti’s form saw him replace Jake Allen in heat nine but
he couldn’t stop Batchelor from taking his third win of the night and it was
another shared heat, meaning the Robins held a 23-31 lead with six heats to
race.
Things went from bad to worse in heat 10 as the visitors claimed
another 5-1 via Musielak and Jensen. The away side provided yet another race
winner in heat 11 as Doyle took the chequered flag in a 3-3 that left the
Robins on the brink of victory. Heat 12 was stopped with Covatti warned for
moving at the start. King won the re-run after a battle with Ellis Perks and
Covatti picked up a point for a 4-2 to the hosts as they trailed Swindon 31-41
with three to race.
King was back out in heat 13 as a tactical substitute replacing
Harris but the home pair could do nothing to stop Doyle and Batchelor racing to
a 5-1 that sealed their victory. Perks replaced Kevin Doolan for the away side
in heat 14 as Musielak won ahead of Allen and Perks took third for another heat
advantage to the away team. Musielak went off 15 metres in heat 15 having gone
through the tapes as partner Batchelor completed his five-ride paid maximum
with a win in a shared heat, giving Swindon a convincing 37-53 win in Suffolk.
RN EUSTON & WEST PROPERTY MANAGEMENT RIDERS OF THE NIGHT…
Covatti picked up both of the Rider of the Night awards from the sponsors after he scored 12+1 from reserve and the former Witch was the only shining light for Ipswich on the night.
KEY
MOMENT…
In truth the home team were poor from the off and there was no
defining moment in their defeat. Any hopes of a dramatic comeback were dashed
with a Robins 5-1 in heat 10, that saw the hosts fall 12 points behind with
just five races to go.
WHAT IT
MEANS…
Ipswich fail to add to their tally after this defeat and stay
second in the table whilst Swindon boosted their play-off hopes considerably,
collecting four points and moving into the top four.
WHAT’S
NEXT?
The ‘Tru Plant’ Witches
host the Peterborough Panthers at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 22nd
August in a Premiership fixture at 7.30pm.
AROUND THE
TRACKS…
King’s
Lynn comfortably beat Wolverhampton
54-36 at the Adrian Flux Arena. Ipswich
asset Drew Kemp won the British Under-19 Championship at Redcar after a
15-point maximum.
‘Tru Plant’ Witches rider Krystian Pieszczek is giving way one of his official t-shirts as this week’s social media competition prize.
All you have to do to enter is retweet this tweetand follow our account on Twitter or like this Instagram post and follow both of our accounts on Instagram or like and share this Facebook postand like both of our accounts on Facebook. Entries close at 10pm on Wednesday 14th August. A winner will be selected at random and will be presented with the prize at a meeting at Foxhall.
The full Krystian Pieszczek merchandise range can be found here.
The ‘Tru Plant’
Witches host the Swindon Robins at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 15th
August in a Premiership clash that starts at 7.30pm.
MEETING SPONSORS…
RN Euston – RN Euston Limited has supplied steel framed
buildings in East Anglia for over 40 years. Established by Ray Euston the
business has grown steadily over the years and now Ray works in partnership
with his son Mark. The company is based in Suffolk and work all over East
Anglia where they have gained a reliable reputation.
West Property Management – At West PM, they are experts in home
improvement and development. Whether you want to give your home a tidy up with
our painting and decorating services. Over the years, they’ve transformed
hundreds of houses into homes. They offer single and double-storey extension
services, as well as conservatory and outbuilding construction.
Tickets are available on the gate and are priced at £18 for
adults, £16 for concessions (60+), £5 for students (16-17). Children 15 and
under go free. Official programmes are priced at £3 and are available at the
stadium. Car parking is free for all supporters. Debit and credit card payments are accepted.
WHAT’S THE STORY?
The ‘Tru Plant’
Witches return to Foxhall for a home fixture against the play-off chasing
Swindon Robins on Thursday. Ipswich suffered the frustration of a rain-off last
Thursday at Poole and the team will be eager to get back on track following
their defeat to King’s Lynn last time out. Thursday’s meeting is also a
re-arranged fixture after the original staging was also called-off in June, but
the Robins have been at Foxhall once in the Supporters Cup this season with
Ipswich running out 48-42 winners in a tight contest.
Ipswich will be pleased to have Cameron Heeps in the side
following his crash during the King’s Lynn meeting. The Australian suffered
tendon and ligament damage to the knee and ankle and was due to miss last
week’s meeting in Dorset. However, he has now been declared fit enough to ride
and returns to the side. However, they will be without Edward Kennett at
reserve after he was handed a 10 day ban for his part in an incident whilst
riding for Championship side Eastbourne against Glasgow earlier this month. There
is a popular face deputising though as former Witch Nico Covatti guests at
number seven and he is sure to get a warm Foxhall reception after several
impressive seasons for Ipswich in recent years. The Witches have struggled to
find their top form at Foxhall in recent times and will hope that Thursday
could start a run of consistent and improved performances over the summer as
they look to build up momentum and confirm their place in the play-offs.
FROM THE MANAGER…
‘Tru Plant’ Witches
team manager Ritchie Hawkins looks ahead to Thursday’s clash…
“Swindon on paper are a very strong side and we will have to
perform well to get the win. They will really want away points to strengthen
their bid for the play-offs and I am sure they will come to Ipswich confident
of a result. We will need to be on top of our game to get the win.
“Both teams will look for a strong start as it sets you up
for the rest of the night. It would be nice to have a strong start at home as
we haven’t had one for a few weeks. We have shown all season that we battle in
every race for all 15 heats and Swindon will be strong, so we need to start
well and push throughout the meeting if we want the three points.
“Cam’s knee has come on really well and he has taken it upon
himself to get his physio sorted. He has had a lot of sessions with Brian
Simpson and Cam does not want to miss any meetings. I wouldn’t expect anything
to hinder him on Thursday and he is someone who is very good at Foxhall and
having a good season. He has been a massive part of our season and we need him
performing because his performances have made a massive difference.
“I haven’t had too much involvement with what has been going
on with Eddie this weekend. He was amazing in the win over Belle Vue and we
want to have our full team out, but we are able to bring Nico in and he was the
obvious replacement. Everyone loves Nico at Ipswich and he was terrific for a
number of years at Foxhall and knows the place very well, so he will fit in
straight away.”
THE ROBINS…
Swindon are well placed to make the play-offs at this stage of the season but know that their away form has to improve if they are to secure a place in the end of season shootout. The Robins have been excellent at the Abbey Stadium and are unbeaten but away from home it is a different story. They have lost all seven meetings on their travels, picking up just three consolation points in the process. The battle for the top four is likely to go the wire and Alun Rossiter will know that they need a result on their travels to help their bid, with Thursday being a big opportunity for them.
Jason Doyle is the league’s only full-time Grand Prix rider and is second in the league’s averages. The former world champion is a threat anywhere he goes, and he scored 13+1 on his previous visit to Suffolk in April. He is backed up by Troy Batchelor who is enjoying a good season and the two Australians are two of the leading heat leaders in the division. Like Kennett, Robins reserve Claus Vissing was also handed a 10 day ban for his part in the incident at Eastbourne and Swindon will use Kevin Doolan in his place.
AROUND THE TRACKS…
Last Thursday, Swindon won a last-heat decider to beat Wolverhampton 46-44 at the Abbey whilst Ipswich’s clash away at Poole was postponed due to a waterlogged track.
Belle Vue beat Swindon 48-42 at the National Speedway Stadium on Monday whilst Wolves thrashed Peterborough 56-34 at Monmore Green.
‘Tru Plant’
Witches duo Danny King and Chris Harris have been named as reserves for the
2019 Adrian Flux British FIM Speedway Grand Prix at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium
on September 21.
Ipswich captain King finished second in the British Final
last month as Charles Wright won the title and took the wild card spot for the
Grand Prix, whilst Harris finished fourth in the final that night.
King competed in the 2016 British Grand Prix and scored
seven points on a night that included a famous race win that sent the home fans
wild. Harris has competed in the event several times having been a Grand Prix
series regular during his career. ‘Bomber’ produced one of the iconic moments
for British speedway in 2007 as he stood on top of the podium in his home Grand
Prix and he remains the only British rider to win at Cardiff.
The pair will be on standby should a rider get injured during the meeting or excluded during a heat for a starting infringement.
Following the decision by the Speedway Control Bureau yesterday to impose a 10 day ban on Edward Kennett, club promoter Chris Louis has issued the following statement.
“I had not been aware that Edward had been involved in the incident that took place on 3rd August in a fixture between Eastbourne and Glasgow and had also not been notified that any such decision was pending,” said Louis. “The handling of this situation by the SCB has been deplorable and in my opinion requires investigation. However, I agree that such behaviour cannot go unpunished and because of that, we will not be contesting the decision to ban Edward between the dates of 12.08.019 – 21.08.19 inclusive. I have subsequently spoken with Edward who on reflection is regretting his actions and would like to apologise to the club’s fans as he feels he has let them down as he misses Thursday’s meeting.”
