Author Archives: Henry Chard

About Henry Chard

Digital Media Manager at Ipswich Speedway

RACEDAY REPORT: IPSWICH 40-50 PETERBOROUGH – LEAGUE CUP (H)

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By David Rowe

THE SCORES 

IPSWICH 40: Jason Doyle 14, Cameron Heeps 1+1, Troy Batchelor 4+1, Erik Riss 7, Danny King © 5, Paul Starke 7, Anders Rowe (RS) 2+1. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

PETERBOROUGH 50: Michael Palm Toft 8+1, Scott Nicholls © 5, Ulrich Ostergaard 6+1, Hans Andersen 11+1, Chris Harris 11+1, Benjamin Basso 8+1, Jordan Palin (RS) 1. Team Manager: Rob Lyon

REFEREE: W. Jarvis

GROUP B TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Peterborough27
King’s Lynn00
Ipswich20

THE STORY

The ‘Tru Mix’ Witches slipped to a ten-point defeat in their home League Cup opener as reigning champions Peterborough displayed many of the strengths which took them to the 2021 title.

The Panthers were the quicker side from the starts for much of the meeting as they restricted the Witches to six heat wins – four of which came from new Ipswich No.1 Jason Doyle.

It was the middle-order Peterborough combination which did the damage as Hans Andersen – scoreless at the East of England Arena last Monday – twice combined with fellow Dane Ulrich Ostergaard for 5-1s in Heats 3 and 7, taking the visitors into an eight-point lead.

Doyle had taken the flag in Heats 1 and 6 for the Witches, and Erik Riss headed Michael Palm Toft in Heat 5, but from the halfway stage the Witches only ever managed to reduce the gap to six points with Paul Starke riding strongly to defeat Scott Nicholls in Heat 8.

Wins for Chris Harris over Riss and then Andersen over Doyle frustrated the Witches’ hopes of putting more pressure on the Panthers, and Michael Palm Toft got the better of Ipswich skipper Danny King in a fine Heat 11 battle to rebuild their advantage. 

Eight points down, the Witches introduced Doyle into Heat 12 as a tactical substitute – but disaster struck as the Australian lifted on turn two and fell, causing his disqualification. Troy Batchelor split the Panthers in the re-run but couldn’t get on terms with impressive reserve Benjamin Basso.

Just when the Witches gated on a 5-1 in Heat 13, King found himself overhauled by Harris and Palm Toft for a match-clinching 3-3 for the visitors, and Andersen ensured maximum points with his fourth unbeaten ride, Starke passing Basso for second.

Race of the night was Heat 15 with Doyle showing extra determination to end Andersen’s maximum hopes, surging inside his rival on the third lap with Andersen failing to finish the race – but this was only mild consolation for the Witches.

REACTION FROM THE BOSS

Ipswich ‘Tru Mix’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins reflects on Thursday’s defeat to Peterborough.

“It was a disappointing performance, and I think it was quite clear that it was a team that’s high on confidence, who have carried their mojo over from last season, the reigning champions, against a team that’s just been put together and isn’t quite on the ball yet.

“Doyley was brilliant, I think he’s showed his class straight away and he was very quick. That was a positive, and although it was a bad result there were still some positives to take from it.

“We got in winning positions as well and went from a 5-1 to a 3-3 on more than one occasion, so there are certainly big things to work on.

“We’re lucky in the fact that it’s the League Cup, so we’ve got two more meetings in that competition now to get ourselves ready for the league, because we can’t come into the league campaign as we are now. We’ve got two free hits now to get ourselves a little bit more gelled, and a little bit more comfortable on our home track, and ready to start the league.”

RIDER OF THE NIGHT

Jason Doyle showed what he will bring to the Witches’ table this season with a powerful display at No.1 including his no-holds-barred battle with Hans Andersen in Heat 15 – it was just a pity his tactical substitute ride went wrong.

WHAT IT MEANS

Peterborough are now hot favourites to qualify from the group with maximum points from their two matches against the Witches. The Panthers can take a further step towards that aim when they host King’s Lynn on Easter Monday.

UP NEXT

The ‘Tru Mix’ Witches travel to the Adrian Flux Arena to face the King’s Lynn Stars on Monday 25th April in a League Cup fixture. Tickets can be purchased here.

RACEDAY PREVIEW: PETERBOROUGH – LEAGUE CUP (H)

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By David Rowe

All the details ahead of our League Cup fixture with Peterborough.

WHEN & WHERE

The ‘Tru Mix’ Witches host the Peterborough Panthers at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 14th April in a League Cup fixture that starts at 7.30pm.

TEAMS

IPSWICH: 1. Jason Doyle 8.96 2. Cameron Heeps 4.96 3. Troy Batchelor 5.67 4. Erik Riss 5.08 5. Danny King 7.96 © 6. Paul Starke 4.58 7. Anders Rowe (RS). Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

PETERBOROUGH: 1. Michael Palm Toft 7.17 2. Scott Nicholls 6.71 © 3. Ulrich Ostergaard 7.09 4. Hans Andersen 7.05 5. Chris Harris 7.02 6. Benjamin Basso 4.00 7. Jordan Palin (RS) Team Manager: Rob Lyon

REFEREE: W. Jarvis

GROUP B TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Peterborough13
King’s Lynn00
Ipswich10

TICKETS

Tickets are available to buy online (until 7pm on raceday) and on the gate and are priced at £20 for adults and £18 for concessions (65+). Children 16 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. Turnstiles open at 6.40pm.

THE STORY

The ‘Tru Mix’ Witches face the Peterborough Panthers at Foxhall on Thursday night in their first home fixture of the new season.

The Witches’ scheduled fixtures against King’s Lynn at both Foxhall and the Adrian Flux Arena have fallen victim to the weather in recent weeks, so this will be just the second time their new-look side has taken to the track.

And the group itself has yet to progress further since Peterborough defeated the Witches 53-37 at the East of England Arena last Monday, with the Panthers also inactive since then.

The two teams are both unchanged from that Alwalton encounter, with Ipswich boss Ritchie Hawkins again electing to track Cameron Heeps as opening partner for Jason Doyle whilst Erik Riss, who would have ridden at No.2 at King’s Lynn, once more lines up in the middle order with fellow new signing Troy Batchelor.

FROM THE BOSS

Ipswich ‘Tru Mix’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins gives us his pre-match thoughts…

“It wasn’t the greatest of results at Peterborough last Monday, but myself and Chris (Louis) still went away from that meeting feeling confident that this is going to be a good season.

“I don’t feel the score there really reflected our efforts, and I was very pleased with the way the team was starting to gel together.

“Peterborough are a side who have a fairly good record around Foxhall. I’m sure they will come here fully confident that they can take a win, and with it being our first home meeting we probably lose a bit of home track advantage as such.

“It’s going to be a very tough night, but looking at our team I think we’re more than strong enough to take three points.”

THE PANTHERS

Not only were Peterborough crowned Premiership champions last season, they were also the undisputed away-day specialists of the league competition.

Incredibly the Panthers lost only one of their ten regular fixtures on the road, winning eight and drawing one, and with a largely unchanged septet in 2022 it seems reasonable to assume they will once again be a strong force on their travels.

They have three former Ipswich riders, with skipper Scott Nicholls and Danish star Hans Andersen forming the Witches’ Elite League spearhead way back in 2004, and Andersen will doubtless be all out to make amends for his shock zero-points return last Monday. Chris Harris is a more recent ex-Ipswich man, having been part of the team which reached the Grand Final in 2019.

There is one Foxhall debutant in the Panthers’ ranks, with Benjamin Basso at reserve having made an immediate impression for his new club with a score of 12 paid 14 last Monday.

KING’S LYNN V IPSWICH – POSTPONED

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The ‘Tru Mix’ Witches’ League Cup fixture against King’s Lynn on Thursday 7th April has been postponed due to the bad weather forecast.

With rain and strong winds expected on the day of the fixture, the decision was taken on Wednesday.

The fixture has been rearranged for Monday 25th April. Tickets purchased online remain valid for any other meeting at the Adrian Flux Arena.

RACEDAY PREVIEW: KING’S LYNN – LEAGUE CUP (A)

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By David Rowe

All the details ahead of our League Cup fixture with King’s Lynn.

WHEN & WHERE

The ‘Tru Mix’ Witches travel to Norfolk to face the King’s Lynn Stars at the Adrian Flux Arena on Thursday 7th April in a League Cup fixture that starts at 7.30pm.

TEAMS

KING’S LYNN: 1. Niels-Kristian Iversen 7.54 2. Thomas Jorgensen 5.89 3. Josh Pickering 7.38 © 4. Lewis Kerr 5.55 5. Richard Lawson 7.19 6. Richie Worrall 5.37 7. Jack Thomas (RS) Team Manager: Alex Brady

IPSWICH: 1. Jason Doyle 8.96 2. Erik Riss 5.08 3. Troy Batchelor 5.67 4. Cameron Heeps 4.96 5. Danny King 7.96 © 6. Paul Starke 4.58 7. Anders Rowe (RS). Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

REFEREE: A. Steele

GROUP B TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Peterborough13
King’s Lynn00
Ipswich10

TICKETS

Tickets can be purchased online here and are available on the gate.

THE STORY

The ‘Tru Mix’ Witches cross the border on Thursday night to face East Anglian rivals King’s Lynn in Norfolk in the League Cup. The two sides had been due to meet last week at Foxhall, only for the meeting to fall victim to snow. It has been re-arranged for Thursday April 28.

This is therefore the Stars’ first meeting of the season, whilst for the Witches it is their second and final away match in the Southern group. Having been defeated at Peterborough on Monday, it’s the last chance to pick up points on the road which could be all-important in determining the outcome of the three-team section. A reminder that only the group winners qualify for the League Cup Final.

Team manager Ritchie Hawkins has switched his middle-order following the opening fixture, with former Stars rider Erik Riss moving to No.2 to partner Jason Doyle. He exchanges places with Cameron Heeps, who himself had a short spell with Lynn last season, with the Australian now at No.4 where he teams up with Troy Batchelor.

The Witches won on both of their Premiership visits to the Adrian Flux Arena in 2021 and will be chasing a similar outcome on Thursday.

FROM THE BOSS

Ipswich ‘Tru Mix’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins gives us his pre-match thoughts…

“Looking at the group, I’d say we probably need to win at King’s Lynn now, and then win our two home meetings. I’ve always thought you’ll need to win three out of four to win the group.

“I think we saw enough at Peterborough on Monday to know that we’ll be capable of going to King’s Lynn and winning, and that will be focus for all the boys.

“Erik Riss is a very good rider and I’d expect him to go well at Lynn. It won’t be from our part, but I just hope he doesn’t put too much pressure or expectation on himself, and I think if he goes and rides like he did on Monday, he’ll be superb. You’d also expect a few of the other boys to maybe do better now they’ve got a meeting all together under their belt.

“We’ve moved Erik to No.2 with Cam at No.4, we’ve just swapped them around and we want to try a few things. I think it will be nice for Erik to go out in Heat 1 on an inside gate instead of an outside gate which he’s used to! You never know what’s going to happen and I do feel confident in the team in whatever order we’re in, but we’ll see who rides good together.”

THE STARS

King’s Lynn were always likely to make wholesale changes after finishing bottom of the Premiership with just two wins in 2021, and this will be their first outing in front of their home fans.

The Stars made some ambitious moves over the winter, including handing Peter Kildemand a return to UK racing, only for the Dane to pick up an injury in Poland and be ruled out for the early weeks of the season. However, they have signed a popular replacement as stand-in, with Stars favourite Niels-Kristian Iversen – who had a spell with the Witches in 2019 – coming in to cover for Kildemand.

Exciting Australian Josh Pickering has been installed as the new skipper after surprisingly leaving Sheffield over the winter, and the Stars have made what appears to be a very astute signing in Richie Worrall, who could be one of the league’s most powerful reserves.

Richard Lawson, Thomas Jorgensen and Lewis Kerr all return from 2021, whilst the Rising Star berth is filled by Jack Thomas.

AWAY DAYS

An adult ticket costs £20, concessions (over 65) and students £18 and children (ages 12-17) £5. Official programmes cost £3. Facilities include free floodlit parking, seated grandstand (£2 extra charge), covered standing grandstand, restaurant, fully stocked bar and function room, four licenced bar outlets, merchandise stands, toilets and a first aid room. For travel information head here.

For more information about the club head to King’s Lynn’s official website.

RACEDAY REPORT: PETERBOROUGH 53-37 IPSWICH – LEAGUE CUP (A)

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Image courtesy of Jeff Davies

By David Rowe

THE SCORES

PETERBOROUGH 53: Michael Palm Toft 11, Scott Nicholls © 7+2, Ulrich Ostergaard 5, Hans Andersen 0, Chris Harris 14, Benjamin Basso 12+2, Jordan Palin (RS) 4+1. Team Manager: Rob Lyon

IPSWICH 37: Jason Doyle 5, Cameron Heeps 2, Troy Batchelor 6+1, Erik Riss 11+1, Danny King © 8, Paul Starke 5+2, Anders Rowe (RS) 0. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

REFEREE: G.Allan

GROUP B TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Peterborough13
King’s Lynn00
Ipswich10

THE STORY

The ‘Tru Mix’ Witches were beaten 53-37 at Peterborough on Monday in their opening League Cup group fixture.

The final outcome was somewhat harsh on the visitors, who contributed plenty to a highly entertaining meeting at the East of England Arena, and the meeting threw up a combination of encouraging signs and areas to work on.

The Witches fell behind in the early stages as home duo Michael Palm Toft and Scott Nicholls came from the back for a 5-1 in Heat 1 after Jason Doyle had been squeezed out. The Australian had passed himself fit to race after suffering finger injuries in an incident in Poland on Sunday.

But after Benjamin Basso headed up a Panthers’ 4-2 in the next, the visitors got on the board with a super maximum in Heat 3 thanks to forceful riding from Troy Batchelor and Erik Riss to get the better of Ulrich Ostergaard.

Skipper Danny King had to come from the back against Jordan Palin to split the home riders in Heat 4, before Doyle notched his first win in Ipswich colours as he charged clear in Heat 5.

But King was then undone by a fine ride by Nicholls in Heat 6, whose inside pass created a gap for Palm Toft to follow him through for a 5-1, leaving the Witches 21-15 down.

And just when the Riss/Batchelor combination looked set to respond in Heat 7, Chris Harris forced his way inside Batchelor, and Basso took advantage to snatch third place.

A convincing 5-1 from Nicholls and Jordan Palin in Heat 8 put the hosts ten-points up, but the Witches hit straight back with King dominating the next whilst reserve Paul Starke picked up a terrific paid win.

And another Ipswich maximum looked on the cards in Heat 10 only for Palm Toft to work his way past first Batchelor and then Riss for an impressive third victory for the Panthers.

Boss Ritchie Hawkins made his move in Heat 11, bringing in Riss as a tactical substitute to partner Doyle – but in a major upset, the Witches duo were upset by the team-riding duo of Harris and Basso, and Ipswich were back where they started, ten points down.

That effectively ended their chances as the home side kicked on with key reserve Basso coming in to win Heat 12 in a 4-2, and another followed in Heat 13 as Palm Toft snatched third from Doyle on the line.

Basso and Harris took the last two races for the Panthers, with Riss second on both occasions and Starke completed a solid night by edging out Palin for third place in Heat 14.

REACTION FROM THE BOSS

Ipswich ‘Tru Mix’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins reflects on Monday’s defeat at Peterborough.

“It was a decent meeting, and I think we were probably better than if you just looked at the result. I’ve seen enough tonight from my boys to believe we’ve got a good team, and we’ll be in for a good season.

“I think Jason (Doyle) just struggled out of the starts tonight, but I was so happy with Rissy (Erik Riss). I thought he was superb – and Batch (Troy Batchelor) to be fair, I thought he rode better than his points suggested. We saw enough from Batch to suggest he’s going to be in for a good year.

“Overall, looking at everyone, I’m disappointed with the result, but still pleased with many things.

“The tac sub was a tough call because gate four wasn’t very good tonight, there weren’t many races won off four, but when you’re looking through the programme for when to use it, and who’s going well, it had to be off gate four. That was at a time of the meeting when Erik was definitely our best rider, I thought he might be able to do something, and if he did we were right back in the meeting. Maybe it was a bit of a gamble, but it’s not always simple!”

RIDER OF THE NIGHT

Erik Riss enjoyed a hugely encouraging Witches debut and was involved in a great deal of hard racing. At a venue where he scored zero on his first appearance of last season, this was a performance which augurs well for the new campaign.

WHAT IT MEANS

The Witches missed out on a point from the meeting, meaning they have one more chance to score on the road in the group. The Panthers will be content with the outcome as it leaves them in a positive position should the group come down to race-points difference.

UP NEXT

The ‘Tru Mix’ Witches travel to the Adrian Flux Arena to face the King’s Lynn Stars on Thursday 7th April in a League Cup fixture. Tickets can be purchased here.

RACEDAY PREVIEW: PETERBOROUGH – LEAGUE CUP (A)

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By Henry Chard

All the details ahead of our League Cup fixture with Peterborough.

WHEN & WHERE

The ‘Tru Mix’ Witches travel to Peterborough to face the Panthers at the East of England Arena & Events Centre on Monday 4th April in a League Cup fixture that starts at 7.30pm.

TEAMS

PETERBOROUGH: 1. Michael Palm Toft 7.17 2. Scott Nicholls 6.71 © 3. Ulrich Ostergaard 7.09 4. Hans Andersen 7.05 5. Chris Harris 7.02 6. Benjamin Basso 4.00 7. Jordan Palin (RS) 8. Dan Gilkes. Team Manager: Rob Lyon

IPSWICH: 1. Jason Doyle 8.96 2. Cameron Heeps 4.96 3. Troy Batchelor 5.67 4. Erik Riss 5.08 5. Danny King 7.96 © 6. Paul Starke 4.58 7. Anders Rowe (RS). Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

REFEREE: D. Watters

GROUP B TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich00
King’s Lynn00
Peterborough00

TICKETS

Tickets can be purchased online here and are available on the gate.

THE STORY

The ‘Tru Mix’ Witches get their 2022 campaign going with an away trip as they travel to fellow East Anglian side Peterborough on Monday in the League Cup. Ipswich were due to begin their season last Thursday at Foxhall with a local derby against King’s Lynn in Group B but snow and damp conditions in Suffolk forced the fixture to be postponed. That means the first action of the group stage will be against the 2021 Premiership champions Peterborough and it presents a chance to pick up some points on the road and start the cup competition in positive fashion.

Team manager Ritchie Hawkins has made a slight tweak to the riding order that was due to face the Stars last Thursday with Cameron Heeps moving to the number two position to partner fellow Australian Jason Doyle at the top of the team. Former world champion Doyle will be hoping the weather stays clear so he can finally make his Witches debut after much build-up following his winter move to Suffolk. Fellow debutant Erik Riss moves to number four to partner Troy Batchelor who will ride at number three. Skipper Danny King and reserve Paul Starke have already had some track time at the East of England Arena this season with both competing in last week’s Ben Fund Bonanza meeting. ‘Rising Star’ Anders Rowe completes the line-up.

FROM THE BOSS

Ipswich ‘Tru Mix’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins gives us his pre-match thoughts…

“It was a shame last Thursday’s meeting was postponed, especially with sun forecast in the afternoon. However, when you saw how bad the track was with the water, you would have needed 20–30-degree sun to dry it out. Snow melts and it was just getting wetter and wetter for a period of time. It was a big shame as we had such great weather the week before at press day and everyone was looking forward to the first meeting, but we now start with a couple of away meetings and a couple of good results will increase our enthusiasm for our first home meeting.

“We are going away from home to face the champions in our first meeting. It would have been nice to have had a meeting first but most of the boys have been doing individual meetings and testimonials so we shouldn’t be too rusty. It is a place we enjoy going to, but they are the champions, so it is going to be really tough. Maybe we catch them cold a little bit at the start of the year and that would be nice.

“The line-up for the first two meetings has been set for a while and I told the boys at press day how we would line up for the first two meetings. We will look at it and it might change again before we go to King’s Lynn. We are experimenting because we need to find out what our best riding order is going to be.”

THE PANTHERS

Peterborough will be hoping for another year like 2021 as they were crowned Premiership champions. The team became affectionately known by many as ‘Dad’s Army’ due to the considerable amount of experience throughout the side and as the saying goes, ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’, which is exactly what the management had in mind during their winter team building.

There is just one enforced change to the line-up in 2022 with Benjamin Basso replacing the retired Bjarne Pedersen with the other six riders all returning for another year at the East of England Arena. Three riders who are well known to the Foxhall faithful are Scott Nicholls, Hans Andersen and Chris Harris who have all worn the Witch previously. Jordan Palin is their ‘rising star’ as Danish duo Michael Palm Toft and Ulrich Ostergaard complete the side. Their meeting against Ipswich will also be their first fixture of the new season.

AWAY DAYS

An adult ticket costs £20, concessions (over 65) and students £18, children (5-16) £5 and children under the age of 5 go free. Official programmes cost £3 with car parking priced at £1. Facilities include a 2200 capacity grandstand, grass banking on the back straight, fast food outlets on the grandstand side of the track and a licensed bar. For travel information head here.

For more information about the club head to Peterborough’s official website.

IPSWICH V KING’S LYNN – POSTPONED

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The ‘Tru Mix’ Witches’ League Cup fixture against King’s Lynn on Thursday 31st March has been postponed due to bad weather.

With snow falling all morning at the stadium and cold temperatures forecast for the rest of the day, the decision was taken at 11.30am on raceday.

The fixture has been rearranged for Thursday 28th April. Tickets purchased online remain valid for the rearranged tie or can be used at any of the next three home matches.

RACEDAY PREVIEW: KING’S LYNN – LEAGUE CUP (H)

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By Henry Chard

All the details ahead of our League Cup fixture with King’s Lynn.

WHEN & WHERE

The ‘Tru Mix’ Witches host the King’s Lynn Stars at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 31st March in a League Cup fixture that starts at 7.30pm.

MEETING SPONSOR

Stan Jackson’s 65th Birthday Celebration

TEAMS

IPSWICH: 1. Jason Doyle 8.96 2. Erik Riss 5.08 3. Cameron Heeps 4.96 4. Troy Batchelor 5.67 5. Danny King 7.96 © 6. Paul Starke 4.58 7. Anders Rowe (RS) 8. Danyon Hume 3.00. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

KING’S LYNN: 1. Niels-Kristian Iversen 7.54 2. Thomas Jorgensen 5.89 3. Josh Pickering 7.38 © 4. Lewis Kerr 5.55 5. Richard Lawson 7.19 6. Richie Worrall 5.37 7. Jack Thomas (RS) Team Manager: Alex Brady

JUNIOR CHALLENGE TEAMS

IPSWICH RESERVES: 1. Danyon Hume 2. Josh Warren 3. Alex Spooner 4. Jacob Clouting. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

FEN TIGERS SELECT: 1. Jason Edwards 2. Sam Bebee 3. Sam Hagon 4. Will Richardson. Team Manager: Greg Palmer

REFEREE: P. Carrington

GROUP B TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich00
King’s Lynn00
Peterborough00

TICKETS

Tickets are available to buy online (until 7pm on raceday) and on the gate and are priced at £20 for adults and £18 for concessions (65+). Children 16 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. Turnstiles open at 6.40pm.

THE STORY

The ‘Tru Mix’ Witches get their 2022 campaign underway with a local derby against East Anglian rivals King’s Lynn in the League Cup on Thursday night. The season begins with an early opportunity for silverware in the League Cup with Ipswich drawn in Group B alongside the Stars and the Peterborough Panthers. The teams will face each other home and away in the group stage with the winner of the group progressing to the final to face the winner of Group A. The short format means there is no margin for error with Ritchie Hawkins’ side needing to hit the ground running on home shale.

Ipswich have made four changes to the side that ended the 2021 season and made one of the biggest signings in British Speedway this winter as they secured the signature of Grand Prix rider and former world champion Jason Doyle. The Australian leads the side at number one and will make his much-anticipated debut on Thursday. Also making his debut for the club is Erik Riss, who has always enjoyed his visits to Foxhall as an away rider and he will ride at number two alongside Doyle. Troy Batchelor returns to Foxhall having had a spell with the club back in 2009 and he will be hoping to recapture his best form riding at number four. Club asset Cameron Heeps returns for his ninth season in Suffolk and will be looking to put an injury-hit 2021 behind him back at a place he knows so well. The team is completed by three familiar faces from last season’s side with skipper Danny King back for his thirteenth year at Foxhall. Paul Starke impressed the management enough to earn a place in the side at reserve where he will be joined by Anders Rowe who is the team’s ‘rising star’ rider this season. Club asset Danyon Hume also returns as the side’s number eight rider.

The League Cup fixture will be followed by a six-heat junior match between the Ipswich Reserves and a Mildenhall select team.

FROM THE BOSS

Ipswich ‘Tru Mix’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins gives us his pre-match thoughts…

“It’s opening night, and everyone is really excited and raring to get going now. We couldn’t have asked for a bigger meeting on opening night to be racing King’s Lynn, our local rivals and a team we are firmly focused on beating. Yes, it’s opening night and opening night nerves can come into play, but we are an experienced, professional team and that shouldn’t be happening. We want to make a good start to the season and a good start to the cup competition. Everyone is excited for the new season now; it has been a long winter, and everyone is excited about our side we have put together. So, a win to start the season off is what we are after, and we will go from there.

“There are only four meetings in the group stage, and you certainly need to be going into it, looking to win four meetings and it might be a case of the team that wins three out of four progresses, so we need to win our home meetings first.

“We look very strong whichever way we set up, as I have always done, I will change the order around and experiment and that won’t change this year unless we find something that we settle on that we think is definitely the best set up. That is something I think has worked well in the past and is something I believe we an do this year. When I look at how we are starting this year, we look very strong and let’s start this meeting off well.”

THE STARS

King’s Lynn will be looking to put what can only be described as a dismal 2021 campaign behind them as they start 2022 will fresh hope and optimism. The Stars finished bottom of the Premiership last year and have made four changes to the side. Former Grand Prix rider and former Witch Niels-Kristian Iversen is at number one deputising for the injured Peter Kildemand. Also freshening up the side are newly appointed club captain Josh Pickering, ‘rising star’ Jack Thomas and former Witch Richie Worrall.

It’s a side packed with former Witches as Lewis Kerr and Richard Lawson also make a return to a track they know well and often go well at and Thomas Jorgensen completes the side. Both meetings at Foxhall last season went to the wire with the Norfolk outfit taking the hosts to a last-heat decider on both occasions, winning one and losing the other and they will hoping to take advantage of any rustiness on opening night to pick up some valuable away points in the local derby.

2022 TICKETS NOW ON SALE

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Ipswich ‘Tru Mix’ Witches fans can now purchase their tickets for meetings at Foxhall Stadium in the 2022 season.

All meetings for the 2022 season are now on sale here with fans being able to either print off an e-ticket or download it to their smartphone to present upon entry to the stadium.

Turnstiles will still be open for on the day sales as normal. Online ticket sales will stop at 7pm on the day of the meeting and turnstiles will open at 6.40pm.

Admission prices for the 2022 season are as follows: £20 Adults (17+), £18 Concessions (65+), with Children (16 and under) going free.

Raceday programmes will be available to purchase at the stadium.

2022 Season Tickets remain on sale until Monday 21st March and can be purchased here.

2022 PARTNER SPONSORS: SCOTT PROPERTIES

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Scott Properties have increased their support of the club by becoming partner sponsors in 2022.

Scott Properties is a family run, self-funded, and respected Strategic Land Promoter operating throughout East Anglia and the South East of England. It was started by successful entrepreneur Martin Scott and is fast developing into one of the most active strategic land businesses.

Their principal activity is the identification, acquisition and promotion of land through the planning system. They work on a partnership basis with landowners and Local Authorities to realise maximum development potential from land assets.

They are a highly focused team who work with passion and commitment. Their in-depth knowledge of both the planning system and the development sector ensures that they are well placed to unlock, maximise and deliver the development potential of land, ranging from small infill sites through to sustainable urban extensions.

Their business is focused on identifying and securing land development opportunities and adding value through the planning process before progressing to disposal. They retain an appropriate level of involvement throughout the build process to ensure that the quality of delivery is maintained, and potential future phases are not compromised.

Their projects address a wide range of uses and requirements including residential, care, retail and leisure. Driven by comprehensive consultation with both the general public and Local Authorities, these are delivered alongside neighbourhood and district initiatives.

Promoter Chris Louis is delighted to have their continued and increased support in 2022 which is vital to the club.

“It is exciting to have Scott Properties back on board and increasing their sponsorship with the club,” said Louis. “They have been long-term supporters for several years now. It is fantastic to have Martin Scott and the team at Scott Properties supporting us and it is another family run business.

“They have been great supporters for years and are now partner sponsors alongside RN Euston this year. They have been meeting sponsors previously and more recently air fence sponsors, keeping the riders safe and the fence in top condition. They’ve now increased their support of the club and their support is vital along with RN Euston and Tru Mix and we look forward to seeing them at Foxhall during the season.”