26
‘Tru7.com’ Witches boss Ritchie Hawkins was pleased with what he saw from his side on the opening night of the season but insists he won’t be getting carried away after a 52-41 win over Sheffield at Foxhall.
“It was a thoroughly professional performance all round,” said Hawkins. “It was always going to be hard without Kyle (Newman) but I was really pleased with what I saw and it is a promising start.
“It was a potential banana skin for us but it was a professional performance against a good team and they will take positives from this as well. Both teams knew it would be a tough match and I am very happy tonight but I won’t be getting carried away.”
The boss says he saw positives from all the team but believes there is still plenty of room for improvement. Skipper Danny King reeled off a five-ride maximum whilst Danyon Hume impressed scoring 8+1.
“Danny has carried on from his great form last season which is really pleasing and Danyon has improved massively over the winter and you can see that already from the first meeting. There will be ups and downs for all the boys but it was a promising night and there were positives for everybody which is what we are looking for. It was far from perfect but it was a great start.”
Hawkins was delighted to see his team backed by a large vocal crowd and hopes the fans flock to Foxhall once again on Thursday for the Knockout Cup tie against Berwick.
“It was a really good crowd which is great to see on a cold night. When you turn up to race and see a lot of people there it gives the boys a boost. Hopefully they’ll come back and see us again on Thursday for Berwick and they’ve had a good night and enjoyed the victory.”
Regarding the fitness of Kyle Newman, Hawkins says he hopes the new signing is back soon after his crash at Poole on Friday evening.
“We’re going to give Kyle a couple of days to rest and then see how he is and we are hoping he is back soon.”
You can read the full meeting report here: http://www.ipswichwitches.co/story/report-witches-52-41-sheffield
Words: Henry Chard
Ipswich ‘Tru7.com’ Witches 52
Danny King (c) 15 (Maximum)
Nico Covatti 7+1
Cameron Heeps 8+2
Rory Schlein 13+1
Connor Mountain 1+1
Danyon Hume 8+1
Sheffield ‘Window Centre’ Tigers 41
Josh Grajczonek 6+1
Josh Bates 4+1
Lasse Bjerre 8+1
Todd Kurtz 3
Kyle Howarth (c) 12
Robert Branford 8+2
Jack Parkinson-Blackburn 0
Championship Table
| Team | Pl | Pts |
| Witches | 1 | 3 |
| Peterborough | 1 | 3 |
| Berwick | 0 | 0 |
| Edinburgh | 0 | 0 |
| Glasgow | 0 | 0 |
| Newcastle | 0 | 0 |
| Redcar | 0 | 0 |
| Workington | 0 | 0 |
| Scunthorpe | 1 | 0 |
| Sheffield | 1 | 0 |
Rider of the Night: Danyon Hume
Next Meeting: KOC 30th March vs Berwick (home)