‘Tru7.com’ Witches Team Manager Ritchie Hawkins was content with his side’s performance as they saw off the Newcastle Diamonds with a 54-39 win at Foxhall.
The home side started the meeting in magnificent fashion as all seven riders played their part in the victory but Hawkins says they can’t take their foot off the gas at home despite the 100% record this year.
“I think the only heat advantage they had up until the final heat was due to the black and white tactical ride which would have been a 3-3,” said Hawkins. “It was a very solid performance and we started well which got everyone’s confidence up and it was another good performance.
“I think we are showing some strength in depth at the moment and that showed tonight. Everyone is getting good scores and we are really looking good at Foxhall, we just have to keep that up. We can’t relax because if we do someone will punish us.”
Reserve duo Nathan Greaves and Connor Mountain continue to impress the Foxhall faithful and the boss says the pair are reaping the rewards for their professional attitudes.
“I think that is what you get with youngsters if you pick the right ones with the right attitudes who are prepared to stick in there. You get your rewards in the end and obviously they have a long way to go and there is a lot of improvement in them but they are on the right track.”
Hawkins says that Justin Sedgmen’s confidence has taken a knock in recent weeks but believes he will be back to his best in the near future.
“I think he is having a rough time of it with injuries and I think it knocked his confidence getting dropped by Belle Vue when he was having a good year until then. We have got to stick with him and I’m sure he will come good. He needs laps and races and Rye House have a busy month next month which will be good for him.”
The Witches sit top of the table but Hawkins says they need to pick up points on the road as the season heads towards the business end.
“We have got a lot of important away meetings as well as needing to win at home and stop teams taking any points from Foxhall. We need to pick up points on the road and we are getting to the stage now where we need to step it up. The important part of the season is coming up in the next few weeks and that is when we need to start firing. We have been doing really well but we need to start going through the gears now because it is crunch time and we will see what we are all about in the next months.”
Words: Henry Chard
Ipswich ‘Tru7.com’ Witches 54
Danny King (c) 9
Kyle Newman 7+3
Cameron Heeps 12
Justin Sedgmen 5+2
Rory Schlein 11
Nathan Greaves 5+2
Connor Mountain 5+2
Newcastle ‘Sapphire Engineering’ Diamonds 39
Robert Lambert 9+1
Kevin Doolan (g) 6+2
Ashley Morris 6
Steve Worrall (c) 17
Ben Hopwood 1
Jack Thomas (g) 0
Championship Table
| Team | Pl | Pts |
| Witches | 24 | 50 |
| Edinburgh | 21 | 47 |
| Glasgow | 19 | 47 |
| Sheffield | 20 | 43 |
| Redcar | 22 | 39 |
| Peterborough | 21 | 33 |
| Newcastle | 20 | 25 |
| Workington | 14 | 24 |
| Scunthorpe | 23 | 20 |
| Berwick | 26 | 11 |
Tru7.com Rider of the Night: Rory Schlein
Next Meeting: C2 27th July vs Edinburgh (home)