By Henry Chard

All the details ahead of our Premiership fixture with Belle Vue.

WHEN & WHERE

The ‘Tru Plant’ Witches host the Belle Vue Aces at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 8th July in a Premiership fixture that starts at 7.30pm.

MEETING SPONSOR

ATPS Construction

TEAMS

IPSWICH: 1. Sam Masters (g) 8.00 2. R/R for Anders Rowe 5.49 3. Danny King 6.93 © 4. Jake Allen 5.57 5. Craig Cook 7.60 6. Drew Kemp (RS) 7. Paul Starke 4.67. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

BELLE VUE: 1. Brady Kurtz 7.63 2. Richie Worrall 5.04 3. Steve Worrall 5.40 © 4. Charles Wright 6.22 5. Dan Bewley 7.07 6. Tom Brennan (RS) 7. Jye Etheridge 4.86. Team Manager: Mark Lemon

REFEREE: D. Robinson

PREMIERSHIP TABLE

Team	Meetings	Points
Peterborough	8	22
Belle Vue	7	18
Wolverhampton	7	17
Ipswich	11	12
Sheffield	8	11
King’s Lynn	7	3

TICKETS

Tickets are available to buy online (until 12pm on raceday) and on the gate and are priced at £19 for adults, £17 for concessions (65+), £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. All the details on tickets for the 2021 season can be found here.

THE STORY

The Witches are back racing on a Thursday night at Foxhall as they entertain the Belle Vue Aces. The Suffolk side were in action on Monday night as they took on King’s Lynn at the Adrian Flux Arena in the East Anglian derby and they ended their seven-match losing streak with victory in Norfolk to lift them back into the top four albeit having ridden three more meetings than fifth placed Sheffield.

Sadly, Ipswich picked up another injury in Monday’s victory with Anders Rowe reaggravating a knee injury in a heat one crash. Another dislocation of the left knee has caused a tear of his medial collateral ligament which will rule him out for at least three weeks. Rider replacement will be in operation at number two for the home team on Thursday. Jason Crump remains on the sidelines as he continues to recover from his eight broken ribs and Wolves’ Sam Masters guests in his place, having scored a paid maximum from five rides on his visit to Foxhall at the end of last month.

The two sides met at Foxhall back in May and couldn’t be separated as it ended 45-45 and it promises to be another stern test for the home side on Thursday against the Aces.

HAWKINS PREVIEW

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

“We need to win at home not just for the league table or our play-off push or anything like that. We need to win for our supporters, for our sponsors and for everyone. It doesn’t matter who it is against, it is massively important for us to get a win. Belle Vue have proven they will be a tough side to beat this year as they showed at Foxhall earlier this season and we will all need to perform if we are going to get that win. It is certainly needed and everyone who comes to support us deserves it.

“Jake has had a couple of tough meeting and obviously we need Jake to be going very well. He has been going well for us previously, so I have no concerns about him at all. I’m sure he will come to Ipswich, a place he knows well and will go very well.

“Anders dislocated his knee about a month ago and it popped out again at King’s Lynn. He went to hospital on Tuesday and it was confirmed that he has torn his MCL and will be out for a little while. Jason still needs a little bit more time to recover but we have a very good guest in Sam.”

THE OPPOSITION

Belle Vue sit second in the Premiership having enjoyed an excellent start to the 2021 campaign. The Aces have suffered just one defeat from seven meetings and are yet to leave any fixture without adding to their points tally this season, it would take a dramatic drop in form to see them drop out of the play-off places. Steve Worrall captains the visitors having guested for the Witches on Monday at King’s Lynn, scoring 5+1 in the Witches’ win. Dan Bewley is a man in form this season and finished third in round three of the Speedway Euro Championship last weekend and has an outside chance of winning the series going into the final round this weekend.