By Henry Chard
WHEN AND WHERE…
The ‘Tru Plant’ Witches host the King’s Lynn Stars at Foxhall Stadium on Monday 6th May in a Premiership clash that starts at 2.15pm. Round one of the British Youth Championship will follow this meeting.
MEETING SPONSOR…
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.
THE TEAMS…
IPSWICH: 1. Chris Harris 7.82 2. Richard Lawson 6.93 3. Danny King 6.38 © 4. David Bellego 6.14 5. Krystian Pieszczek 6.50 6. Cameron Heeps 4.84 7. Jake Allen 4.67. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins
KING’S LYNN: 1. Robert Lambert 9.27 © 2. Lewis Kerr 5.43 3. Ty Proctor 6.65 4. Erik Riss 5.94 5. Thomas Jorgensen 6.07 6. Michael Palm Toft 5.40 7. Kasper Andersen 4.00. Team Manager: Peter Schroeck
REFEREE: P. Carrington
VENUE: Foxhall Stadium
PREMIERSHIP TABLE
| Team | Meetings | Points |
| Wolverhampton | 2 | 6 |
| Poole | 2 | 4 |
| Peterborough | 3 | 4 |
| Ipswich | 2 | 3 |
| Belle Vue | 3 | 3 |
| King’s Lynn | 1 | 2 |
| Swindon | 1 | 1 |
TICKET OFFICE…
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 welcome East Anglian rivals King’s Lynn to Foxhall for the second time this season, this time in a Premiership clash. The two sides met last month in the Supporters Cup with the Witches hammering their Norfolk rivals on home shale and they will be keen for a repeat performance on Monday. The Ipswich public have been out in force so far this season and a big crowd is expected on Bank Holiday Monday for this local derby with fans advised to arrive early as the turnstiles open at 1pm. The full team will be up at the turnstiles from 1pm-1.30pm for a poster signing session.
The Witches’ home form in 2019 has been terrific so far with three wins from three in competitive action but it is likely to be a sterner test for the Suffolk side on Monday with the Stars coming into this meeting with some Foxhall experience now. Ipswich fans will be hoping that reserve duo Cameron Heeps and Jake Allen continue their scintillating starts to the season on Monday, with the pair proving a threat to any team on any track so far this year. It promises to be a fabulous afternoon of top-flight speedway at Foxhall as two old rivals collide in front of a big bank holiday crowd.
FROM THE MANAGER…
‘Tru Plant’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins looks ahead to Monday’s clash…
“In the league we need three points at home every time now and we need another performance against them like we produced in the cup match. I am sure they will be keen to perform better than they did that night, so we will need to be better too. Hopefully everyone will come out and support us on the bank holiday and I hope there is a big crowd there and a good atmosphere as that will help us along.
“Traditionally when we have had bank holiday meetings when I was riding for Ipswich, the track has been a bit slicker as it is harder to keep the moisture in the surface in the sun in the daytime. I don’t know how conditions will be on Monday, but we will try and get it as close to how we normally have it as possible. Maybe that evens it up a little bit but at the level we are at and with the experienced guys we have, we should be able to adapt.
“To be fair I don’t even know if we have had a home match where all the riders would be happy with their performance. We have had good results at home but on an individual basis, some members of the team will have gone away from those meetings feeling a little disappointed. I think we have been good at home and have had good results but individually we can improve which will improve the team’s performance.”
THE STARS…
King’s Lynn will be looking for revenge as they return to Foxhall following their thumping in the Supporters Cup last month. The 2018 Premiership runners-up were off the pace that night as they began their season but with meetings under their belt now, they will be keen to put on a better performance against their rivals. It’s been a mixed bag for the Norfolk side since the two sides last met, losing at home to Poole in the Premiership Shield but then going to Wimborne Road and recording victory, albeit losing on aggregate. The Stars have two points to their name in the league so far after a 45-45 draw at Peterborough.
Lynn are led by recently crowned British Under-21 champion Robert Lambert, his third title in succession. Lambert has also been selected in the Great Britain squad for the upcoming Speedway of Nations. Lambert struggled in Suffolk last time out, scoring just 2+1 but he is unlikely to let the same thing happen again on Monday. Erik Riss was the leading light for King’s Lynn on their last visit scoring 12 and the German has always had a liking for the Foxhall track.
AROUND THE TRACKS…
Belle Vue beat Peterborough 51-39 in the Premiership to get their first win of the league campaign at the National Speedway Stadium. Wolves made it two wins from two in the league as they beat Ipswich 50-40 at Monmore Green last Monday. Poole eased past Belle Vue on Thursday, beating the Aces 55-35 to record their first win at home in 2019.
King’s Lynn beat Swindon 47-43 in the Premiership Supporters Cup but with the Robins picking up a point they look set to progress to the final barring a disastrous final meeting in the group stages against the Stars.
Digital Media Manager at Ipswich Speedway