By Henry Chard
WHEN AND WHERE…
The ‘Tru Plant’ Witches travel to Norfolk to face the King’s Lynn Stars at the Adrian Flux Arena on Monday 15th April in a Premiership Supporters Cup clash that starts at 7.30pm.
THE TEAMS…
KING’S LYNN: 1. Robert Lambert 8.90 © 2. Erik Riss 6.08 3. Ty Proctor 6.67 4. Lewis Kerr 5.36 5. Thomas Jorgensen 6.05 6. Michael Palm Toft 5.36 7. Kasper Andersen 4.00. Team Manager: Peter Schroeck
IPSWICH: 1.Chris Harris 7.59 2. David Bellego 6.11 3. Danny King 6.36 © 4. Krystian Pieszczek 6.50 5. Richard Lawson 6.55 6. Cameron Heeps 4.72 7. Jake Allen 4.56. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins
REFEREE: M. Bates
SOUTHERN GROUP SUPPORTERS CUP TABLE…
| Team | Meetings | Points |
| Ipswich | 1 | 3 |
| Poole | 0 | 0 |
| Swindon | 0 | 0 |
| King’s Lynn | 1 | 0 |
WHAT’S THE STORY?
The Witches continue their Supporters Cup campaign against rivals King’s Lynn in the away leg of this local derby. The two sides faced each other at Foxhall in the opening meeting of the group stage and the Witches put their rivals to the sword with a big 59-31 win that delighted the home fans. It was the perfect way to start their cup campaign and the team will be full of momentum heading to Norfolk.
Jake Allen takes his place in the side despite being involved in a nasty crash last week riding for his Championship club Scunthorpe. Krystian Pieszczek has happy memories of the Adrian Flux Arena, having won round one of the World Under-21 Championship there in 2016, scoring 20 points from seven rides. Richard Lawson goes into the meeting in good form having recorded a full maximum from four rides for Eastbourne last week in their win over Birmingham in the Championship Shield. The Witches will be backed by a healthy following from Suffolk on the terraces as they look to get another one over their rivals on their own patch.
FROM THE MANAGER…
‘Tru Plant’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins looks ahead to Monday’s clash…
“King’s Lynn did not start the season well with a defeat to us followed up by defeat at home to Poole but will be boosted by their away win against the Pirates. We have got to go there looking to win the meeting, of course we have. We need to ride with that same determination we had last time out and aim for the win. We need to win away from home somewhere, so this is our first chance.
“Krystian has been there for the World Under-21 Championship in 2016 and he did really well, winning the round. We have riders that enjoy going there and we need to attack them from the off.
“Jake had a big crash last week, but I think he will be riding for Scunthorpe this week. Hopefully he comes through that alright after a week of rest.
“I hope we get a lot of travelling fans and the victory last time out has built everyone’s enthusiasm up. If we can get good travelling support that will give the boys a boost and it will be nice to get back together. We had a good victory and then a week off, so it will be nice to get together as a team and carry on where we left off.”
THE STARS…
King’s Lynn come into the meeting off the back of an away win, having started the season with two defeats prior to that. That defeat in Suffolk was followed by another loss at home to Poole in the Premiership Shield. However, the Stars went to Dorset and won the second leg of the Premiership Shield, but it wasn’t enough on aggregate to give them the trophy. The hosts will take confidence from that win away at the champions and will be fired up for this clash having been heavily beaten at Foxhall by their rivals. A win is vital for them, not only for local bragging rights but for their hopes of progression in the competition. A defeat at home would make things very difficult for the Stars to progress. Captain Robert Lambert leads the side and top scored at Wimborne Road last time out and will look to form a formidable partnership with Erik Riss on Monday, who has started the season in fine form. The Stars will have a new manager in charge on Monday as Peter Schroeck takes over to allow Dale Allitt more time to recover after being unwell at the start of the season.
ON THE ROAD…
King’s Lynn ride in blue kevlars with white and gold trim and race at the Adrian Flux Arena. The track measures at 342 metres with the track record belonging to Nicki Pedersen who set a time of 57.60 in September of 2002. An adult ticket costs £18, concessions £16, young adults (aged 16-17) £5 and children under the age of 16 go free. Official programmes cost £3. Facilities include free floodlit parking, seated grandstand, 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.
AROUND THE TRACKS…
Belle Vue beat Peterborough 50-40 in the northern section of the Premiership Supporters Cup to cement their place at the top of the group, having defeated the Panthers away from home previously. Peterborough then got a narrow 46-44 win over Wolverhampton to get their first points on the board but an away point for Wolves means they have started the group in positive fashion.
Poole won the Premiership Shield beating King’s Lynn over two legs. The Pirates were beaten in the second leg 44-46 by the Stars but their 50-40 win in Norfolk in the first leg was enough to give them the trophy on aggregate.
Digital Media Manager at Ipswich Speedway