The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches travel to Sheffield to face the Tigers at Owlerton Stadium on Thursday 15th May in a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R1 fixture that starts at 7.30pm.
LINE-UPS
SHEFFIELD: 1. Jack Holder 9.09 2. Anders Rowe 5.63 3. Josh Pickering © 7.18 4. Justin Sedgmen 4.79 5. Chris Holder 8.74 6. Lewis Kerr 4.77 7. Leon Flint (RS). Team Manager: Simon Stead
IPSWICH: 1. Jason Doyle 9.17 2. Adam Ellis 5.68 3. Emil Sayfutdinov 8.93 4. Danny King © 6.15 Tom Brennan 6.60 6. Dan Thompson 4.66 7. Jordan Jenkins (RS). Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins
REFEREE: C. Gay
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE
| Team | Meetings | Points |
| Ipswich | 6 | 14 |
| Sheffield | 5 | 9 |
| Belle Vue | 6 | 9 |
| Leicester | 5 | 6 |
| Oxford | 8 | 5 |
| King’s Lynn | 6 | 4 |
| Birmingham | 6 | 0 |
TICKET NEWS
Tickets are available to purchase on the gate.
THE PREVIEW
The Witches return to action on Thursday at Sheffield in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.
Ipswich remain unbeaten in 2025 and sit top of the table after six wins from six including three victories away from home. That record faces its toughest test at Owlerton when they take on the Tigers who sit in second place with a 100% home record.
Team manager Ritchie Hawkins has changed the riding order for the first time this season moving Adam Ellis to number two to partner Jason Doyle. Emil Sayfutdinov is at three for this fixture with captain Danny King at four. Tom Brennan shifts to number five for the trip to South Yorkshire.
MANAGER’S NOTES
Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins gives us his pre-match thoughts…
“It is a really tough test going to Sheffield, but it is great to be back together as a team. Most of the team were at the British Final on Monday but we can’t wait to get on track as a one to seven at the moment with the form we have been in and how good the season is going.
“We have had a lot of big battles with Sheffield in recent years and it looks like it could be similar this season with the way the two teams have started the season. I’m sure it will be a great battle on Thursday, and we got over the hoodoo of not winning there for a long time last season and we know how to win there and what is required. With the form we are in, we have got to attack them and the track. It is not do or die in this meeting, but it will give us a great marker of where we are and I’m sure we are going to be butting heads with them all season and it would be great to get an early one over them.
“I have shuffled things up a bit with the riding order. Everything has worked perfectly so far, and I am more than happy with that riding order and the results we have achieved with it. We are always striving to improve and make sure we are prepared and later on in the season there might be a circumstance out of our hands where we have got to use a different riding order, and we don’t want to go into that cold. We will see how this goes on Thursday and either way we will learn lessons from it.”
SHEFFIELD TIGERS
Sheffield have been regulars in the play-offs since their return to the top-flight in 2021 and they have made a strong start to 2025. The Tigers sit second in the table mainly due to their home form which has seen them win four wins from four with their only other league meeting being a narrow defeat away at Belle Vue.
The hosts lost Tai Woffinden to injury on the eve of the season and were forced into changes bringing in Lewis Kerr and Justin Sedgmen to replace the former world champion and Danyon Hume.
LAST TIME OUT IN SHEFFIELD
The Witches last travelled to Sheffield in September of 2024 the first leg of the Knockout Cup final. With Jaimon Lidsey and Tom Brennan guesting for the injured Jason Doyle and Emil Sayfutdinov and Sheffield running rider replacement for Tai Woffinden, the hosts registered a string of 4-2s in the first half of the contest and found themselves 12 points to the good after nine races. Ipswich battled hard in the second half of the meeting but left themselves too much to do in the second leg at Foxhall after a 20-point defeat.
AWAY DAYS
An adult ticket costs £25, concessions (over 65s & students) £23, juniors (aged 12-17) £5 whilst children aged 11 under cost £1. Official programmes cost £3. All the stadium is open except the back straight which remains closed for safety reasons. There is seating in the Panorama Room, which also boasts a restaurant and bar overlooking the track. There is a fast-food bar, and the Panorama Room Restaurant also offers a ‘Speedway Special’ carvery with a choice of meats. The Panorama Room Restaurant has large bar with ideal viewing facilities in addition to the carvery. Reserve your table now by calling Owlerton Stadium on 01142 343074. For travel information head here.
For more information about the club head to Sheffield’s official website.
Press Officer at Ipswich Speedway