By Rob Binns
All the details ahead of our ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R1 fixture with Leicester.
WHEN & WHERE
The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches host the Leicester Lions at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 20th June in a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R1 fixture. Parade: 7.30pm, first race: 7:45pm.
TEAMS
IPSWICH: 1. Scott Nicholls (G) 9.36 2. Dan Thompson 4.78 (RS) 3. Danny King 7.50 © 4. Adam Ellis 5.95 5. Emil Sayfutdinov 9.24 6. Keynan Rew 4.15 7. Jordan Jenkins 4.00. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins
LEICESTER: 1. Max Fricke 8.32 © 2. Richard Lawson 6.76 3. Sam Masters 6.61 4. Luke Becker 6.30 5. Ryan Douglas 7.58 6. Craig Cook 5.03 7. Sam Hagon (RS). Team Manager: Stewart Dickson
REFEREE: M. Bates
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE
| Team | Meetings | Points |
| Ipswich | 11 | 21 |
| Sheffield | 10 | 17 |
| Belle Vue | 11 | 17 |
| Oxford | 12 | 13 |
| Leicester | 10 | 12 |
| Birmingham | 11 | 6 |
| King’s Lynn* | 9 | 4 |
TICKETS
Tickets are available to buy online (until 7pm on raceday) and on the gate and are priced at £23 for adults and £21 for concessions (65+) & students (21 & under). Tickets for children aged 6-16 are £1 whilst children 5 & under go free. Official programmes are priced at £3.50 and are available at the stadium. Car parking is free for all supporters. Debit and credit card payments are accepted. Turnstiles open at 6.40pm.
THE STORY
The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches host the Leicester Lions at Foxhall on Thursday in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.
The Witches remain unbeaten on home shale this season with a 50-40 victory in the top-of-the-table clash against Sheffield Tigers last week extending that run. The Suffolk side looked on course for another victory last Thursday night as they held a 10-point lead after six heats away at Oxford Spires before rain saw the meeting abandoned with the result not standing.
The home side are delighted to welcome back skipper Danny King after a near two-month injury absence which brings them almost back to full fitness. Scott Nicholls guests at number one in place of Jason Doyle who is out for the season.
The two sides met at Foxhall last month in the Knockout Cup with the Witches earning a 47-43 victory to progress in the competition. A win for Ipswich would see them pick up the aggregate bonus point as they defeated Leicester in the reverse league fixture which also ended with a scoreline of 47-43 to the Suffolk side.
FROM THE BOSS
Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins gives us his pre-match thoughts…
“We’re looking forward to welcoming the skipper back to the side. It was great to see him come through his first meeting back at Redcar last Friday and there are six more days recovery time for him, it will be brilliant to have him back in the side. We’re slowly getting back there now, we’re up to six out of seven which is a big boost for everyone. Certainly, with Scott coming in it doesn’t feel like a guest.
“It feels like a full team, and it will need to be because Leicester on paper certainly bring as strong a test as anyone else in the league. When you look at their line-up, I can’t see any weak links and if all their boys are going well and click into form then they’re going to be really tough for anyone to beat. Another tough task ahead, we’ve performed very well against them home and away recently and we need to do that again. We need to stay on top of them because if you give them any slight chance, they’ll certainly take it because they’re a team full of quality.
“It’s great to have Scott with us again, as I said it doesn’t feel like having a guest in the team. He’s a club legend and a British Speedway legend and he fits into the team brilliantly. I don’t think there’s anyone you can look at in the league that’s going to be better round Foxhall than Scott on a consistent basis. It’s certainly made our recent struggles with absences a lot easier having Scott there and available to bring in and I’m sure it will do for the next couple of weeks as well.”
THE LIONS
Leicester have had a mixed 2024 season so far and currently sit fifth in the table. They have raced well but have often missed out on the points to match that, most recently in a 46-44 defeat to Oxford Spires in their last meeting. Like Ipswich, they were a victim of the weather last week as their home fixture with King’s Lynn Stars was postponed.
The Lions have run the Witches close in all three meetings this season but are yet to defeat them and will be aiming to break that streak on Thursday. The visitors come to Foxhall at full strength. Rising star Sam Hagon won the British Under-21 title earlier this month.