By Henry Chard
All the details ahead of our ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R2 fixture with Sheffield.
WHEN & WHERE
The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches host the Sheffield Tigers at Foxhall Stadium on Monday 19th August in a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R2 fixture. Parade: 7.30pm, first race: 7:45pm.
TEAMS
IPSWICH: 1. R/R for Jason Doyle 9.36 2. Troy Batchelor (G) 5.63 3. Danny King © 6.98 4. Dan Thompson 5.02 (RS) 5. Dan Bewley (G) 9.04 6. Keynan Rew 4.77 7. Jordan Jenkins 3.66. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins
SHEFFIELD: 1. Jack Holder 9.20 2. Kyle Howarth 5.17 © 3. Chris Holder 8.23 4. Josh Pickering 6.47 5. R/R for Tai Woffinden 8.67 6. Jason Edwards 3.25 7. Luke Harrison (G) (RS). Team Manager: Simon Stead
REFEREE: M. Bates
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE
| Team | Meetings | Points |
| Sheffield | 20 | 35 |
| Ipswich | 20 | 34 |
| Leicester | 20 | 32 |
| Belle Vue | 20 | 31 |
| Oxford | 21 | 25 |
| King’s Lynn* | 18 | 11 |
| Birmingham | 21 | 6 |
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 are back at Foxhall on Monday evening in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership as they entertain the Sheffield Tigers.
Last Thursday was a tough night for the Witches as they endured their first home defeat of the campaign against an in-form Leicester. Without Jason Doyle and Emil Sayfutdinov going into the tie the home team then lost Adam Ellis after one race leaving the five remaining riders with too much to do.
It is a patched-up Ipswich team that take to the track on Monday with the above mentioned three riders all missing. Rider replacement will be in operation for Doyle at one and British champion and Grand Prix rider Dan Bewley has been booked to cover Sayfutdinov at five. Ellis misses this week’s fixtures as he is serving a mandatory period of absence after he took a bang to the head in the crash against Leicester. Troy Batchelor guests at two in his place.
The Tigers hold a two-point lead on aggregate for the bonus point having beaten the Witches 46-44 at Owlerton and the Suffolk side will be looking to get back to winning ways in front of their home fans, knowing that a win by more than two points would see them collect all three points on offer and return to the top of the table.
FROM THE BOSS
Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins gives us his pre-match thoughts…
“We are back again on Monday, and we have got guest bookings and R/R again. I am delighted that Dan is coming to do a guest booking for us and it will be great for everyone to watch him twice next week. We bring in Troy as well to replace Adam and he took the call late, but he knows the club really well and is in great form, he is flying. It is good we can call on him and we will come out strong. They have R/R as well for Woffy so it is two top teams missing top riders but I’m sure it will be a really good meeting.
“We know it is difficult booking guests and we are certainly finding it difficult to find anyone that will come close to replacing Emil and Jason but the guys that have come in this season have always done a great job and have really enjoyed being with us. Overall, it has not been a disaster for us, and we will keep doing the best we can do for the rest of the season.
“Leicester are making a great run to finish top but we have been the top two teams this year and it is a meeting that we can still go into with confidence thinking we should win at home with the side we have put out. We will be coming out fighting and wanting to win that one and hopefully we will end the night back at the top.”
THE TIGERS
Sheffield moved to the top of the table on Thursday night after thrashing bottom side Birmingham on home shale. The reigning champions have tasted victory four times already on the road this season and know that a win at Foxhall would see them take a giant step towards finishing top of the table.
The visitors are without former world champion Tai Woffinden on Monday with rider replacement in operation at number five. Rising Star Dan Gilkes is ruled out with an eye infection with Luke Harrison guesting.
Digital Media Manager at Ipswich Speedway