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SCORECARD

IPSWICH 56: Jason Doyle 5, Danny King © 11+1, Adam Ellis 5+2, Tom Brennan 10, Emil Sayfutdinov 11, Dan Thompson 2+1, Jason Edwards (RS) 12+1. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

BIRMINGHAM 34:  Tobiasz Musielak © 7, Paco Castagna 5+2, Jonas Jeppesen 3, Keynan Rew 11+1, Matej Zagar 7, Ben Barker 1, Sam Hagon (RS) 0. Team Manager: Chris Adams

REFEREE: G. Allen

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

Team	Meetings	Points
Ipswich	17	31
Belle Vue	17	29
Leicester	17	27
Sheffield	16	26
King’s Lynn	16	14
Oxford	18	11
Birmingham	17	6

THE REPORT

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches raced to a convincing win over struggling Birmingham on Thursday night at Foxhall in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.

The hosts were tracking Jason Edwards for the first time as a ‘full-time’ Witch after he signed as a 28-day injury replacement for Jordan Jenkins as they looked to return to the top of the table against a Brummies side who sat bottom of the table. After a day of wet weather in the area, conditions were tricky early on but after getting to grips with the track, the home team established a healthy lead and recorded a comfortable victory, picking up the aggregate bonus point in the process to regain top spot in the league. Edwards top scored with 12+1.

Danny King won a shared heat one as Jason Doyle retired and in heat two the Witches rode to a maximum courtesy of Edwards and Dan Thompson. The Brummies registered a heat advantage in heat three as the returning Keynan Rew raced to victory. Emil Sayfutdinov picked up three points in heat four in a 4-2 to the hosts making it 14-10 after the opening stages.

Tom Brennan got his first win of the evening in heat five in an Ipswich heat advantage. Heat six was shared as Matej Zagar couldn’t be caught and Sayfutdinov remained unbeaten after winning heat seven, but it was only a 3-3 as Rew passed Thompson at the back on the run to the line. King and Edwards teamed up for a 5-1 in heat eight putting the home team 29-19 up.

Another maximum followed in heat nine courtesy of Brennan and Adam Ellis. Doyle got his first win of the evening in a heat 10 4-2 and it was a 3-3 in heat 11 as Sayfutdinov continued his sublime form on the night. Rew came in as a tactical substitute in heat 12 and Ellis was forced to start from 15 metres back having gone through the tapes. In the re-run Edwards took the chequered flag and Ellis managed to pass both Brummies for the maximum in the race of the night, giving Ipswich a 46-26 lead.

Thompson replaced Doyle in heat 13 and Sayfutdinov’s unbeaten night came to an end as Tobiasz Musielak held him off for the win in a Brummies heat advantage. Edwards’ stunning full debut ended with another win in a heat 14 4-2 before the night finished in another heat advantage to Ipswich as King picked up the race win to complete a routine victory for the Witches.

RITCHIE HAWKINS REACTION

Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins reflects on Thursday’s win over Birmingham…

“It was a meeting we had to win, and we got a comfortable win. These wet meetings are not the most entertaining and wouldn’t have been the most enjoyable for anyone out there, but we did a good, solid, professional job. The standout performance was Jason (Edwards) in his first meeting as our Rising Star since signing the temporary contract and he has shown his determination that he wants to make it a permanent move.

“The right decision was made not to do anything with the track. We know since the works on the drainage were done at the start of last season that the track drains very well now. I have seen far worse track conditions, it took a lot of rain, and it was as good as it could be, and the track staff did a great job. It does alter the home track advantage a bit because it is not how we would normally set it up, but we managed that well tonight. It can be a leveller but as a team it was a professional performance tonight.

“I was delighted with Jason (Edwards). He watches and he learns and his improvement from last week was immense. He is taking note of everything going on around him and is learning from our more experienced riders. He has got a close relationship with Danny from riding at Redcar together and he has learned and improved massively. It was an impressive performance and what more can you say.

“Jason (Doyle) only did three heats tonight and was suffering from a tooth infection. He gave himself a jolt when he nearly crashed in his third ride and I’m sure if the scores were closer, he’d have gone out in heat 13. With the way the things are with the season he is having and the injuries and now an infection in his mouth, I don’t like pulling them out of a heat 13, but it was the sensible thing to do in the grand scheme of things.

“Dan is getting over his ear infection that affected him last week, but it was a tough night for him in the difficult conditions, and he struggled getting himself setup. He now has 10 days off from our meetings and that little break will help him and I’m sure he will be back to his best soon.

“It was good to see a lot of people stay for the second half and I’m sure the youngsters appreciated that support, so thank you to them. We look forward to seeing their improvement over the coming weeks.”

PIKE AIR RIDER OF THE NIGHT

The sponsors chose Edwards who top scored on his debut from reserve with 12+1.

WHAT IT MEANS

Ipswich pick up two points and the aggregate bonus point after a 49-41 win at Birmingham earlier in the season, a result that sees them return to the top of the table. The Brummies remain bottom.

NEXT FIXTURE

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches travel to the National Speedway Stadium to take on the Belle Vue Aces on Monday 4^th August in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership. Tickets can be purchased on the gate and in advance here.