SCORECARD
LEICESTER 43: Max Fricke © 12, Luke Becker 5+1, Ryan Douglas 11+1, Kyle Howarth 5+1, Sam Masters 7+1, Drew Kemp 3, Joe Thompson (RS) 0. Team Manager: Stewart Dickson
IPSWICH 47: Emil Sayfutdinov 11+1, Danny King © 5+1, Tom Brennan 9, Adam Ellis 0 (Withdrawn), Jason Doyle 8, Dan Thompson 8+3, Jason Edwards (RS) 6. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins
REFEREE: G. Hunter
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE
| Team | Meetings | Points |
| Sheffield | 24 | 43 |
| Ipswich | 24 | 43 |
| Leicester | 24 | 42 |
| Belle Vue | 24 | 37 |
| King’s Lynn | 24 | 30 |
| Oxford | 24 | 11 |
| Birmingham | 24 | 6 |
PLAY-OFFS
SEMI-FINALS:
1st Leg: Belle Vue 48-42 Ipswich, 2nd Leg: Ipswich 59-31 Belle Vue
1st Leg: Sheffield 46-43 Leicester, 2nd Leg: Leicester 47-43 Sheffield
FINAL
1st Leg: Leicester 43-47 Ipswich, 2nd Leg: Ipswich vs Leicester (9th Oct)
THE REPORT
The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches produced a terrific performance to win the first leg of their ROWE Motor Oil Premiership Play-Off final away at Leicester on Monday.
The two sides were at full strength with the visitors aiming to claim their first league title since 1998 this week whilst the hosts were looking to seal the double after lifting the Knockout Cup earlier in the year. It was tight early on with the Suffolk side holding a two-point lead after six races but despite losing Adam Ellis to injury after just one ride, the away side kicked on to build a four-point lead ahead of the second leg of the final at Foxhall on Thursday. Emil Sayfutdinov top scored with 11+1.
Sayfutdinov flew from gate four to win a shared heat one and it was a 3-3 in heat two as Dan Thompson went up the inside of his brother Joe for third at the end of the opening lap. Heat three was awarded as a 5-1 to the Lions as Ellis crashed out towards the end of the second lap whilst trying to go wide on the third and fourth turn. The Witches responded in perfect in fashion in heat four as Jason Doyle won and Thompson held off Sam Masters for second making it all square at 12-12.
Danny King produced a terrific ride to win heat five and he was joined by teammate Sayfutdinov at the end of the first lap for an Ipswich maximum that put them in front. Doyle made the start in heat six but ran wide as Max Fricke and Luke Becker went up the inside of him, but Doyle rounded Becker for second going into the second lap to reduce the damage to a 4-2. Ellis was withdrawn from the meeting with injury after his heat three crash meaning his remaining three rides would be taken by the two reserve riders. The points were shared in heat seven and again in heat eight leaving the away side 25-23 up.
Thompson was squeezed out in a classic case of first bend bunching in heat nine but bafflingly the referee excluded the Ipswich man to the surprise of everyone watching. Ryan Douglas held off Doyle to win the re-run after the Witches number five had worked hard to get past Howarth for second. Tom Brennan rode excellently to take the chequered flag in heat 10 ahead of Fricke as Jason Edwards kept Becker at the back for a crucial point. King fell at the start of heat 11 after some first bend contact and on this occasion the referee decided to call all four back. Sayfutdinov was sublime in the re-run as he picked up three points in an Ipswich 4-2 that extended their lead to 35-31.
Leicester started heat 12 on a 5-1 but Brennan was carrying serious speed, and he lined up Douglas and flew up the inside of the Lions rider going down the back straight of the second lap to win with Thompson third for another heat advantage to the away side. Sayfutdinov produced a ride for the ages to win a shared heat 13. Fricke and Masters hit the front on the first lap, but Sayfutdinov split the pair at the end of the first lap to get into second. The Ipswich number one chased down Fricke to go past his opposite number on the back straight of the last lap as Fricke bombed back up the inside on the third turn. However, Sayfutdinov read the move and cut back to win the race in stunning fashion. It was Thompson’s turn in heat 14 to produce a great ride as he got the better of Howarth to win in a heat advantage to the Witches. Sayfutdinov’s hopes of a paid maximum ended in heat 15 after he was excluded for bringing down Douglas at the end of the first lap. The home team registered a maximum in the re-run to halve the deficit, but it was Ipswich who travelled home the happier of the two sides with a four-point lead going into the decisive second leg on home shale.
RITCHIE HAWKINS REACTION
Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins reflects on Monday’s win at Leicester…
“It was a brilliant performance from the team tonight; I am so proud of them. We battled so hard all night, it was a big hit losing Adam so early on but all six men stepped it up. It was tough Play-Off speedway, and we didn’t get much of the rub of the green with decisions, but everyone kept their heads and contributed. It is nice to get a lead and get our noses in front, but everything is up for grabs on Thursday.
“This team are a very good and they are determined to win this title and that outweighs everything. We don’t drop our heads, like we didn’t last season. They certainly ploughed through, and everyone did brilliantly but they will need to do the same on Thursday. That is what we have just spoken about, and I told them we need to have that level of concentration, commitment and focus on Thursday if we want to get the job done.
“Emil started us off brilliantly in heat one and it was a superb performance from him. Danny’s win in heat five was really needed and he got that 5-1 with Emil just when we lost Adam which was really important. Jason Edwards was superb, and Dan Thompson was amazing again at Leicester. His exclusion was really harsh, but he didn’t let that get him down, the same as Tom. He was very disappointed with his first two rides and the first ride being awarded so early but he came back with two battling wins. He had a massive crash yesterday so to get him through four rides and pull out nine points was an amazing effort.
“I’m on my way to hospital now to see Adam and we will see how he is.”
RIDER OF THE NIGHT
Fans online voted for Sayfutdinov after the number one was unbeaten by an opponent until his exclusion in heat 15.
WHAT IT MEANS
Ipswich take a four-point lead into the second leg, with the champions to be crowned on Thursday at Foxhall.
NEXT FIXTURE
The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches host the Leicester Lions at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 9th October in a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership Play-Off final second leg fixture. Tickets can be purchased on the gate and in advance here.
Press Officer at Ipswich Speedway