SCORECARD

OXFORD 44: Maciej Janowski © 11+1, Rohan Tungate 8+1, Kyle Howarth (G) 4, Charles Wright 3+2, Richard Lawson (G) 7+1, Peter Kildemand 10+1, Luke Killeen (RS) 1. Team Manager: Peter Schroeck

IPSWICH 46: Jason Doyle 8, Danny King © 2+1, Adam Ellis 6+2, Tom Brennan 6, Emil Sayfutdinov 12+1, Dan Thompson 7+2, Jason Edwards (G) (RS) 5. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

REFEREE: C. Ackroyd

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

Team	Meetings	Points
Ipswich	14	25
Sheffield	13	24
Belle Vue	14	24
Leicester	13	18
King’s Lynn	15	12
Oxford	14	8
Birmingham	15	6

THE REPORT

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches returned to the top of the table after a hard-fought victory away at Oxford on Monday night in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.

The visitors were without the injured Jordan Jenkins and were due to track Vinnie Foord as a guest but were forced into a late change on raceday, bringing in Jason Edwards at number seven instead. The hosts were missing Craig Cook and Erik Riss with Kyle Howarth and Richard Lawson deputising for the Spires. Ipswich raced into a 10-point lead early on but were pegged back with the score level after 11 heats. A maximum to the Witches in heat 12 proved crucial as Ritchie Hawkins’ side hung on for an away win. Emil Sayfutdinov top scored with 12+1.

Jason Doyle won heat one and the Witches were gifted a maximum after Rohan Tungate retired late on in the race whilst in second due to mechanical issues, allowing Danny King through into second. Edwards made the gate in heat two, but Peter Kildemand blasted around the Witches guest at the end of the first lap in a 3-3. Tom Brennan and Adam Ellis roared to another 5-1 in heat three to double the away side’s lead. Lawson led heat four coming out of the second turn, but Sayfutdinov dived under him going into the third turn to take the lead as Ipswich registered another heat advantage to make it 7-17 after the opening exchanges.

Doyle picked up another three points in a shared heat five and Sayfutdinov did the same in heat six. The Spires hit back with a 5-1 in heat seven and followed it up with a 4-2 in heat eight as King slid off at the end of the first lap whilst in third. That pulled the hosts back into tie with the score 22-26.

The Witches responded in heat nine with Sayfutdinov racing to a comfortable win and he was followed home by Dan Thompson for the 5-1. Oxford gated on a 5-1 in heat 10 but Brennan looked like he was going to produce the ride of the night as he first passed Tungate for second before diving under Maciej Janowski on the final turn to lead. However, he couldn’t hold onto the bike after passing the Spires number one and hit the deck which resulted in a maximum to the hosts. King was excluded from heat 11 after going through the tapes and was replaced by Thompson. Doyle and Thompson made the start in the re-run but found themselves at the back by the end of the first lap as the home team levelled the score with a 5-1. Thompson and Ellis put the Suffolk side back in front with a maximum in heat 12, making it 34-38 to the away side.

It looked like Oxford might level the score in heat 13 with Janowski and Lawson leading out of the second turn but Doyle and Sayfutdinov both forced their way past Lawson by the end of the first lap to ensure a share of the points which kept the Witches ahead. Brennan took the chequered flag in a shared heat 14 which took it to a last-heat decider. There was chaos in heat 15 as Janowski led and Sayfutdinov and Doyle filled the minor placings, but Doyle took out both his teammate and Janowski going into the first turn of the second lap and was excluded. Janowski held off Sayfutdinov to win the re-run but second place enough to earn the Witches a narrow victory.

RITCHIE HAWKINS REACTION

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

“It was a tough meeting, we started off superbly, but they came back into it, and we got over the line in the end. It is another away win on the board, and we got the result we needed so I am happy with that. All the boys contributed again which is really pleasing to see so I leave here happy.

“Danny touched the tapes in his last ride when he was desperate to make up for a fall earlier on and we had a couple of crashes, but I put that down to them putting everything in it to win. I would rather the boys were out there doing that and giving everything to get in front rather than settling for a third place. I can’t fault them at all tonight; they have all scored and we have come away with a win.

“It has been a really stressful day; we don’t agree with the decision to not allow us to use Vinnie but luckily Jason was practicing yesterday and declared himself fit which gave us the opportunity to use him. I thought he was superb and was unlucky in his last ride to get taken out by Peter. He made great starts, and you could see he had had a little bit of time off the bike but to come in and contribute like that was brilliant.

“You can see Jason and Emil coming back to their best which is vital for us and positive going forward with how good they are starting to look again.

“Heat 15 was a tough one. Maciej made a mistake, and the boys tried to come up the inside and he has come back down. Jason has committed to his move when they came across and it was just a racing incident, and these things happen when the riders are so close, and a win is on the line.”

RIDER OF THE NIGHT

Fans online voted Sayfutdinov the rider of the night after he top scored with 12+1 which included three race wins and the match-winning second place in heat 15.

WHAT IT MEANS

Ipswich go top of the table after picking up two points whilst Oxford remain sixth cut adrift from the top four.

NEXT FIXTURE

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches host the Belle Vue Aces at Foxhall on Thursday 10^th July in a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership fixture. Tickets can be purchased on the gate and in advance here.