THE SCORES…
IPSWICH 42: Danny King © 10, Chris Harris 9+1, Edward Kennett 6+1, Cameron Heeps 5+2, Krystian Pieszczek 5+1, Richard Lawson 4, Jake Allen 3. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins
POOLE 48: Jack Holder 13+2, Josh Grajczonek © 11+1, Ricky Wells (g) 10, Nicolai Klindt 9, Kevin Doolan (g) 5+2, Kyle Newman (g) 0. Team Manager: Neil Middleditch
REFEREE: P. Carrington
VENUE: Foxhall Stadium
MEETING SPONSORS…
Doug Wade Insurance
GBS Builders (Ipswich) Limited
PREMIERSHIP TABLE
| Team | Meetings | Points |
| Poole | 14 | 30 |
| Belle Vue | 15 | 27 |
| Ipswich | 13 | 27 |
| Swindon | 12 | 18 |
| Wolverhampton | 11 | 17 |
| Peterborough | 13 | 17 |
| King’s Lynn | 14 | 16 |
WHAT HAPPENED?
The ‘Tru Plant’ Witches fell to their first home defeat of the season as they were beaten 48-42 by Poole at Foxhall on Thursday night in the Premiership.
Both teams came into the clash level on points at the top of the Premiership, but the Pirates came to Suffolk with huge injury problems. That didn’t bother the visitors though as they started strongly and never looked back. By the end of heat seven the away side had built a 12-point lead and the Witches had used their tactical substitute. The home team clawed six points back but never threatened a comeback as Poole went clear at the top of the table. Danny King top scored for Ipswich with 10 points.
Jack Holder won heat one for the Pirates as Chris Harris and Cameron Heeps put Kyle Newman to the back on the opening lap for a 3-3. Edward Kennett won heat two for the hosts, but partner Jake Allen was at the back in another shared heat. Poole went ahead in heat three as Nicolai Klindt held off King to win and Josh Grajczonek took third for a Pirates 4-2 that gave them a 10-8 lead.
The visitors then extended their lead with a 5-1 in heat four thanks to Ricky Wells and Holder with the hosts yet to get going. The Witches got their first heat advantage of the night in heat five as King came out on top after a battle with Grajczonek and Krystian Pieszczek passed Newman to come through into third for a 4-2. However, Poole hit back with another 5-1 in heat six thanks to Holder and Kevin Doolan to put them 22-14 ahead, stunning the hosts and all inside Foxhall.
Team boss Ritchie Hawkins brought in King as a tactical substitution in heat seven replacing Kennett, but things got worse for the hosts as the visitors recorded another 5-1 with King unable to land a blow at the back. Wells was proving to be an inspired choice of guest for the away side as he won heat eight ahead of Allen and Heeps to keep the Witches 12 points behind. Pieszczek did well to win heat nine fending off Holder who was applying pressure in second and with King third it gave the home team a 4-2 but that still left them 10 points down at 22-32.
Grajczonek won heat 10 ahead of Heeps and Harris as the points were shared, leaving the Witches with a mountain to climb in the final five heats. The away side provided another winner in heat 11 as Klindt took the chequered flag with Richard Lawson and Kennett both in the points but this suited the away side perfectly as they edged closer to victory with every heat. Wells came in for Doolan in heat 12 but the red lights were on with Klindt given a warning for moving at the start. It was Klindt who led the re-run, but he broke down late on in the race to gift King victory with Allen picking up a point for a heat advantage to the Witches. That left the Pirates 40-32 ahead and on the brink of victory with three heats to race.
Harris won heat 13 ahead of Doolan but Lawson couldn’t hold onto third as Holder passed him on the final lap for a shared heat that all but secured the win for the away side. The win was mathematically secured in heat 14 as Grajczonek won ahead of Kennett and Pieszczek. Harris finished the night with a win for the hosts as King passed Grajczonek for third to give the Witches a 4-2 that at least denied the away side from taking four league points for an away victory by seven points or more. That left the final score 48-42 to the Pirates as they went top of the table and in the process ended Ipswich’s 100% home record.
DOUG WADE INSURANCE & GBS BUILDERS RIDERS OF THE NIGHT…
King was given the Doug Wade Insurance Rider of the Night award after scoring 10, whilst GBS Builders selected Heeps as their Rider of the Night after the Australian scored 5+2.
KEY MOMENT…
The hosts already found themselves eight points down ahead of heat seven and with work to do. Hawkins put King in as a tactical substitute and the comeback needed to start quickly. However, the situation was worse after heat seven as the visitors picked up another 5-1 to put them 12 in front and gave Ipswich far too much work to do to salvage anything from the meeting.
WHAT IT MEANS…
Ipswich pick up no points after this defeat that leaves them third in the Premiership. Poole take three points for this away win and they go clear at the top of the table.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The ‘Tru Plant’ Witches travel to Monmore Green to face the Wolverhampton Wolves on Monday 15th July in a Premiership fixture at 7.30pm.
AROUND THE TRACKS…
Wolves recorded a 49-41 win away at Peterborough to move off the bottom of the table. Swindon were victorious against King’s Lynn, running out 50-40 winners at the Abbey.