THE SCORES…
SWINDON 66: Jason Doyle © 11+2, Troy Batchelor 11+1 (Paid Maximum), Rasmus Jensen 11+1 (Paid Maximum), Adam Ellis 11+1, Claus Vissing 10+1, Tobiasz Musielak 7+2, Ellis Perks 5. Team Manager: Alun Rossiter
IPSWICH 24: Krystian Pieszczek 7, Danny King © 6, Jake Allen 4, Richard Lawson 3+2, Chris Harris 3, Edward Kennett 1 (Withdrawn). Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins
REFEREE: P. Carrington
VENUE: Abbey Stadium
PREMIERSHIP TABLE
| Team | Meetings | Points |
| Swindon | 20 | 39 |
| Poole | 19 | 39 |
| Ipswich | 21 | 39 |
| Belle Vue | 23 | 38 |
| Wolverhampton | 21 | 35 |
| King’s Lynn | 20 | 31 |
| Peterborough | 20 | 17 |
WHAT HAPPENED?
The ‘Tru Plant’ Witches were hammered 66-24 by the Swindon Robins at the Abbey Stadium on Monday night in the Premiership.
It was a miserable night for Ipswich who failed to win a race and conceded heat advantages in all but two heats of the meeting. The defeat sees them drop to third in the Premiership table and looking over their shoulders at the chasing pack in the race for the play-offs. Krystian Pieszczek top scored with seven points.
It was a frustrating start to the night for both sides as Adam Ellis was excluded for going through the tapes in heat one and then Chris Harris did the same in the re-run. Ellis Perks and Krystian Pieszczek replaced their respective teammates before there was a further stoppage as the red lights went on and Pieszczek was warned for moving at the start. Once the race eventually got going, Jason Doyle won a shared heat. There were more delays in heat two as Edward Kennett was warned this time for moving before the tapes went up. Remarkably, the re-run was then stopped as Kennett and Claus Vissing both went down on the first turn, with all four riders called back for the third attempt of the race. Perks won at the third attempt ahead of Pieszczek as Vissing passed Kennett for third for a 4-2 to the Robins. The home side extended their lead with a 5-1 in heat three thanks to Rasmus Jensen and Tobiasz Musielak as they went 12-6 in front.
Danny King took the rider replacement ride in heat four for the injured Cameron Heeps and Pieszczek replaced Kennett in a reserve switch. However, there was to be another exclusion and delay to proceedings as Pieszczek went through the tapes and having replaced his fellow reserve, he was forced to go from 15 metres in the re-run. The hosts added to their lead with another maximum in the re-run as Troy Batchelor and Vissing were first across the finishing line. The run of 5-1’s continued as Jensen and Musielak were at it again in heat five. Jake Allen took the rider replacement ride in heat six, but the Robins piled on more misery for the visitors with another maximum via Ellis and Doyle, putting them 27-9 up.
The night was not getting any better for the Witches as Allen then missed the two-minute time allowance for heat seven and had to go from 15 metres in the re-run. Batchelor beat King in the re-run as Perks took third as the home side added to their lead with a 4-2. The 5-1’s returned for the Robins in heat eight as Vissing and Ellis raced to victory, and it was to be Kennett’s last ride of the night after he was withdrawn due to injury. Harris came in as a tactical substitute for Ipswich in heat nine, but it made no difference as Musielak won and Jensen worked his way from the back to join him at the front for another maximum that gave Swindon a huge 41-13 lead.
Ellis won heat 10 as King showed some fight to get the better of Doyle to split the home pairing and limit them to a 4-2. For the first time since heat one, the hosts didn’t record a heat advantage in heat 11 but they provided another race winner as Batchelor won a shared heat. Jensen passed Pieszczek to win heat 12 as Vissing got the better of King at the back for a 4-2 to the Robins, leaving them 52-20 up, with the Witches wanting the night to end as soon as possible.
Ipswich could only field three riders in heat 13 with no one taking the rider replacement ride for Heeps and the hosts notched another 5-1 via Doyle and Batchelor. Pieszczek replaced Kennett in heat 14 as Musielak jumped the start and was warned. That warning did not help as he then went through the tapes and was excluded with Vissing replacing him. Vissing went and won the re-run as Perks passed Pieszczek for third for another heat advantage to the hosts. The miserable night ended in another 5-1 to the Robins thanks to Ellis and Doyle to give Swindon a comprehensive 66-24 win.
RIDER OF THE NIGHT…
In truth there wasn’t one. Captain King never gave up and scored six points as no Witches rider did themselves justice on the night.
KEY MOMENT…
The Witches were never in this meeting and after Swindon’s fourth 5-1 in a row in heat six, the meeting was probably already over as Ellis and Doyle put them 27-9 ahead and out of sight.
WHAT IT MEANS…
Swindon take three league points that puts them top of the Premiership table. The Witches leave with nothing and drop to third after this big defeat.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The ‘Tru Plant’ Witches host the Poole Pirates at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 29th August in a Premiership fixture at 7.30pm.
AROUND THE TRACKS…
Belle Vue convincingly beat King’s Lynn 54-36 at the National Speedway Stadium whilst Wolverhampton were comfortable 55-35 winners over Poole at Monmore Green.