Favourite-ever Ipswich Witches teams... FANS HAVE THEIR SAY

Nico Covatti and Ulrich Ostergaard have a coming together. Speedway does provide thrills and spills. Picture Steve Dixon (Image: Steve Dixon)

Well, I knew you would join in, writes Mike Bacon.

And a huge thanks to everyone who has sent in their favourite-ever Witches team and riders.

It's been fun for me to read them all.

Now over to you all to enjoy.

Witches 1984. League and KO Cup double winners. A favourite team of Kevin Carpenter. Left to right: John Cook, John Berry (promoter), Kai Niemi, Jeremy Doncaster, Nigel Flatman, Chris Shears (promoter), Richard Knight, Carl Blackbird and Billy Sanders. Photo: ARCHANT (Image: Archant)

Here we go.... emails first including a few comments from golf-trick ace, Kevin Carpenter, and Jordan Hall, followed by your many social media posts.

Hi Mike,

Kim Jansson holds off Peterborough pair, Sam Ermolenko and Henning Bager. Kim was a big Foxhall favourite. Photo: STEVE WALLER

Here goes my all time top Witches 1-7.

Believe or not I was actually at the meeting away to Reading when the Witches won the league in October 1984 (Reading 32 Witches 46) I've just dug out the programme!

I don't remember too much about the meeting, but I do remember after winning the league we were on the centre green celebrating with the other Witches fans and riders. We were going head to head against Belle Vue that season with John Berry our team manager. The team also won the double when we beat Belle Vue in the KO Cup final.

I was with my mum, dad, and younger brother at Reading, who was only six-years-old - I was 10.

The 'Cowboy' John Cook. Has there ever been a more extravagant rider for the Witches? Photo: ARCHANT

The team that October 1984 night was: 1. Billy Sanders, 2 Richard Knight, 3 John Cook, 4 Jeremy Doncaster, 5 Kai Niemi, 6 Carl Blackbird, 7 Nigel Flatman.

I remember all the riders and had their badges sewn on my jacket.. (which I still have..)

And I remember being at Bradford at the World Final cheering on Cook and Niemi, the year Erik Gundersen won it.

A popular Pole. Robert Miskowiak, looking at a photo of him, taken by Steve Waller, after he catapaulted over the fence at Oxford one night.... He wasn't hurt, in fact he got up and won the re-run!!! That's speedway riders! Photo: SIMON PARKER

Niemi scored around 10 points that day and I remember Cook slipping off in his opening ride which I was gutted about.. (As a kid Cookie was my favourite)

Although I've got to know the likes of Scott Nicholls, Danny King and Cameron Heeps, etc., through my work, I'd say the team above in is my fondest memory celebrating the league win with my brother, mum and dad.

KEVIN CARPENTER

Local boys made good for Witches. Jeremy Doncaster & Chris Louis. Picture STEPHEN WALLER.

Hi Mike,

All of my riders are from my era of the late '90s onwards.

These are based on not just quality but also entertainment value.

1 Tomasz Gollob: The most entertaining rider I have ever seen around Foxhall. Around the boards for four laps and never really got the recognition he deserved by the national television coverage. It was a great moment watching him secure his world title in 2010. A true legend.

Best Witches team ever? The Ipswich Witches Elite League Champions, KO Cup winners and Craven Shield winners of 1998. Toni Svab (L to R) Tomasz Gollob, Chris Louis, Tony Rickardsson, Savalas Clouting and Scott Nicholls with the trophy.

2 Kim Jansson: Love the way he used to approach everything with a positive attitude, even when things were not going well. I used to love the passion and delight he showed on his victory laps around the stockcar track.

3 Tony Rickardsson: The best rider to ride at Foxhall in my lifetime. It was a delight to watch him.

4 Danny King: He can gate, overtake and is a master of the Foxhall track. A model of consistency and a great leader.

5 Chris Louis: So consistent for such a long period of time and carried the team through the difficult years of the early 2000s.

Ipswich riders Billy Sanders (left) and Tony Davey in the pits at Foxhall before the start of the first match between Ipswich and Hackney in March 1972. Picture Dave Kindred (Image: Archant)

6 Nico Covatti: He is the closest I have seen to Gollob around Foxhall. A master of the outside line and sometimes I hoped he would miss the start so I would watch him blast around the outside picking off his rivals.

7 Scott Nicholls - Another member of the treble winning team. We saw him develop into a top quality rider before our own eyes. A local lad and hopefully he will have one last season with the team before he retires.

JORDAN HALL

All action and popular, Nico Covatti. Photo: STEVE WALLER (Image: � 2013 Stephen Waller)

Via email:

Dennis Sigalos, John Cook, Billy Sanders, Mark Loram, Tony Rickarsson, Jeremy Doncaster, Kevin Jolly. Reserves: Mike Lanham, Preben Eriksson, Alan Mogridge and Tony Davey.

MARTIN HOOD

Junior Bainbridge, John Louis, Mark Loram, Chris Louis, Tony Rickardsson, Tomasz Gollob, Scott Nicholls. Reserves: Hans Andersen, Ben Howe, Jarek Hampel, Daniel King.

FREDDY DAVEY

Via social media

Karl Baxter @postwitch1

Billy Sanders, Tony Davey, John Louis, Jeremy Doncaster, Tony Rickardsson, Chris Louis, John Cook.

Andi Button @button123456

Dennis Sigalos, John Cook, Billy Sanders, Tomasz Gollob, Tony Rickardsson, Richard Knight, Nigel Flatman.

Craig Milbourne @milbourne_craig

Jarek Hampel, Scott Nicholls, Hans Andersen, Tomas Gollob (C), Tony Rickardson, Piotr Swiderski, Chris Louis. Reserves: Tobias Kroner, Danny King, Piotr Protasiewicz and Robert Miskowiak.

Pedro De Montfort @Pique77

Dennis Sigalos, Billy Sanders, John Cook, Tomasz Gollob, Tony Rickardsson, Mark Loram, Chris Louis

Mel Scrutton @MelScrutton

Tomasz Gollob, Kim Jansson, Rory Schlein, Scott Nicholls, Jarek Hampel, Jeremy Doncaster, Jason Bunyan

RobertAlgar @algar_robert

Tony Rickardsson, John Cook, Billy Sanders, Dennis Sigalos, John Louis (c), Tony Davey, Chris Louis

Paul Woolnough @PaulCWoolnough

Dennis Sigalos, John Cook, Tony Davey, Tomasz Gollob, Billy Sanders, Tim Hunt, Preben Eriksen

Anthony Hazell @AnthonyHazell33

John Louis, Billy Sanders, Tony Davey, Tommy Johannson, Dennis Sigalos, Mick Hines, Mike Lanham.

Terry Rigby @telroe

Jarek Hampel, Scott Nicholls, John Louis, Tomasz Gollob, Tony Rickardson, Billy Sanders, John Cook. Reserves: Danny King, Chris Louis Tony Davey and Jeremy Doncaster.

Rod @blok_32

Tony Rickardsson, Chris Louis, Tomasz Gollob, Scott Nicholls, Billy Sanders (c), Kai Niemi, Ben Howe.

Dennis Stannard @SnoxyFoxy

John Louis, John Cook, Tony Davey, Mike Lanham, Ted Howgego, Billy Sanders, Mick Hines.

Tricky McTrickerson @TMctrickster

Jeremy Doncaster, Scott Nicholls, John Louis, Chris Louis, Tomasz Gollob, Tony Rickardsson, Ben Howe.

Luke Prentice @LPrentice44

Chris Louis, Scott Nicholls, Mark Loram, Danny King, Richard Lawson, Robert Miskowiak, Cameron Heeps.

Shane @BeardedCobbler8

Tony Rickardsson, Tomasz Gollob, Mark Loram, Jarek Hampel, Scott Nicholls, Chris Louis, Hans Andersen.

Adrian Edwards @AdrianE43413281

John Louis, Tony Davey, Billy Sanders, Tommy Johannson, Dennis Sigarlos, Olly Nygren, John Cook.

Daniel Snowden @snowyitfc

Chris Louis, Tomasz Gollob, Tony Rickardsson, Scott Nicholls, Mark Loram, Jarek Hampel, Matej Ferjan.

John Lockwood @john_lockwood5

Tomasz Gollobk, Tony Rickardsson, Mark Loram, Jeremy Doncaster, Tony Davey, John Cook, Ben Howe.

Nick @NickP982

Billy Sanders, Tony Davey, Chris Louis, John Louis, Tony Rickardsson, Mark Loram, Dennis Sigalos. Reserve: Mike Lanham.

Paul Bolton @pb7156

John Louis, Scott Nicholls, Mark Loram, Jarek Hampel, Chris Louis, John Cook, Ted Howgego. Reserves. Tony Rickardsson, Danny King, Billy Sanders, Cameron Heeps.