Ipswich Witches 48-42 Leicester Lions: Witches win first home meeting

Ipswich Witches 48-42 Leicester Lions

The Ipswich Witches have a narrow lead to defend in the Midlands return, after a six point victory in this KO Cup clash over Leicester at Foxhall Stadium.

The make up of the Witches team this season relies heavily on the top two of Jason Doyle and Emil Sayfutdinov and they both needed to be at their best to score maximum advantages in heat thirteen and fifteen, as the home side first reversed a two point deficit and then opened up the advantage.

Sandwiched between those two was a terrific ride by Danyon Hume and Erik Riss in the penultimate race, as both battled their way past Jake Allen to share the heat.

For most of the contest there was only a couple of points between the two sides and when Max Frick and Justin Sedgemen team rode out Sayfutdinov in heat 11, to take the Lions two points up, the Witches had it all to do.

Action from heat nine, with Erik Riss inside Nick Morris. Danny King and Jake Allen (Image: Steve Waller)

Doyle won opening heat and then Allen passed Hume for the win in heat two, Joe Thompson getting the better of brother Dan for third. 

With Danny King winning the third and Sayfutdinov the fourth in two more shared heats it was all square at 12-12.

The deadlock was broken in heat five with Max Frick passing King as the Lions recorded a 4-2 to give them a narrow advantage.

Doyle won the sixth and with Keynan Rew picking up a point it was all level again. Sayfutdinov took the chequered flag in the next and then Rew made a mistake in the eighth to let Sedgmen past in another shared heat.

Doyle and Rew scored a 4-2 advantage in the tenth before the Lions pairing held out Sayfutdinov in the eleventh ahead of the big finale.

Brothers Joe and Dan Thompson go head-to-head in heat two (Image: Steve Waller)

Team manager Ritchie Hawkins was pleased with how things went on opening night saying: "Considering we had effectively three Foxhall debutants and were against a very strong team and also had Erik Riss under the weather, I was pleased to get a win and think there is all to play for in the second leg on 17th April."

Heat details

Ht  1: Doyle, Fricke, Sedgmen,Rew...56.1…3-3

Ht  2: Allen, Hume, J.Thompson, D.Thompson…56.9…6-6

Ht  3: King, Harris, Lawson, Riss...57.6…9-9

Ht  4: Sayfutdinov, MorrisD.Thompson, J.Thompson...56.7...12-12

Ht  5: Fricke, King, Sedgmen, Riss...56.9…14-16

Ht  6: Doyle, Morris, RewAllen...57.0…18-18

Ht  7: Sayfutdinov, Lawson, Harris, Hume...56.1…21-22

Ht  8: Sedgmen, RewJ.ThompsonD.Thompson...58.1...24-24

Ht  9: Morris, King, Riss, Allen...57.5…27-27

Ht 10: Doyle, Harris, Rew, Lawson...57.4…31-29

Ht 11: Sedgmen, Fricke, Sayfutdinov, Hume…58.8…32-34

Ht 12: King, Lawson, Allen, Hume...58.4…35-37

Ht 13: Doyle, Sayfutdinov, Fricke, Morris...57.6…40-38

Ht 14: Harris, Hume, Riss, Allen...58.2…43-41

Ht 15: Sayfutdinov, Doyle, Fricke, Harris…57.5…48-42

IPSWICH: Jason Doyle (3,3,3,3,2*) 14+1, Keynan Rew (O,1,2,1) 4, Danny King (3,2,2,3) 8, Erik Riss (0,0,1* 1*) 2+2, Emil Sayfutdinov (3,3,1, 2*,3) 12+1, Danyon Hume (2,0,0,0,2) 4, Joe Thompson (1*,0,1*) 2+2 

LEICESTER: Max Fricke (2,3,2*,1,1) 9+1, Justin Sedgmen (1*,1,3,3) 8+1, Richard Lawson (1*,2,0,2) 5+1, Chris Harris (2,1*,2,0) 5+1, Nick Morris (2,2,3,0) 7, Jake Allen (3,0,0,1*,0) 4+1, Dan Thompson (0,1*,0) 1+1