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Yes Leigh will be riding for Rye this weekend: taken from Ipswichwitches.co New Signing Announced Thursday, 22 March 2012 09:38 | Ipswich Speedway have moved fast to sign club asset Leigh Lanham for the rest of the season to take the place of one of their injured riders Morten Risager & Taylor Poole. At this stage it is not known which rider he is replacing, much will depend on how both their injuries progress and a decision will be taken when their recovery timelines are better known. Rider replacement will be used for the foreseeable future to cover the other team place with all riders able to cover this apart from Leigh. Leigh was left without a team place when Newport announced their withdrawal from the Premier League in mid-February. He had ridden for them since July 2009 when he lost his team place at Ipswich (then racing in the Elite League) after struggling to return to fitness after a serious hand injury sustained in the opening fixture against Lakeside. (Ironically Morten Risager was drafted in as a temporary replacement by Ipswich at that point.) Leigh had a very successful season last year for Newport, competing in 36 meetings and averaging 8.30 points. He also rode in thirty Elite League meetings for Belle Vue in a doubling up role averaging 6.11 points. He had recently been drafted in by local rivals Rye House as a temporary replacement for Tyson Nelson who is having visa problems. Leigh will complete two meetings for them this weekend and then make his Ipswich debut at Foxhall against Somerset on March 29th. He is also due to line up in the Star of Anglia at Foxhall today where he says he is planning to test a new engine as part of his preparation for next week. Leigh will also ride for Elite League club Coventry in a doubling up role this season. Speaking from his Ipswich home Leigh said "I am over the moon to get the team place at Ipswich although I’m obviously not happy about how the place became available. It is sad to see three riders sidelined after just one meeting and I wish them all the best for a full and speedy recovery. Just two weeks ago I was out of a job and now I am part of what I believe is one of the strongest sides in the Premier League. I have to admit that I wasn't a fan of the Foxhall track before the alterations in 2009 but I love riding on it now and can't wait to get started. I already know Kevin Doolan really well as we have raced against each other for a long time. People sometimes forget that riders can be good friends even if they are on opposing sides. I also know most of the other boys as well and I think there is a lot of potential in the team Chris (Louis) has put together. I've never won the League Championship; wouldn't it be great if I could do it this year riding for my parent club in my home town!" Ipswich Director Speedway, Chris Louis, said "It is great to have Leigh in the team although the circumstances are not ideal. Despite this he will receive a great welcome from the rest of the boys and although he comes in at number one the pressure will be reduced by our overall team strength and he will be given every support while he settles in. Morten was released from hospital on Monday so he, like Taylor, now faces an initial recovery period before any comeback date can even be considered. Only at this point can we look at the options available to them". Leigh will be part of a strong lineup that will compete in the 'Star Of Anglia' individual meeting at Foxhall tonight, start time 7:30pm. Another ex-Witch Jesper B Monberg has agreed to fly in from Denmark at short notice to fill one of the final places. These two plus several other riders that always perform well at Foxhall and all your Witches favourites should combine to make the racing very competitive and almost impossible to pick a winner.

I should have added I'm not so sure that we had more falls than other tracks tbh.

I should think a big reason last season was the 2 Chris', love them both to bits but they did fall rather a lot, and of course mega mouth himself was always good for a least 1 if not 2 falls a meeting!!! Just over riding on their part, but not sure of any other reason tbh.

Yes he did

These are the ones I can remember CL naming last night: All 7 Witches Olly Allen Ryan Fisher David Bellego

And the witches will line up like this: 1 Doolan 2 North 3 Poole 4 Risager 5 Tressarieu 6 Heeps 7 Tungate

Here: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=268867823192315&set=a.268867506525680.63160.100002072994584&type=1&theater

ME?????!!! I think I get it now!!!! sorry,..... you brought it up for him then??

Yes the early photo shoot mean't he had to wear last years suit, then his new suit arrived during the morning, so he was able to use that at the track!!

taken from Ipswichwitches.co: Witches Prepared For Rockets Landing Monday, 12 March 2012 22:35 | The 2012 Ipswich 'Sackers' Witches went through their paces at Foxhall Stadium this afternoon as part of their official Press & Practice day. Afterwards all the riders said that they can't wait to get racing and it was clear to everyone present that the team were already bonding well and eager to help each other. They won't have long to wait as the season officially starts on Thursday (15th March) and their first opponents, the Rye House 'Silver Ski' Rockets will be arriving at Foxhall for the first leg of the Anglian Cup. They will then travel to Hertfordshire on Saturday 17th March for the second and decideing leg. Ipswich won the first leg convincingly last year with a 56-39 score line and they restricted Rye House to an eight-point deficit in the second leg at Hoddesdon so with an aggregate score of 97-88 the trophy was lifted by the Witches. Ipswich will of course be aiming to keep the trophy in Suffolk but equally important they want to start their season with some great entertainment for their fans. Both teams have retained four riders from last year and they all have experience of riding at both tracks so any difference this time may come down to the performance of the new additions to their sides. Rye House had initially retained five but young Aussie Tyson Nelson has encountered visa problems so Ipswich asset Leigh Lanham has been drafted in as a temporary replacement after losing his own team place when Newport closed. The other new Rockets are Jason Bunyan, recently crowned New Zealand champion for the seventh time and Jason Garrity, the current British U19 champion. For the Witches their new faces all hail from Australia; Dakota North who impressed the Ipswich fans for all the wrong reasons last April when he scored a paid 18 point maximum at Foxhall while riding for Somerset, Rohan Tungate who finished fifth in the Australian Championship at his first attempt and Cameron Heeps who wowed the Mildenhall fans last year rising from a reserve berth to the number one racejacket in sensational style. There is a long tradition of intense local rivalry between Rye House promoter Len Silver and Ipswich dating back to the days when John Berry was the Ipswich promoter and Len was the promoter at Hackney. The desire to win these local derbies has not diminished over time in either camp so whatever the eventual score lines the two encounters should be a great start to both club's seasons and give their fans a taste of what their new teams are capable of. Let battle commence! For those Ipswich fans lucky enough to have a ticket for the 'Meet The Riders' night on Wednesday 14th March they will hear the team riding order announced by Team Manager, Pete Simmons, during the evening along with rider interviews, etc. Please note: we have now sold our ticket allocation and unfortunately there will be no tickets available on the door as the venue capacity has been reached. Ipswich 'Sackers' Witches Kevin Doolan © 7.19, Taylor Poole 6.90, Matthieu Tresarrieu 6.87, Morten Risager 6.36, Dakota North 5.83, Rohan Tungate 5.00, Cameron Heeps 3.00 Team Manager: Pete Simmons Rye House 'Silver Ski' Rockets Chris Neath © 8.61, Ritchie Hawkins 5.18, Leigh Lanhan 7.53, Luke Bowen 5.03, Jordan Frampton 7.71, Jason Garrity 3.48, Jason Bunyan 4.74 Team Manager: John Sampford

No Baldy, don't take any notice of the numbers on the suits, bit of a joke I think!!! We had 2 No 1's out ha ha It's not very often we see eye to eye is it?, but I agree with all of your post, including the riding order, which will be revealed tomorrow night by the way!! now I need to go for a lay down!!!

pinched this of someone's twitter https://twitter.com/#!/Tm_Amott/status/179255999230779393/photo/1 Lol Baldy, they all look world beaters on their own don't they!!! Rohan took a couple of tumbles but nothing serious just slid off, Mat and Morten rode together and looked pretty good, Doolie was out for a long time trying all 3 bikes, and Dak was winding it on, I have to say though it was very very cold today. Taylor and Cam looked sharp. The proof of the pudding will be evident on Thursday, but all in all they looked good, they are keen and so so young lol!!! That's your opinion, and no-one is trying to dispute that, however on balance I think the majority of Witches fans would still plump for Kevin over either of them. Remember Leigh is an Ipswich boy, and has ridden for us on and off for many years so we do know him rather well!!! Glad Doolie is a Witch and leading from the front.

good job he's our No 1 then , he looked pretty good today and will be excellent with our young Aussies.

Yes it did go ahead, and bloomin cold it was too!!!!! World beaters to a man Baldy!!! First prize for turnout goes to Morten Risager, immaculate bikes, and mud guards and covers in Sackers colours. Important announcement re: Meet the Riders Evening Ipswich Speedway Supporters Club Meet The Riders - important clarification - Despite some internet posts to the contrary, this meeting is totally sold out and tickets are NOT available on the night. The venue will be at full capacity and we must comply with the fire regulations in place. We are sorry for those of you who do not have tickets and had hoped to attend, but this event really is sold out.

See here: http://ipswichwitches.co/

Um, Isn't this the PL teams???

Do keep up Lovey, look at post #1075!!!

Sorry to appear thick...(well I suppose I am really) but what is a GBE?

He's on his way as I type

Taken from www.Ipswichwitches.co: More Witches Ready To Fly Tuesday, 28 February 2012 14:30 | Mathieu Tressarieu joined Ipswich last June as a replacement for the injured Chris Schramm and quickly became known for his full throttle all action style. He was voted ‘Mr Entertainer’ by Ipswich fans at the end of the season and his re-signing was widely applauded when announced. Mat has spent the winter preparing for what he believes will be a very important season for him. He has been training regularly in France, both at the gym, kick-boxing and on the track at Marmande. He's also bought an engine which is the, “Best and smoothest engine he's ever owned.” In fact he likes it so much he's having his other engines set up in the same manner. He is planning some speedway sessions ahead of his return to Ipswich for official Press and Practice day and is looking forward to this season more than any other! He is determined to concentrate on his speedway career this year and would like to confirm that he has decided not to compete in the World Longtrack Championship but has agreed to a request from his French Federation to compete in the European Speedway Championship. After a sensational UK debut season racing for Mildenhall in the National League Aussie teenager Cameron Heeps signed a full contract with Ipswich before returning home to Perth, Australia last November. He will make his Premier league debut on March 15th at Foxhall riding at reserve with fellow Aussie debutant Rohan Tungate. He says “My Aussie season has been good with everything going to plan. We have tried a few different things with engines and clutches. I’m really looking forward to the 2012 UK season; riding for both Ipswich and Mildenhall should be good. Hopefully just as good or if not even better than last year!” Joe Jacobs (a fellow Witches asset) also travelled out to Perth with Cameron and the pair spent the winter mainly racing at Pinjar Park (Cameron’s local club) but also managed to fit in the odd sunbathing session as well! Joe unfortunately broke his ankle in late December, which sidelined him for a few weeks, but he has recently been back on a bike, scoring double figures in his first meeting and declaring himself fit for action. He will again be racing for the Mildenhall Fen Tigers this year and is hoping that his spell in Australia has set him up for a much better season this year.

Excellent news for Mildenhall: You are here News > Crime and Courts Court decision leaves couple facing massive legal bills Published on Monday 27 February 2012 13:03 A COUPLE who said their lives had been made a misery by the racket from a nearby stadium and motor cycle track near their West Row home are facing financial ruin after their case hit the buffers today. Fireman Raymond Shields and his partner Katherine Lawrence of Fenland, Cooks Drove, argued the cacophony of noise from Mildenhall Stadium and motocross track blighted their daily lives - but are now facing enormous lawyers’ bills after their marathon legal campaign ended in failure at London’s Appeal Court. But in a decision with far-reaching implications for land use, three judges ruled the stadium and track, both of which have planning permission, are “an established part of the character of the locality” and, despite the noise, did not amount to a “nuisance” in law. The ruling means Mr Shields and Ms Lawrence will be stripped of a £20,000 damages pay out they were awarded by a judge last year and face having to pay hundreds of thousands of pounds in legal costs bills. They must pay costs of £85,000 on account straight away, but that is likely to be only a small fraction of their eventual bill. Lord Justice Jackson said the stress and cost of the couple’s two-and-a-half-year struggle through the courts were both “huge”, and told the court: “The outcome of this litigation will be a disaster for the claimants, a fact which I regret”. But he added: “On the other hand, their predicament is a consequence of their decision to purchase a house in an area where motor sports were an established activity”. The couple are adamant that, when they bought their home,just 500 metres from the track, in January 2006, they were blissfully unaware that speedway, stock car racing, banger racing and motocross were going on nearby. But Lord Justice Jackson said that was “most surprising” when all relevant planning permissions, going back to 1975, and certificates of lawful use were available for inspection on the local authority’s register. And he observed: “It is a matter of prudence, indeed basic common sense, to inspect that register before purchasing a property in a rural location”. Whilst emphasising that he was making no finding of dishonesty against Mr Shields or Ms Lawrence, the judge said the motor sports use “was or should have been apparent to the purchasers and the purchasers’ professional advisers”. Dismissing the couple’s damages action, the judge, sitting with Lords Justice Mummery and Lewison, concluded: “The noise of motor sports emanating from the track and the stadium are an established part of the character of the locality”. In a High Court ruling last year, Judge Richard Seymour QC dismissed claims that incidents of “harassment” the couple said they suffered due to the stand they took over noise could be pinned on any of those involved in owning or operating the venue. The court was told the couple’s cars in Fenland’s driveway were attacked by a forklift truck in the early hours of April 21 2010. An oil tank was fractured during the incident, sending heating oil flowing into the bungalow. That resulted in Mr Shields and Ms Lawrence, a management consultant, leaving their home and, in their absence, on June 11 2010, the bungalow was badly damaged by fire - a blaze which the couple claimed was “caused deliberately”. However, Judge Seymour said there was “not a scrap of evidence” as to the identity of the forklift truck driver and it was “simply not good enough” for the couple to say that the owners or operators of the venue were implicated. Dismissing the couple’s claim for “aggravated” and “exemplary” damages, the judge said he could reach no conclusion on the cause of the fire at Fenland. However, the judge went on to award the couple more than £20,000 damages against David Coventry, one of the stadium’s freehold owners, and Moto-Land UK Ltd, which operates the motocross track. That payout was overturned by the Appeal Court today. The couple’s first complaints about the noise were lodged with Forest Heath District Council three months after they moved into Fenland and Mr Shields even built a straw bale wall around the house to prevent his peace and quiet being ruined. However, Lord Justice Jackson said planning permission for the stadium, the home of the Fen Tigers speedway team, was granted as long ago as 1975; local authorities were “supportive” of the venue and planing consent for the motocross track followed in 2002. taken from http://www.newmarketjournal.co.uk/news/crime-and-courts/court_decision_leaves_couple_facing_massive_legal_bills_1_3566180

Mike Bacon has tweeted that there will be a meeting on March 22nd, when Newport should have been the visitors, details to follow.

Fraid not mate, closed only now.

Blast not another Witch beating Sam Masters surely

Oh no, he didn't beat Sam Masters there did he???