Ipswich V Workington (koc-up) - Thursday, 25 April 2013 @ 19:30

[dontforgetthefueltapsbruv]

You used to get 100 quid for a new track record, but doubt you do anymore. 2 awesome rides from Adam and great start from Ritchie, already doubled the previous number 2 score.

Sponsored by Jack White organs in the old days I think. Not sure if anything still in place now.

[Super Blue]

Cracking result tonight and a good points return from everyone !

 

Doyle a great choice of guest , scored well but showed that the Witches no1 race jacket is capable of stopping even him from getting a max .

 

The victory could have been even bigger had the constant " jumping the start " by the Workington riders been called back a few times .

 

A special mention and well done to Ritchie Hawkins on his return this evening , no last places for someone out of practice to me was remarkable .

 

Also for MJJ fan clubs benefit , Rene spent most of his time at the Bach apart from when he got flyers from the gate !

 

I still think this tie is far from over and hope the Witches can progress to the next round , Workington are a completely different proposition on their own track !

 

Side issue , does anyone know if Ben Barkers OK as he withdrew from the Brit semi finals after 3 rides ???

[2ndbendbeerhut]

Barker has wrist injury, possibly broken! But been announced he been given wildcard to Final

[Baldyman]

Oh dear that's bad news if true, at least we can use the best guests, but Doyle is the main man for me. Hopefully Ben will be back with us soon.

[2ndbendbeerhut]

Taken from bspa website:

 

Barker, meanwhile, suffered a recurrence of a scaphoid injury and withdrew after three rides at Sheffield having scored three points, and it is hoped that he will be fit for the Final.

 

Management Committee member David Hoggart said: “Ben and Simon are two riders who, prior to the semi-finals, we would have expected to go safety through.

 

“Circumstances prevented that, and therefore it’s only right that they should take their places in the British Final.

 

“As far as Ben is concerned, he took a nasty knock when he collided with the fence in Heat 1 and tried to continue in the meeting despite being in a lot of pain. He was very brave and we wanted to reward his determination in trying to succeed with a spot in the British Final which he thoroughly deserves.

[Roger Jacobs]

This is the sort of Witches performance that was all too rare in the last two seasons, and it was good that they've maintained the momentum from the home win over Somerset and the draw at Scunthorpe.

 

Not sure what to think about the track - it was grippy enough to produce some quick times, but as we know that often doesn't translate into classic passing speedway.

 

For the Comets: Cook had a terible first heat, but was then very quick - until last heat when ambushed on the third bend by Doyle's move between him & Howarth.

Aarnio - best performance at Foxhall and did a very solid job. Witches would have hoped for a heat advantage in 8, but Aarnio popped out of the start for a good win.

Harrison - never made a start all night but looked generally slow. His only point came when Ellis fell early in Heat 7.

Howarth - great young rider - I remember how he got stuck in when guesting for Ipswich at Sheffield in 2011, just before he was snapped-up by Edinburgh. Cracking win over Doyle - the Aussie's first competitive racing defeat at Foxhall in the PL era.

Bach - such a smooth rider. An Ipswich fan I spoke to was not happy Bach was moving at starts - but was amazed when Barbara Horley excluded him in Heat 9, because he didn't think Bach had touched the tapes. Got squeezed out on first lap of Heat 13.

Morris - I'm sure that was his first appearance at Foxhall, and was impressed that he got sorted out and scored a couple of good second places.

Nielsen - Agent N strikes again! At least he finished the heats this time, but wasn't on the pace, and is going through a difficult patch. He came from nowhere last season and is still learning.

 

Doyle - super smooth and consistent - and also showed genuine determination the last heat. Genuine appreciation from Witches fans after that one.

Hawkins - proper job! Got stuck in, beat a Comet in every race and looked very at home. Will be tougher for him at Worky, but as Jaybea said afterwards, if he scores a couple of points and Ipswich get 36, then no-one can complain

Tungate - almost didn't notice that he scored 14 - and rightly won the MotM award.

Risager - waited until Heat 14 to do something really worthwhile, and somehow managed to get his wheels in line off the second bend, when it looked like he might fall, and then outpaced Howarth down the back straight. Such a frustrating rider, because you think maybe that there is 8 or 9 points in him, but it's still not happening ...

Lanham - 7+2 and not a single Ipswich fan can complain about his contribution. Now settled into the sort of role that suits him. His third place in 13 was probably better than his win in 7.

Ellis - so quick! Who does his bikes? Genuine talent and works really hard. Got in a tangle in 7 trying to cut back off gate four and fell, but jumped up and cleared the track. Put Aarnio under a bit of pressure in 11, and you can see the determination. Such a classy ride in 14 when the pressure was on - Howarth must have fancied his chances in that one. I have only just realised that Ellis had the only two non-scoring Ipswich rides from - but again no complaints from anyone!

Heeps - quiet night in comparison, and he got 7+1. Doesn't panic and collects the points - a smart move in Heat 2 to work his way past Nielsen & Morris on third bend.

 

A 20 point gap surely has to be enough, and the match at Derwent Park will be another test for the collective resolve of this Witches team that could become real challengers in the PL. Hopefully Barker can bounce back from his individual disaster at Sheffield, and crack on with some good points too. Edited after seeing the news about Barker's wrist injury .

Edited April 25, 2013 by Dave Love Speedway

[Bash]

Lawson's presence inspires the rest of the Workington team, He is the leader of the Workington side and Cook is not going to help the likes of Aarnio and Howarth as he is just a guest.

 

Cook may score more points but Rich would help the other riders score more points.

 

Rich would help the others score more points because he is rubbish around foxhall and would finish behind his team mates, thus helping them score points. Whereas Cook would beat his team mates!

[Jonny the spud]

This is the sort of Witches performance that was all too rare in the last two seasons, and it was good that they've maintained the momentum from the home win over Somerset and the draw at Scunthorpe.

 

Not sure what to think about the track - it was grippy enough to produce some quick times, but as we know that often doesn't translate into classic passing speedway.

 

For the Comets: Cook had a terible first heat, but was then very quick - until last heat when ambushed on the third bend by Doyle's move between him & Howarth.

Aarnio - best performance at Foxhall and did a very solid job. Witches would have hoped for a heat advantage in 8, but Aarnio popped out of the start for a good win.

Harrison - never made a start all night but looked generally slow. His only point came when Ellis fell early in Heat 7.

Howarth - great young rider - I remember how he got stuck in when guesting for Ipswich at Sheffield in 2011, just before he was snapped-up by Edinburgh. Cracking win over Doyle - the Aussie's first competitive racing defeat at Foxhall in the PL era.

Bach - such a smooth rider. An Ipswich fan I spoke to was not happy Bach was moving at starts - but was amazed when Barbara Horley excluded him in Heat 9, because he didn't think Bach had touched the tapes. Got squeezed out on first lap of Heat 13.

Morris - I'm sure that was his first appearance at Foxhall, and was impressed that he got sorted out and scored a couple of good second places.

Nielsen - Agent N strikes again! At least he finished the heats this time, but wasn't on the pace, and is going through a difficult patch. He came from nowhere last season and is still learning.

 

Doyle - super smooth and consistent - and also showed genuine determination the last heat. Genuine appreciation from Witches fans after that one.

Hawkins - proper job! Got stuck in, beat a Comet in every race and looked very at home. Will be tougher for him at Worky, but as Jaybea said afterwards, if he scores a couple of points and Ipswich get 36, then no-one can complain

Tungate - almost didn't notice that he scored 14 - and rightly won the MotM award.

Risager - waited until Heat 14 to do something really worthwhile, and somehow managed to get his wheels in line off the second bend, when it looked like he might fall, and then outpaced Howarth down the back straight. Such a frustrating rider, because you think maybe that there is 8 or 9 points in him, but it's still not happening ...

Lanham - 7+2 and not a single Ipswich fan can complain about his contribution. Now settled into the sort of role that suits him. His third place in 13 was probably better than his win in 7.

Ellis - so quick! Who does his bikes? Genuine talent and works really hard. Got in a tangle in 7 trying to cut back off gate four and fell, but jumped up and cleared the track. Put Aarnio under a bit of pressure in 11, and you can see the determination. Such a classy ride in 14 when the pressure was on - Howarth must have fancied his chances in that one. I have only just realised that Ellis had the only two non-scoring Ipswich rides from - but again no complaints from anyone!

Heeps - quiet night in comparison, and he got 7+1. Doesn't panic and collects the points - a smart move in Heat 2 to work his way past Nielsen & Morris on third bend.

 

A 20 point gap surely has to be enough, and the match at Derwent Park will be another test for the collective resolve of this Witches team that could become real challengers in the PL. Hopefully Barker can bounce back from his individual disaster at Sheffield, and crack on with some good points too. Edited after seeing the news about Barker's wrist injury .

[Jonny the spud]

This is the sort of Witches performance that was all too rare in the last two seasons, and it was good that they've maintained the momentum from the home win over Somerset and the draw at Scunthorpe.

 

Not sure what to think about the track - it was grippy enough to produce some quick times, but as we know that often doesn't translate into classic passing speedway.

 

For the Comets: Cook had a terible first heat, but was then very quick - until last heat when ambushed on the third bend by Doyle's move between him & Howarth.

Aarnio - best performance at Foxhall and did a very solid job. Witches would have hoped for a heat advantage in 8, but Aarnio popped out of the start for a good win.

Harrison - never made a start all night but looked generally slow. His only point came when Ellis fell early in Heat 7.

Howarth - great young rider - I remember how he got stuck in when guesting for Ipswich at Sheffield in 2011, just before he was snapped-up by Edinburgh. Cracking win over Doyle - the Aussie's first competitive racing defeat at Foxhall in the PL era.

Bach - such a smooth rider. An Ipswich fan I spoke to was not happy Bach was moving at starts - but was amazed when Barbara Horley excluded him in Heat 9, because he didn't think Bach had touched the tapes. Got squeezed out on first lap of Heat 13.

Morris - I'm sure that was his first appearance at Foxhall, and was impressed that he got sorted out and scored a couple of good second places.

Nielsen - Agent N strikes again! At least he finished the heats this time, but wasn't on the pace, and is going through a difficult patch. He came from nowhere last season and is still learning.

 

Doyle - super smooth and consistent - and also showed genuine determination the last heat. Genuine appreciation from Witches fans after that one.

Hawkins - proper job! Got stuck in, beat a Comet in every race and looked very at home. Will be tougher for him at Worky, but as Jaybea said afterwards, if he scores a couple of points and Ipswich get 36, then no-one can complain

Tungate - almost didn't notice that he scored 14 - and rightly won the MotM award.

Risager - waited until Heat 14 to do something really worthwhile, and somehow managed to get his wheels in line off the second bend, when it looked like he might fall, and then outpaced Howarth down the back straight. Such a frustrating rider, because you think maybe that there is 8 or 9 points in him, but it's still not happening ...

Lanham - 7+2 and not a single Ipswich fan can complain about his contribution. Now settled into the sort of role that suits him. His third place in 13 was probably better than his win in 7.

Ellis - so quick! Who does his bikes? Genuine talent and works really hard. Got in a tangle in 7 trying to cut back off gate four and fell, but jumped up and cleared the track. Put Aarnio under a bit of pressure in 11, and you can see the determination. Such a classy ride in 14 when the pressure was on - Howarth must have fancied his chances in that one. I have only just realised that Ellis had the only two non-scoring Ipswich rides from - but again no complaints from anyone!

Heeps - quiet night in comparison, and he got 7+1. Doesn't panic and collects the points - a smart move in Heat 2 to work his way past Nielsen & Morris on third bend.

 

A 20 point gap surely has to be enough, and the match at Derwent Park will be another test for the collective resolve of this Witches team that could become real challengers in the PL. Hopefully Barker can bounce back from his individual disaster at Sheffield, and crack on with some good points too. Edited after seeing the news about Barker's wrist injury .

 

Doh!! Empty post. Adams were built and are maintained by Matt Read. He and his wife Claire have been an awesome help from the end of last year.

[jenga]

think our lads were on kev doolans engines from last year.) Briggs and stratten) lol. good win for the watches. 20 points in doable. done rye from a slimier points situation in a cup meet. will mr barker be at worky on sat. gonna be close meetimg..

Edited April 26, 2013 by jenga

[DenzilF]

Anyone know the nature of Lawson's injury? Or for how long he'll be out?

[Jackal]

Superb meeting on a fantastic grippy track and must rate as the Witches best performance since entering the premier league. A 20 point lead going into the 2nd leg is more than anyone dared hope for and against a very strong looking Workington side into the bargain. A big pat on the back here for the best trackman in speedway for preparing such a wonderful track Bob Ellis.

Doyle was simply fantastic with his manoeuvres from the back and looks a very classy rider these days and certainly lived up to my comment of being the best rider in the premier league.

Tungate was gating like a dream and looks to have found his way again since also joining Poole (a thank you to Middleditch and co).

Lanham dependable as ever these days to get a decent score since moving to no5 in the team.

Heeps was flying and made a few passes that bode well for the future.

Ellis when getting the gate looks majestic and very fast indeed but needs to calm down a bit when chasing as he often gets out of shape and falls.

Hawkins did wonderfully well with paid 6 on his comback to speedway and was so so important at no2 to actually get some points from that position.

Risager had his customary start with 3 very ordinary races pootling around the white line but then went berserk and actually went for grip wide and come home behind Ellis.

A very solid team performance and Witches with Hawkins in place of the non-scoring Makinen look so much better. But the news of Bens injury at Sheffield is not good and I wish him luck on a speedy recovery. So Jason it looks like Foxhall time for you and who's complaining about that,certainly not me.

[Ipswich Jules]

Superb meeting on a fantastic grippy track and must rate as the Witches best performance since entering the premier league. A 20 point lead going into the 2nd leg is more than anyone dared hope for and against a very strong looking Workington side into the bargain. A big pat on the back here for the best trackman in speedway for preparing such a wonderful track Bob Ellis.

Doyle was simply fantastic with his manoeuvres from the back and looks a very classy rider these days and certainly lived up to my comment of being the best rider in the premier league.

Tungate was gating like a dream and looks to have found his way again since also joining Poole (a thank you to Middleditch and co).

Lanham dependable as ever these days to get a decent score since moving to no5 in the team.

Heeps was flying and made a few passes that bode well for the future.

Ellis when getting the gate looks majestic and very fast indeed but needs to calm down a bit when chasing as he often gets out of shape and falls.

Hawkins did wonderfully well with paid 6 on his comback to speedway and was so so important at no2 to actually get some points from that position.

Risager had his customary start with 3 very ordinary races pootling around the white line but then went berserk and actually went for grip wide and come home behind Ellis.

A very solid team performance and Witches with Hawkins in place of the non-scoring Makinen look so much better. But the news of Bens injury at Sheffield is not good and I wish him luck on a speedy recovery. So Jason it looks like Foxhall time for you and who's complaining about that,certainly not me.

 

Don't feed the troll!

[Roger Jacobs]

Don't feed the troll!

 

Someone highjackaled his account .

[Taylorj]

Superb meeting on a fantastic grippy track and must rate as the Witches best performance since entering the premier league. A 20 point lead going into the 2nd leg is more than anyone dared hope for and against a very strong looking Workington side into the bargain. A big pat on the back here for the best trackman in speedway for preparing such a wonderful track Bob Ellis.

Doyle was simply fantastic with his manoeuvres from the back and looks a very classy rider these days and certainly lived up to my comment of being the best rider in the premier league.

Tungate was gating like a dream and looks to have found his way again since also joining Poole (a thank you to Middleditch and co).

Lanham dependable as ever these days to get a decent score since moving to no5 in the team.

Heeps was flying and made a few passes that bode well for the future.

Ellis when getting the gate looks majestic and very fast indeed but needs to calm down a bit when chasing as he often gets out of shape and falls.

Hawkins did wonderfully well with paid 6 on his comback to speedway and was so so important at no2 to actually get some points from that position.

Risager had his customary start with 3 very ordinary races pootling around the white line but then went berserk and actually went for grip wide and come home behind Ellis.

A very solid team performance and Witches with Hawkins in place of the non-scoring Makinen look so much better. But the news of Bens injury at Sheffield is not good and I wish him luck on a speedy recovery. So Jason it looks like Foxhall time for you and who's complaining about that,certainly not me.

So after all his whinging last season aljack enjoys a gate and go meeting with only 3 passes and an Ipswich win , enjoy you're in for an exciting season then

[Pinny]

 

So after all his whinging last season aljack enjoys a gate and go meeting with only 3 passes and an Ipswich win , enjoy you're in for an exciting season then

 

The majority of fans would choose big boring home wins over home losses with good racing

[Lord Lucan]

A very disappointing result as far as the Comets are concerned and one that I didnt expect!!

 

Reads tho like it was just one of those home team performances where everyone just click's and blow's the opposition away so, well done Ipswich, that's "half" of it done!!

Hope we can put up a good fight on Saturday but I feel this is going to be about 6/8pts too many, Ipswich are usually a very awkward side to beat at our place and definitely know how to fill 2nd and 3rd, but, you never know!!

[Ipswich Jules]

So after all his whinging last season aljack enjoys a gate and go meeting with only 3 passes and an Ipswich win , enjoy you're in for an exciting season then

 

To be fair, it was Ipswich that done the overtaking in the majority, can't help it if your boys couldn't muster it and are gate-and-go tarts!

[speedway72]

SUper meeting . Rohan was really on form,I wonder how long we can keep him ?

[Jackal]

So after all his whinging last season aljack enjoys a gate and go meeting with only 3 passes and an Ipswich win , enjoy you're in for an exciting season then

 

I notice your comment about a lack of passing in last nights meeting, tell me were you there my friend??? Its not our fault at Ipswich if your riders are uncapable of passing any Witches riders but to my knowledge the Witches made passes in about half the races on various Comets riders, which in my book makes a pretty contented home fan anywhere