WITCHES WIN IN SUPER HEAT

IPSWICH extended their ROWE Motor Oil Premiership advantage with a dramatic Super Heat victory at Oxford.

The Witches are eight points clear at the top after the outstanding Emil Sayfutdinov and guest Scott Nicholls got the better of Maciej Janowski and Chris Harris in the decider after a 45-45 draw across the regular 15 races.

Three successive 5-1s in Heats 11-13 put the visitors in contention but they saw Nicholls disqualified in a controversial Heat 15 after a clash with Tungate, before Sayfutdinov completed a brilliant 18-point maximum in the re-run to set up the Super Heat, whilst Erik Riss top-scored for the Spires with 10+2.

The home side did take a league point from the meeting for the ‘draw’ whilst the Witches collected two league points and the aggregate point.

Ipswich boss Ritchie Hawkins said: “I am delighted to take three points out of the meeting, we really battled hard for it.

“I felt we deserved it in the end after being so far up in the original staging and then Heat 14 when Keynan (Rew) crashed, and Adam (Ellis) was leading and then they got a 5-1 in the re-run.  Then there was Heat 15 where no one felt Scott should have been excluded.

“After that, to still come through it, I am delighted with the boys, they fought so hard and thoroughly deserve the three points. As a team they deserve to be top of the table for what they have shown the last few months.”

OFFICIAL REFEREE SCORECARD
Available here

Photo credit: STEVE EDMUNDS