LOUIS: GUTTED BUT PROUD

IPSWICH promoter Chris Louis admitted his team paid for a poor start as they were on the wrong end of the Grand Final drama at Sheffield on Thursday.

The Witches went 21-9 down after five races, losing the bulk of their 18-point first leg advantage, and were edged out on aggregate in the closing stages of a tense title decider which went right down to the wire.

The Suffolk side’s run to the play-offs was one of the big stories of 2023, as was the thrilling combination of Emil Sayfutdinov and Jason Doyle as their spearhead which got them over the line on numerous occasions.

Louis said: “You can’t afford to start the way we started in a tie like that because it gets your heads down and the opposition’s heads up and we paid for that in the end. I was so proud of how the whole team fought and didn’t give in, having gone behind in the tie.

“I was gutted for Jason that he felt that he let the team down by running a last in Heat 15 when he is a massive part of the reason why we are there in the first place.

“He can hold his head high and be proud of what he has done for the club in the last couple of years. I was gutted for him as it wasn’t the way I wanted to see his season end and he has absolutely no blame whatsoever.

“I’m positive about the team we have had and the way we have stuck together as a team and the way we battled in the Final.

“I think people will draw their own conclusions from the tie overall but the emphasis for me is on what we achieved and how we did it.”

Photo: PHIL McGLYNN