SGB Premiership
Foxhall Stadium, Ipswich
Admission: £19.00
Programme: £3.00
When I was planning a short stay in Suffolk, a revisit to Foxhall Stadium was a top priority to base it around.
There have been few alterations to Foxhall Speedway since my last visit six years ago, not that any have been required, and it remains an excellent arena to watch speedway at, with its tall bank of terracing all around the circuit, two large uncovered grandstands stretching along the back straight, and plenty of refreshment and retail outlets located around the bend closest to the entrance, although most of these were closed this evening, with no alcohol available for sale. E-tickets can be bought online in advance, however with the weather forecast showing a chance of rain, showers for this evening, I opted to pay by credit card at the turnstile, with the option of payment in cash also available. Programmes were also available on entrance, and the glossy 36 page publication was a very good read, with interesting articles to read and all of the necessary stats and facts, and it was interesting that there was a feature on Craig Cook, explaining the circumstances of his sacking by fellow Premiership outfit Kings Lynn Stars, just two races into the season, would go on to have a perfect evening tonight.
After opening their season well, with two wins and a tie from their opening three meetings, Ipswich Witches then went through a nightmare spell of seven straight defeats, with five of those pointless, before finally breaking that run with a 48-42 win at bottom placed Kings Lynn on Monday. They came into this meeting in fourth place in the six club division. Belle Vue came into this meeting in second place in the table, following four wins and draw from their seven fixtures. Ipswich and Belle Vue have already met twice in the Premiership this season, with the fixture at Foxhall in May ending in a 45-45 draw, and last month in Manchester, Belle Vue won comprehensively by 55 points to 35.
On a mainly overcast evening, but with none of the forecast rain arriving and indeed, the sun even put in appearances from time to time, this fixture was always closely fought all the way through to the final race, with the Witches never falling behind throughout the fixture. The opening two heats were tied, with guest rider for Ipswich Sam Masters comfortably crossing the line first with the fastest time of the season at Foxhall, and with Belle Vue's Brady Kurtz winning the second heat. The Witches openend up a four point lead in the third heat, with Danny King and Jake Allen finishing first and second. The fourth heat was tied, with Ipswich's Craig Cook finishing first, whilst the overall scores were levelled after the fifth heat, with Belle Vue's Kurtz and Richie Worrall finishing first and second. Heat six finished all square, Dan Bewley crossing the line first, whilst heats seven and eight both finished 4-2 in Ipswich's favour, with heat wins for Cook and Allen. Belle Vue then went on to win heats nine and ten to level the scores once more, with wins for Bewley and Steve Worrall. Heat 11 was tied, with a win for Cook, before it looked like Ipswich secure a crucial double of 5-1 in heats 12 and 13, with Starke and Cook heat winners. With an eight point lead with two heats remaining, Ipswich were virtually assured of avoiding defeats this evening, but Belle Vue kept the outcome in the balance by completing a 5-1 of their town in heat 14, with Cook winning the heat and Steve Worrall finishing second. Belle Vue would need a 5-1 in the final heat to earn a draw, but Cook won the heat, to complete a perfect record of five win from five heats this evening, and with Masters finishing in third, Ipswich ensured a winning margin of six points, although Belle Vue earned a point for a defeat by no more than six points.
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