King's Lynn Stars 43 Ipswich Witches 47. Witches down Norfolk rivals again

The Suffolk side ran out 43-47 victors, but were 38-34 behind with just three heats to go. However, two 5-1s in heats 13 and 14 and this never-say-die Witches team of 2022 did it again, making it a double away-day victory in Norfolk, having won earlier in the season at Lynn.

Led by skipper Danny King, the Witches won 10 of the 15 heats, with Jason Doyle and Troy Batchelor contributing well.

But it was the Ipswich reserves, Danyon Hume and Paul Starke who produced the quality moment of the night, racing to a heat 14 victory to put Ipswich four ahead with just one race to go.

Doyle and King saw heat 15 out with a drawn race and the Witches had done it again on the road, and quite frankly it was no more than they deserved, their heads never down.

It was another warm night and plenty of Ipswich fans had made the trip over the border into Norfolk for this clash.

Doyle shot from the outside to win the opening heat in comfortable fashion, in a drawn first race.

How the night unfolded, heat by heat

The Witches made it two wins out of two with Starke easily winning the next, with Hume in third as the visitors took an early lead.

King made it three out of three heat wins for Ipswich in another drawn race.

Lynn provided their first victory as Richard Lawson stalked and then passed the fast-starting Starke, with Batchelor passing Kasper Andersen.

The Witches still led by two and Doyle gated well in heat five, but got out of shape as both Stars nipped through. Doyle passed Richie Worrall, but couldn't catch Nicolai Klindt, as the scores levelled.

The Stars took a 20-16 lead as they slammed home the first maximum of the night in heat six, with Batchelor almost losing it on turn four, second lap. King won the next to make it two from two for him, but again an Ipswich rider was at the back.

Batchelor flew from gate three to win heat eight as the Witches got it back to 25-23, Hume grabbing an important third place.

Batchelor made it two wins on the spin, as King made it three out of three in heat 10, with the Witches 29-31 down.

Lynn reserve Jason Edwards rode a stormer of a heat in race 11 to keep Doyle behind him as Lawson shot off into the distance, with Doyle taking two laps to pass Edwards. It was 35-31 to the home side at the break.

King made it four out of four for himself, but Starke was passed by Andersen for a crucial third place.

However, the Witches drew level in heat 13, Doyle and Batchelor flying from the gate and incredibly took the lead, Hume and Starke flying to victory.

It just left Doyle and King to settle for the minor placings and the Witches were home.

King's Lynn: 1. J Pickering (1*,3,2,1,0)=7+1; 2. T Jorgensen (2,2*,2,1*)=7+2; 3. R Worrall (2,1,2,2)=7; 4. N Klindt (1*,3,1*,1,3)=9+2; 5. R Lawson (3,2,3,0)=8; 6. K. Andersen (2,0,1*,1*,0)=4+2; 7. J Edwards (0,0,1)=1

Ipswich: 1. J Doyle (3,2,2,3,1*)=11+1; 2. R/R; 3. D King (3,3,3,3,2)=14; 4. A Rowe (0,0,0)=0; 5. T Batchelor (1*,0,3,3,2*)=9+2; 6. P Starke (3,2,1,0,0,0,2*)=8+1 7. D Hume (0,1,0,1,3)=5

* = bonus point

Heat details

1. Doyle, Jorgensen, Pickering, Hume 58.7 3-3

2. Starke, Andersen, Hume, Edwards 60.3 5-7

3. King, Worrall, Klindt, Rowe 58.9 8-10

4. Lawson, Starke, Batchelor, Andersen 60.3 11-13

5. Klindt, Doyle, Worrall, Hume 58.1 15-15

6. Pickering, Jorgensen, Starke, Batchelor 58.8 20-16

7. King, Lawson, Andersen, Rowe 58.9 23-19

8. Batchelor, Jorgensen, Hume, Edwards 60.1 25-23

9. Batchelor, Worrall, Klindt, Starke 59.1 28-26

10. King, Pickering, Jorgensen, Rowe 58.9 31-29

11. Lawson, Doyle, Edwards, Starke 59.9 35-31

12. King, Worrall, Andersen, Starke 58.9 38-34

13. Doyle, Batchelor, Pickering, Lawson 58.1 39-39

14. Hume, Starke, Klindt, Andersen 59.7 40-44

15. Klindt, King, Doyle, Pickering 59.0 43-47

Stars 0pts Witches 3pts.

Top Witch: Danny King. Superb gating, 14 points and just the support Doyle needed.

Premiership

Ipswich 14 31

Belle Vue 13 26

Wolves 13 24

Sheffield 11 23

King's Lynn 11 12

Peterboro 13 10