The Ipswich Witches got back to winning ways in the Premiership with a 49-41 win at King’s Lynn in the East Anglian derby last night.
The hosts came into the fixture without the injured duo of Benjamin Basso and Nicolai Klindt with rider replacement being used for Basso and Zach Cook in as a guest for Klindt.
Lewis Kerr was also a guest for the home team in place of Tobiasz Musielak who has left the club.
The Witches had rider replacement for the injured Doyle but were otherwise at full strength.
The away side went in front early on, but it was all level again after nine heats of racing. However, Ipswich found another gear to power themselves to the win. Emil Sayfutdinov and Keynan Rew top scored with 13+1
The visitors kicked things off with a maximum in heat one courtesy of Danny King and Adam Ellis, but it was all square again after heat two.
Sayfutdinov won heat three as the away side went back in front with a heat advantage and they added another 2-4 in heat four as King won again, putting the Suffolk side 10-14 up.
The Stars registered a 4-2 of their own in heat five before King continued his winning streak in heat six and he was joined by Rew for a 1-5.
Sayfutdinov took victory in a shared heat seven as the Norfolk outfit registered another 4-2 in heat eight to narrow the score to 22-26.
Emil Sayfutdinov was in superb form again (Image: Steve Waller)
It was all level after heat nine as King’s Lynn raced to a 5-1 but the away side hit back in heat 10 with a maximum of their own thanks to Sayfutdinov and Dan Thompson.
Rew won heat 11 as Ipswich recorded a 2-4 to extend their lead. The Witches edged closer to victory in heat 12 thanks to a 1-5 from Rew and Sayfutidnov which put them 31-41 in front.
The home team kept themselves in with a shout with a 4-2 in heat 13 as tactical substitute Niels Kristian Iversen won but it was game, set and match after heat 14 as Rew won a shared heat 14.
King came out to win heat 15 in a 3-3 as Ipswich celebrated yet another win against their local rivals.
Witches' boss Ritchie Hawkins said: “Away wins are always great, and it is another one here. I felt it was a meeting we should win but it was one we could certainly slip in and not.
"I think it was vital for our league position, keeping a cushion at the top, and I felt the boys battled really hard and I am really happy with all of them."
He added: "We can’t relax next Thursday and need to make sure we take all three points.
"That is our biggest danger, King’s Lynn will come with nothing to lose, and they will give everything.
"I’m sure they are fed up of getting beaten by us every time we meet and will want to change that.”
Skipper Danny King notched 12 points in the win at King's Lynn (Image: Steve Waller)
KING’S LYNN 41: Lewis Kerr (G) 1, Benjamin Basso R/R, Jan Kvěch 9+1, Niels Kristian Iversen (c) 15+1, Zach Cook (G) 5, Patryk Wojdylo 6+2, Anders Rowe (RS) 5+1
IPSWICH 49: Jason Doyle R/R, Adam Ellis 7+1, Emil Sayfutdinov 13+1, Dan Thompson (RS) 3+1, Danny King (c) 12, Keynan Rew 13+1, Jordan Jenkins 1.
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