LONG-suffering fans of Ipswich Witches have had a torrid time this summer, and last night's defeat by bottom of the table Belle Vue ensures they will finish the season without an away win.

LONG-suffering fans of Ipswich Witches have had a torrid time this summer, and last night's defeat by bottom of the table Belle Vue ensures they will finish the season without an away win.

Now comes the news that a prominent Suffolk businessman wants to talk to the club's management about taking over the club next season.

That has to be good news for a sport which has a long tradition in Suffolk - and the current management team has to be prepared to talk to outsiders about new investment.

The glory years of Rickardsson and Gollob now seem to be long ago as each season seems to be a tough struggle.

This year there was the terrible injury to Mark Loram which threw the whole season's planning into disarray before it had even started.

But the time has come for the current management to talk to outsiders who have new ideas about how to breathe new life into a team that has been stuck in the doldrums.

The wonderful fans have been very loyal - but ten defeats on the trot and not a single victory away from Foxhall tests the patience of even the most loyal speedway supporters.

The Evening Star remains a firm supporter of the Witches and a key sponsor of the team - but as a critical fan of Ipswich speedway we have to say that it is time for the management to talk to others.

The Louis family has been a great bedrock to the team over the years, and will surely continue to have a place in the heart of all Ipswich fans - but now is the time for fresh thinking in an attempt to bring the good times back next year.

DANIEL O'Donnell has proved yet again that his old-fashioned Irish charm continues to charm the Ipswich audience as he re-opened the town's Regent Theatre after its £500,000 revamp.

There could have been no one better to relaunch the theatre, and the audience clearly loved the new auditorium as well as their singing idol.

His two nights at the theatre will give more than 3,000 people the chance to see how great it now looks - we now have a first-class theatre for a first-class entertainer.