Play-off hopes crash at Lynn

Kings Lynn Knights 50 Ipswich Witches 40

IPSWICH Evening Star Witches play off hopes look to be over after this ten-point defeat at the Norfolk Arena.

From the moment Scott Nicholls pulled out through injury and no suitable guest could be found, the Witches had to use rider-replacement and on a hot night this proved too much for the remaining six riders.

Only Jarek Hampel managed to trouble the Lynn top guns and with the rider-replacement facility only producing four points Ipswich were never going to take the win.

Nicholls would have been expected to score double figures, but it was in heats 13 and 15 when he was really missed.

Up until that point Ipswich had been in the hunt and only trailed by two with three to go.

However, two 5-1s to the home side, in those crucial heats, ensured for the second time this season the Witches were to suffer defeat at the home of the Elite League whipping boys.

Hampel gated in heat one and was joined by his team mate Chris Slabo, down the back straight after home rider Nicky Pedersen reared up.

However, Pedersen forced his way back into second after two laps. At the front Hampel looked quick and crossed the line just .2 sec outside the track record.

In heat two Davie Watt was guesting at reserve for both Danny Bird and Leigh Lanham who were unavailable. He passed Jernej Kolenko to join team-mate Jonas Kylmakorpi for a share of the spoils, before Lynn drew level with a 4-2 in heat three.

The home side took the lead for the first time in the next with Sebastian Ulamek winning from Kylmakorpi.

Ipswich were on a 5-1 in the next but Hampel made a hash on the third bend and was passed by both Lynn riders.

The drama was not over though, as Roman Povazhny, conscious of a hard-charging Hampel behind, became over ambitious and ploughed into his team mate on the third lap.

He was excluded from the re-run where Ipswich secured a 5-1 to go back in the lead, with Hampel winning from Slabon, who managed to creep through on the line after Travis McGowan got into difficulty coming out of the final bend.

Heat six saw Lynn go back in front themselves, when they gated to a 5-1 over a slow starting Witches' pair.

Ulamek had bike trouble at the start of heat seven but Lynn stayed two points to the good.

Ipswich were on a 5-1 in the eighth when Lynn rider Tom Madsen took a tumble. In the re-run Freddie Eriksson managed to split the Witches' pair and it was all square again.

The Witches then eased back in front for the first time since heat two with their own heat advantage but it was short-lived as the home side immediately hit back in heat ten with another maximum advantage.

Pedersen was the victor from team-mate Eriksson who won a tremendous battle over Craig Boyce, the pair swapping places a couple of times.

It looked good again for the Witches in heat 11 with Hampel and Slabon making a good start and seemingly on their way to a comfortable 5-1.

However, Slabon made a mistake going into the first bend, on the third lap and although he somehow managed to stay on board he had got into enough bother to allow both the Lynn riders past.

Lynn then dealt a hammer blow with a maximum advantage over Hampel, to lead by six. Hampel and Boyce came in as a double tactical substitute with Lynn bringing in Madson as a reserve switch.

Again it was the Witches who made the start to lead into the first corner but first McGowan and then Madson found their way past a struggling Boyce, for a 3-3 which ensured the home side could not be beaten. With the match already won the home side were now on a role with Ulamek and Pedersen winning heat 15 in style to set up a scoreline which didn't do the meeting justice.

KING'S LYNN KNIGHTS

1 N. PEDERSEN 13 (1)

2 F. ERIKSSON 6 (2)

3 R. POVAZHNY 1

4 T. MCGOWAN 8

5 S.ULAMEK 13 (1)

6 J. KOLENKO 1 (1)

7 T. MADSEN 8 (1)

Team manager: Nigel Wagstaff

IPSWICH WITCHES

1 J. HAMPEL 16

2 C. SLABON 6 (1)

3 C. BOYCE 9

4 J. DONCASTER 1 (1)

5 RIDER REPLACEMENT

6 D. WATT 1 (1)

7 J. KYLMAKORPI 7 (1)

Team manager: Mike Smillie