Ipswich overcome Birmingham in Elite League

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Location: Ipswich Cycle Speedway, Suffolk
Event: 8 September 2012


Ipswich went into this Elite league fixture looking to continue their good progress they have shown over the recent weeks, but a hot afternoon meant they would have to work hard to get the result as they welcomed the Monarchs of Birmingham to Whitton raceway.

After their bright start to the season with people starting to tip the team from the Midlands to be Horspath's main competition in this year’s title race, they have suddenly hit a brick wall and were looking to get back to winning ways after three successive defeats had seen their title hopes disappear.

Both teams went into this match with key riders missing from their line up, the home team looking once again to promote from within with call ups to Charlie Rumbold and Matthew Hill who have impress in the combination league so far this season. And as for Birmingham Harrold, Millward and Winwood were missing.

Ipswich knew this was the day they could finally pick up that elusive first win of the season and in the first heat laid down the marker for the rest to follow. From the outside grids Brooke and Hill secured a maximum 7-3 heat win after the defenceless Wadhams had to succumb to the pressure from the Ipswich riders.

Heat two brought a 5-4 win to Ipswich. After Widdas was excluded, Paul Heard went on to collect the first of his five heats wins and looked elegant all afternoon like a ballerina on a speedway bike and was rarely trouble.

Ipswich continue to pile on the pressure in heats three and four, firstly with Chris Timms picking up the first of his three exclusions which can only be described as needless exclusions letting himself down as well as his team mates allowing his frustrations to get the better of him, resulting in a re-run 7-2 Ipswich, followed by a 7-3 win in heat four.

Heats five and six were shared, before Ipswich finish the half on a high 7-3, 6-4,and 6-4.

Half time: Ipswich 55 Birmingham 33.

The second half went very much as the first with the home team continuing to dominate proceedings.

It wasn't until heat 12 that Birmingham finally recorded their only heat win when Heard and Timms scored a maximum 7-3 heat win. As for the rest of the heats Ipswich went on to secure five victories from the remaining six heats with the other being shared.

For Birmingham, Paul Heard looked untouchable while veteran Paul Timms work tirelessly for the team and was never far off the pace scoring eight points and young Reece Winwood who never once dropped his head.

For the home team it can be said this was an all-round team performance with all eight contributing to the overall score line. And this result will have given club stalwart Jordan Stant a boost for the remainder of the season despite a mixed season so far.

Results:

Elite League:
Ipswich 109: Leon Mower 17, Josh Brooke 16, Jordan Stant 16, Jamie Chittock 16, Lewis Roberts 12, Ashley Hill 11, Charlie Rumbold 11, Matthew Hill 10.
Birmingham 67: Paul Heard 20, Marcus Wadhams 14, Paul Timms 8, Steve Hodginson 6, Chris Timms 6, Reece Winwood 5, Phil Widdas 4, Ewan Hancox 4.

Referee: Terry Ashford (Suffolk).

Elite Combination:
Ipswich 96: Terry Gilbert - Rolfe 16, Richard Fellgett 14, Will Clarke 13, Jack Chaplin 12, Phil Clarke 12, Daniel Knights 11, Fraser Harris 8.
Birmingham 44: Mark Winwood 13, Ewan Hancox 10, Reece Winwood 8, Jake Ryan 5, Richard Stevenson 4, Ryan Winwood 4.


British Cycling would like to thank the organising team, officials and everyone else who helped promote this event. Our sport could not exist without the hundreds of people, many of them unpaid volunteers, who put in many hours of hard work running events, activities and clubs.