FOXES 44 IPSWICH 46

NORTHAMPTON Foxes were again agonisingly within touching distance of victory as they were beaten 46-44 by Ipswich in a thriller at the International Shaleway on Monday.

Whilst in their recent home defeat to Sheffield the Foxes had been unable to hold on to a lead, on this occasion it was they who made the comeback, falling just short after recovering from eight points down.

Jaimon Lidsey won the last-heat decider but skipper Nicolai Klindt just missed out despite his extensive efforts to get the better of Witches duo Tobiasz Musielak and Richard Lawson, and a 3-3 secured the result  for the visitors.

The major positive was the continued evolution of the Shaleway circuit which provided its best racing so far with several overtaking moves throughout the meeting.

But in the final analysis the difference-maker wasn’t even a regular Ipswich team member, as Danish rider Kevin Juhl Pedersen stood in for concussion victim Philip Hellstrom-Bangs and, with all respect to the Swede, significantly outscored the expected points total of the man he replaced.

Ipswich started well and provided the first four race winners, with both Lidsey and Kye Thomson fighting their way past Tom Brennan in Heat 1, and Thomson bravely continued after picking up a hand injury in that race.

Juhl Pedersen took an instant liking to the Shaleway with a win in Heat 2 as the home reserves both went wide off turn two, with Jason Edwards also coming through for third place, and the alarm bells may have been sounding when Scott Nicholls and Richard Lawson gated to a Witches 5-1 in Heat 3.

The next two races were shared with Niels-Kristian Iversen becoming the Foxes’ first winner in Heat 5 after an early battle with Brennan, and the home side chipped two points back in Heat 6 as Lidsey held off the exciting Tobiasz Musielak for the win whilst Thomson made it inside Juhl Pedersen who went too wide off turn two.

But Nicholls and Lawson hit back for Ipswich with a 5-1 in Heat 7 to give them an eight-point advantage, and the Foxes needed to produce something special.

Thomson rode well in Heat 7 to take the win over Danny King with Luke Harrison once again prevailing in his battle with Edwards for a 4-2 – and with the gap at six points, the Foxes brought Lidsey into Heat 9 for a tactical substitute ride.

The Australian appeared to have gated but then he lifted heading into the first bend and was shuffled to the back as Musielak switched back inside Iversen to win the race, and Lidsey was then frustrated by Juhl Pedersen.

The Foxes fought back again as Lidsey and Thomson hit the front in Heat 10 only to be split by Lawson, but they still clawed back two points, and then two more in Heat 11 with a win for Klindt and a superb last bend by Harrison to snatch third place from Witches skipper King.

That made it 31-35 but a hammer blow was struck by Ipswich in Heat 12 with Juhl Pedersen once again playing a starring role as he got out in front with Lawson and then defied every effort of Iversen to find a way through.

Foxes maintained their slim chance with a 4-2 in a cracking Heat 13 which saw Musielak take the wide line to pass Lidsey on the opening lap with Klindt then needing eyes in the back of his head to stay ahead of the Pole.

It looked likely that Ipswich would seal victory in Heat 14 as the Foxes were tracking two riders who had yet to score a point between them – but incredibly Troy Batchelor and Jonas Jeppesen combined to squeeze out Nicholls into the opening bend and raced clear for a 5-1 to cut the gap back to two points.

Another 5-1 in Heat 15 would have completed a sensational comeback, or even a 4-2 would have meant a draw, and a very competitive race saw Lidsey get the better of Musielak in the early stages but Klindt was just edged out by Lawson off turn two, and the Witches did enough to seal the narrowest of wins.

Team manager Chris Adams said: “Again it’s a little hard to take losing at home, but you can see the signs are there and we are chipping away.

“We are just lacking in a couple of areas, we know this, and we will turn it around. I think in a week or two now, you’re going to see a fair few more wins at home.

“It’s very exciting that every single meeting we’ve done here is being taken near enough to a last heat decider, but it’s just unfortunate that we’re not on that winning side at the minute. You can see it coming, it just all needs to click at the same time.”

The Foxes return to action when they make the short trip to Leicester this Thursday (July 2).

NORTHAMPTON 44: Jaimon Lidsey 12, Nicolai Klindt 9, Niels-Kristian Iversen 7, Kye Thomson 6+1, Luke Harrison 5+1, Troy Batchelor 3, Jonas Jeppesen 2+1.
IPSWICH 46: Tobiasz Musielak 12, Richard Lawson 10+3, Scott Nicholls 7, Kevin Juhl Pedersen 6+1, Danny King 6+1, Tom Brennan 4, Jason Edwards 1.
Ipswich win the aggregate point