IPSWICH 47 FOXES 42
A SENSATIONAL debut for new signing Adam Ellis wasn’t quite enough for Northampton Foxes as they went down 47-42 at Ipswich in their penultimate away league fixture.
Ellis, on his old home track, raced to an incredible 20-point total from seven rides, dropping his only point to Tom Brennan in his first outing before then reeling off six successive wins.
His heroics helped the Foxes fight back from an early ten point deficit, and even though the scores were 33-20 after Heat 10 the visitors still forced some nervous moments before the Witches got over the line.
The home side were hardly helped by the late-notice absence of No.1 Richard Lawson, with the Northampton promotion fully supportive of the rider replacement facility being available to the Witches for what appears a non-injury related reason.
And the Witches were reduced to five riders after an unfortunate clash between Scott Nicholls and Foxes debutant Mitch McDiarmid in Heat 6 which saw the home rider spat over the high side, and although he took the start of the re-run after treatment, he was clearly unfit to continue.
Elsewhere in the Foxes side, there were race wins for three other riders with Jaimon Lidsey totalling nine points, whilst skipper Nicolai Klindt failed to score in his first three outings before being unbeaten in his last two!
Ultimately the match was won and lost in the first three races with the Witches opening with two 5-1s as Lidsey was shuffled out of Heat 1 by Tobiasz Musielak and Nicholls, whilst the home reserves backed up that advantage with maximum points in Heat 2.
Ellis became the first Foxes rider to defeat an opponent when he followed Tom Brennan home in Heat 3, but Danny King passed Klindt for third place to keep the Ipswich run of advantages going.
Lidsey put a win on the board for the Foxes in a shared Heat 4, and Niels-Kristian Iversen did likewise in the next with Klindt squeezed out by King and Brennan.
McDiarmid looked to move inside Nicholls on turn two in Heat 6, and whilst contact was relatively light it was enough to bring both riders down with Nicholls having the heavier fall. With McDiarmid disqualified, King won the re-run ahead of Lidsey for a 3-2 with Nicholls unable to complete the race.
Ellis and Klindt gated on a 5-1 in Heat 7 only for Musielak to force his way inside Klindt, who then went wide enabling Kevin Juhl Pedersen to also come through for a 3-3, but Foxes did manage an advantage in the next race with Ellis, in as rider replacement, winning from the outside whilst Luke Harrison picked up a good third against Juhl Pedersen.
Ipswich extended their lead to 13 points with a 5-1 in Heat 9 as King dominated whilst Brennan re-passed Lidsey for second place, and at that stage the meeting looked set for a comfortable home win.
But the Foxes hit back well, first with Ellis taking a clear win in Heat 10 whilst Klindt got his night going by moving inside Juhl Pedersen on the back straight to complete a 5-1.
Ellis was straight out again as a tactical substitute in Heat 11, and this time it was a 4-2 with Iversen passing Juhl Pedersen for third place as Ellis overcame a strong challenge from Musielak.
When Klindt won Heat 12 and McDiarmid took third place, briefly holding King at bay, the gap was down to five points and the Foxes had an outside chance of snatching a remarkable win.
However, Ipswich eased their nerves with a 4-2 in Heat 13 as Iversen frustratingly dropped a chain on the start line leaving Lidsey to spit Musielak and Brennan in the early stages.
The Foxes needed two 5-1s from the last two races to take victory, but they had to be content with a 4-2 in Heat 14 with Ellis taking his fifth win along with a creditable third for Harrison against Juhl Pedersen.
And there was no stopping the outstanding Ellis again in the last race, although with the Foxes briefly holding a 5-1 Lidsey was swamped either side by King and Musielak on turns three and four as the race ended in a 3-3.
Northampton co-promoter Paul Hunsdon said: “It was an unbelievable Foxes debut from Adam. He produced an absolute masterclass, and after the second place in his first ride he never looked troubled after that.
“Young Mitch was a bit unlucky in Heat 2 and then he had the crash with Scott, but he looked okay in his last two rides, as did Luke Harrison, and we’re really happy with his attitude and the way both the new riders fitted into the team.
“Everyone else produced a couple of good rides, and it was the poor start to the meeting which cost us. We were 10-2 down after two races and lost by five, and we were just a little sluggish out of the gates early doors.
“It was a credible performance and just a little disappointing that we came up short. What we need to do now is produce the goods in the run of home matches we have coming up.”
The Foxes return to the Shaleway next Thursday (August 13) where Ellis and McDiarmid will make their home debuts against leaders Belle Vue in a must-see fixture.
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2
IPSWICH 47: Tobiasz Musielak 13+1, Danny King 13, Tom Brennan 9+2, Jason Edwards 6+1, Kevin Juhl Pedersen 4+2, Scott Nicholls 2+1, Richard Lawson r/r.
NORTHAMPTON 42: Adam Ellis 20, Jamon Lidsey 9, Nicolai Klindt 5+1, Niels-Kristian Iversen 4, Mitch McDiarmid 2, Luke Harrison 2, Kye Thomson r/r.