Speedway: Ipswich secure their place in the Knockout Cup final
They'll battle against Sheffield for the title
The Ipswich Witches secured their spot in the Knockout Cup final on Monday night at Peterborough, despite a narrow 48-42 defeat.
The Suffolk side took a 24-point lead to the East of England Arena, using 16-year-old Ashton Boughen as a guest for the injured Dan Thompson whilst the Panthers were at full strength.
The Panthers started well and built a six-point lead after four races but never threatened a miraculous comeback and they were pegged back with the scores level after 13 races.
The home team hit two heat advantages in the final two races to get a win on the night, but it was Ipswich who took a big 18-point win on aggregate.
Jason Doyle top scored with 12 points.
Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins gave his thoughts on the meet: “A good performance again against a really strong Peterborough team now. We didn’t let ourselves get into a position to worry and I leave the meeting very happy with the team.
“It is nice to see Keynan and Erik doing well and I thought Danyon rode better than his two points. Everyone contributed to the aggregate win, and we keep going on into the cup final and it keeps morale high going into the massive meeting next week."
Ipswich progress to the Knockout Cup final where they will take on Sheffield over two legs to determine the 2023 champions.
They race next against King’s Lynn on Monday 4th September.