South East Div Two .
Ipswich 91 : Richard Fellgett 19 , Daniel Knights 16 , Will Clark 13, Charlie Rumbold 12, Fraser Harris 10 , Matthew Hill 8, Lauren Jacobs 7 , Terry Gilbert-Rolfe 6 Leon Mower dnr.
Norwich 65: Danielle Riley 17, Alan Parkins 13, Oliver Riley 10, Steve Clare 8, Gary Colby 7 , Paddy Wenn 7 , Toby Sands 3 .
Referee : Kevin Wells (Norfolk ) .
With the SE1 and SEY leagues already in the bag the spotlight was firmly on the youthful looking Ipswich team and current SE2 holders with questions being asked how would they act under pressure in this top of the table clash with Norwich. Having loss out to the Norfolk outfit early in the season the Suffolk side not had to win but make sure they were winning by eight points to take them in front on aggregates scores .
With this all said and done the home side got off to the worst possible start when all four riders got themselves bunched up into the first bend and with Clark /Hill waiting for a whistle to their amazement nothing happened, so the Norwich pairing took full advantage and raced away for a comfortable 7-3. This triggered the home team into action, reeling off 6-4 6-4 and 7-3 in the next three heats and take control of the match opening up a four point lead.
A shared heat in five against probably the Norfolk side’s strongest pairing Colby/Parkins steadied the team before exclusion to Wenn in six saw Ipswich take another point with Oli Riley managing to see off Clark /Hill 4-5 Ipswich. The final two heats before the break saw Ipswich step up the pressure on their Norfolk counterparts with firstly a 7-3 from dream pairing Fellgett /Knights who never seem to lose any heats {from what i can recall). Heat eight saw Harris replace Gilbert-Rolfe to partner Clark against Colby/Parkins and after a re run secured 7-2 over Colby after team mate Parkins was excluded for grabbing his opponents bike as he tried to remount after both he and Harris went down . Half time 46 – 32 .
The second half open in great style for the home team with Fellgett/Knights 7-3 against the hapless Wenn/Riley but to their credit hit bach straight away with their second maximum of the afternoon with D.Riley /Clare getting the better of Jacobs /Rumbold. A shared heat in eleven was quickly followed by another 7-3 from the home team in twelve with Knights/Rumbold making no mistakes seeing off Riley/Wenn.
Heat thirteen saw Norwich suffer their third exclusion of the afternoon when Clare was adjudged not to give the home rider enough room coming out of the second bend. This left Parkins to take the race win but more importantly another point advantage to Ipswich.
Heat fourteen saw Harris /Knights match up against Wenn/ Sands with a rousing 7-2 after Wenn didn’t finish and then Knights pulling off a lovely inside pass on Toby Sands thus allowing Harris to drive under both and hit the front for his second race win of the afternoon .Heat fifteen was shared with only the nominated heat sixteen to come.
Team captain Jacobs and partner Harris face Norwich’s Sands and D.Riley. A classic battle from the two females in this heat saw Jacobs hold off the attentions of Riley while Harris got the better of Sands to clinch a 6-4 final heat win taking the final score 91 – 65 to Ipswich.
This result hasn’t secured the title just yet for this talented Suffolk side but it will take a brave person to bet against it and with a trip to bottom place Great Blakenham to come mext week the Suffolk side will be full of confidence they can see a third title in a row. With one hand on the trophy we could see the Ipswich club claim all three leagues for the second year running, a remarkable achievement from this young squad of riders.
Just a foot note, this was Ipswich’s eighteenth consecutive home win in SE2 not since April 2009 have they lost a home fixture .