MATCH REPORT: Hammers make it five out of five
Ipswich Eagles 84 – 91 Horspath Hammers, Elite League, Sunday 29th June 2014
Two of the standout teams in this season’s Cycle Speedway Elite League went head to head at Whitton raceway this afternoon, with the Eagles looking to become the first team to lower the colours of their more illustrious opponents and were to come so close in achieving their goal, in a pulsating match which was fiercely contested from the very first heat to the last in an all action packed fixture.
Ipswich having lost their last outing to Wednesfield needed to get themselves back into the mix with a victory today and could welcome back Chittock, Hill and Roberts who all missed last week’s match at Wednesfield, Horspath on the other hand could call upon a wealth of talent in the shape of Nowacki, Paradzinski and Boaler.
The match lived up to everyone’s expectations with heats one to eighteen packed with action and controversy, with the lead changing hands on several occasions. Heat one, and Josh Brooke set the tone for the rest of the match with an explosive gate from grid two for a shared heat. Ipswich uplifted by this took heat two with Roberts and Mower getting a 6-4 win. Heat three saw another shared heat with Boaler holding off Peck.
Heat four and Ipswich opened up a four point lead with Brooke taking his second win of the afternoon and was well supported by Rumbold to secure a 6-4 advantage, but all their work was undone in heat five as Chittock suffered a tape exclusion and Horspath took advantage to secure a 7-2 and move them one point ahead. Heat six gave the away team a three point cushion with Paradzinski and Timms getting a 6-4 over Hill and Peck. Heat seven was shared with Boaler’s second win. Heat eight saw Ipswich suffer their second tape exclusion this time for Mower judged to have moved, although Roberts managed to split the Horspath pairing, some daylight was appearing for the first time in the match. Ipswich needed to get into the break and clear their heads. Heat nine was shared with Horspath six points up at the break.
The second half started with a shared heat in ten. Heat eleven, and Boaler and Payne put the visitors in a strong position with a 6-4 and now lead by eight points and the match was slowly slipping away from the home team. Then in the next two heats Horspath suffered two tape exclusions firstly Paradzinski and then Norwacki. Ipswich took these heats 6-3 on both occasions to move within two points and with their tails up carried the fight to Horspath.
Heat fourteen saw Ipswich pull level as Roberts and Rumbold got the better of Boaler and Riley, 6-4, the tide slowly turning towards the home team’s favour as they cranked up the pressure. Mower and young Matt Hill produced another 6-4 to record four straight heat advantages in a row and move Ipswich back in front by two. If the home team thought they had done enough to secure the most unlikliest of come backs. They were dealt the cruelest of blows when Chittock was excluded for obstuction with his leg on Timms, a harsh decision on paper to the Ipswich rider and a big call for the match day referee Mr Ashford who in all fairness had a very good match. The re-run left Ashley Hill to take on Osbourne and Timms, but the Hammers pairing proved too much for the young Ipswich rider and Ipswich suffered a real blow with 7-2 against to move Horspath back into a three point lead with only two heats remaining.
Heat seventeen was shared with Brooke claiming his fourth win of the afternoon but team mate Roberts fell off his pedals and was unable to catch Payne in a shared heat. Horspath took heat eighteen 7-3 after Peck came off leading, whilst Boaler and Nowacki seemed happy enough to sit a 5-5 with Mower stuck at the back.
Its a great testament to the Suffolk outfit that after the match were bitterly dissapointed not to have won and will look back at the crucial heat sixteen, with Mr Gamage also saying they would have quite happily taken a draw. With Wednesfield slipping up at Sheffield, Horspath were the only winners, as for the Suffolk side no one will relish their trip to Whitton.
Ipswich Eagles 84
Josh Brooke 18+1(5),Ashley Hill 14+1(5),Lewis Roberts 13(5),Leon Mower 11(5),Adam Peck 11(5),
Charlie Rumbold 6+1(3), Jamie Chittock 6(5),Matt Hill 5(3).
Horspath Hammers 91
Mark Boaler 18+1(5), Lukasz Nowacki 14+1(5), Marcin Paradzinski 14(5), Lewis Osbourne 12+1(5)
Chris Timms 12+1(5), Zac Payne 9+1(5), Oliver Riley 7+1(3), Andy Johnson 5(3).
Referee Terry Ashford (Suffolk)
Elite League Combination
Ipswich Eagles (59+39) 98
Ben Harvey 13(4), Richard Fellgett 12+1(4), lauren Jacobs 10(4), Oliver Buxton 8+2(5),Pierce Bacon 7+2(4), Fraser Harris 6(3),Alex Harvey 3(2).
Horspath Hammers 69
Oliver Riley 14+1(4), Jordan Richardson 14(5),Mark Boaler 12(5), Zac Payne 11+1(4), Andy Johnson 9+1(4), George Horsley 9(4).