Ipswich Witches seized the advantage in the first leg of the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership Grand Final, claiming a 47\u201343 victory over Leicester Lions at the Hydroscand Arena, Beaumont Park on Monday night.<\/p>\n
Feature Image courtesy of Phil Mcglynn – Ipswich Speedway<\/strong><\/p>\n The Witches had to overcome the early loss of Adam Ellis, who crashed out of Heat 3 after a collision which also saw the Lions record a 5-1 to move four points ahead. Despite that setback, Ipswich responded superbly, with two maximum heat wins of their own to take the lead.<\/p>\n The scores were level at 27-27 midway through the meeting, but Ipswich then strung together a series of strong rides, taking four 4-2 advantages in five heats to establish a useful cushion going into the closing stages.<\/p>\n A dramatic Heat 15 provided a tense finale. The previously unbeaten Emil Sayfutdinov was disqualified for bringing down Leicester\u2019s Ryan Douglas, and the home pair of Douglas and Max Fricke combined for a 5-1 to cut the final margin to just four points.<\/p>\n Sayfutdinov led the Ipswich scoring with 11 + 1, while Tom Brennan added 9 from key heat wins. The reserves were also instrumental, with Dan Thompson and Jason Edwards contributing a combined 14 (paid 17) points to cover for the injured Ellis.<\/p>\n Ipswich team manager Ritchie Hawkins praised the determination of his riders:<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a brilliant performance from the team tonight, I am so proud of them. We battled so hard all night \u2013 it was a big hit losing Adam so early on but all six men stepped it up.<\/em><\/p>\n “It was tough play-off speedway, and we didn\u2019t get much of the rub of the green with decisions, but everyone kept their heads and contributed. It is nice to get a lead and get our noses in front, but everything is up for grabs on Thursday.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Hawkins highlighted the importance of key moments:<\/p>\n