IPSWICH WIN THE PAIRS

NEWS Friday 3rd July 2015, 9:57pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

Ipswich Witches were the deserving winners of the Premier League Pairs at Somerset tonight, beating the home team who for the second year running had a rider excluded after an impetuous move on the first corner of the final.

Mercifully referee Chris Gay didn't shirk his duty to make a correct decision after Brady Kurtz, one of the stars of the show, had ridden into the fence. He seemed to be unhurt.

The Witches scored a 7-2 in the rerun against Josh Grajczonek who to be honest had been disappointing all evening.

The Border Roofing Monarchs were non-qualifiers from the first section with 16 points, 14 of which came from the excellent Sam Masters. Kevin Wolbert struggled all night after reporting that his two favoured engines had gone astray on their way back from the tuners.

We were out in heat one which was won fairly comfortably by Danny King with Sam second. He had a look to see if he could assist Kevin but the German was well adrift.

At that stage Kevin decided that neither of his machines was up to the task and switched to Sam's second bike.

However heat 7 had a very similar outcome with Edward Kennet winning and the otherwise unimpressive Rye House hitting us for another 3-6.

With Ipswich and Peterborough going great guns, it was all but over at that stage. We were next out in heat 13 against the Panthers who were unbeaten in their first two races, and what a win this was for Sam with a round-the-boards last bend pass on Ostergaard.

There was nothing we could do in our last race to qualify but it was our best heat, against Newcastle, as well as a great last minute effort by the pits crew of both our riders to get Kevin's spoiler on!

We didn't make a great start but Sam burst to the front and Kevin was right in amongst the action as well, taking his first third place ahead of Worrall.

Kevin realised he had had a very poor meeting, and Sam wasn't laying any blame, though he did say as he left "It would have been different if Cookie had been here."

In the first semi-final Lasse Bjerre rode a great race to pass the Witches, but Redcar missed out on the final as Robson was at the back.

Somerset made the gate in the second semi with the Panthers chasing furiously. Ostergaard passed Grajczonek but Palm Toft missed out narrowly.

So Somerset were favourites no doubt but for the second year running, it wasn't to be.

The meeting had started slowly with false starts and processions but the racing improved considerably towards the end. Individual stars of the show included Masters, King, Kurtz, Morris, Howarth and the Peterborough and Redcar pairs.