KING’S Lynn look to make further progress in the chase for the Premiership play-offs when they host rivals Ipswich at the Adrian Flux Arena on Thursday (7.30pm).
The Minors & Brady Stars remain unbeaten at home in 2022 and picked up a point from the reverse fixture at Foxhall last Thursday when they went down to a narrow 46-44 defeat.
But the Witches, too, have proved durable on the road, as they proved by taking Belle Vue to a last-heat decider on Monday – and even though the Aces took a 5-1 from that race, Ipswich had already done enough for a league point.
And although Ritchie Hawkins’ side fell to a comfortable 56-34 defeat in their League Cup match at King’s Lynn, they have also pulled off a shock away victory at Wolverhampton in Premiership competition and track a very different line-up to that earlier encounter.
Former Stars man Erik Riss was missing due to injury on that occasion, but he makes his return to his former home track on Thursday and is set to be a key figure – especially with rider replacement in operation for the injured Paul Starke, which also hands an additional outing to Troy Batchelor.
Another ex-Lynn man Ben Barker was added to the Witches’ side on the eve of the league campaign, and he has recently been piling up points at reserve, whilst the form of Danyon Hume has seen him establish priority over Anders Rowe in the Rising Star department.
The Stars name a full-strength line-up, with Richard Lawson and Lewis Kerr once again the opening pairing, with Niels-Kristian Iversen and Thomas Jorgensen in the engine room of the side and skipper Josh Pickering lining up at No.5.
With former World Champion Jason Doyle, a man in top form in the UK this season, leading the charge for the Witches, co-promoter Dale Allitt expects a big test for his side.
Allitt said: “It’s been a very positive start overall and hopefully we can continue that against Ipswich.
“It’s always a meeting the supporters build up to with bragging rights on the line – and after they just about snatched it from us last Thursday, we’re determined to repay the favour this week.
“Having said that, I actually think this is potentially our biggest ask yet at home and could be a real indicator of just exactly where we’re at.”
KING’S LYNN: Richard Lawson, Lewis Kerr, Niels-Kristian Iversen, Thomas Jorgensen, Josh Pickering, Richie Worrall, Jack Thomas. IPSWICH: Jason Doyle, Paul Starke R/R, Danny King, Erik Riss, Troy Batchelor, Ben Barker, Danyon Hume.
