KING'S Lynn's three-match winning run was ended by a 51-39 defeat at ROWE Motor Oil Premiership leaders Ipswich on Thursday.

The PSH Environmental Stars battled hard at Foxhall but ultimately a lack of race winners proved to be their undoing.

Middle order pairing Richard Lawson and Chris Harris were the only two Lynn riders take the chequered flag as the Witches heat-leaders reeled off a series of wins, but Lawson still managed to total an excellent 13 points from six rides.

The home side opened up with consecutive 4-2s although Jan Kvech did well to split Jason Doyle and Danny King on the last lap of Heat 1.

Lawson and Harris combined to keep King at the back of Heat 3 as they went either side of the home captain whilst Emil Sayfutdinov took the win, and that was part of a run of three shared heats.

The fifth saw King take the victory but this time it was Sayfutdinov at the back as Kvech produced a fine defence of third place behind team-mate Niels-Kristian Iversen.

Ipswich moved six points ahead with a 4-2 in Heat 6 before the Stars' first win in the next as Harris defeated Tom Brennan, but Lawson lost out to Jason Edwards in the battle for third place.

The Witches then pulled clear as Edwards was a surprise winner of Heat 8 with Iversen forced to ride strongly to hold off Dan Thompson, whilst Sayfutdinov and King both gated in Heat 9 and secured the home side's first maximum at the expense of Nicolai Klindt and Ben Cook.

Lynn had some success in Heat 10 with a fine win for Lawson over Doyle, whilst Harris reclaimed third place from Thompson for a 4-2.

Two more shared races followed to leave the gap at ten points, with Lawson taking a tactical substitute ride in Heat 12 but he and Haris had to settle for a 3-3 behind Sayfutdinov.

The match was made safe for the Witches in Heat 13 as Doyle led from the tapes whilst Brennan rounded Kvech and Klindt on the opening lap for a 5-1.

Lawson then dominated the closing stages, taking a win in Heat 14 in a Stars 4-2 with Cook just missing out on second place to King.

There was drama in Heat 15 as Harris came to grief on the fourth bend, fortunately without injury, meaning Lawson went alone for the Stars in the re-run, and he got the better of Brennan in a tough battle on the opening lap.

Manager Rob Lyon said: "I think heat winners told the story, we had four to their eleven, and obviously four race winners is not necessarily going to win you a meeting.

"We did well in the Cup with not too many race winners because we filled the seconds and thirds, but I think the difference for them tonight was Tom Brennan, he came to the party for them.

"So fair play to Ipswich, they always had enough in the tank, and we tried to make it as respectable as possible.

"There was nothing wrong with the track, it was a bit slicker than last time we came here, but whilst we got beaten by the better side we certainly didn't disgrace ourselves with 39 points."

The Stars move on to face Oxford at Cowley next Monday (August 25) in a meeting which offers the realistic possibility of another away win.

IPSWICH 51: Tom Brennan 12+1, Jason Doyle 11, Emil Sayfutdinov 9, Danny King 8+1, Jason Edwards 6+2, Dan Thompson 5, Adam Ellis r/r.
KING'S LYNN 39: Richard Lawson 13, Chris Harris 6+2, Jan Kvech 6+1, Niels-Kristian Iversen 5+1, Ben Cook 5, Nicolai Klindt 4+1, Luke Harrison 0.
Ipswich win the aggregate point