IPSWICH have lifted the Knockout Cup for the first time since 1998.
The Witches eased to a comfortable 55-35 win over Sheffield in the second leg of the final on Thursday night to overturn the Tigers’ six-point advantage from the opening encounter. Ipswich team manager Ritchie Hawkins said: “A brilliant night and a great team performance. I thought the track was superb tonight, perfect for us. “We have had a lot of different variations that we have experimented with and tried different set-ups, but I think it suited us down to the ground. The boys have got used to the grip and used it to our advantage and I thought it was a superb performance all round.” Sheffield boss Simon Stead said: “Over the two meetings, we were beaten by the better team. We know we need to be better as we look towards the play-offs and there’s a lot we need to work on. “We’ve been unsettled losing Jack (Holder) and then Tai (Woffinden) to injury but we need to overcome that. I believe we’ve still got it in us, we just didn’t show it against Ipswich.” • Full coverage of the final in Speedway Star next week.