Speedway – Schlein fails to halt Ipswich slide

Championship: Berwick Bandits 50, Ipswich Witches 40

Rory Schlein powered to an 18-point maximum but even the newly-crowned Scottish Open champion failed earn any points for his club Ipswich Witches.

They skidded to a 50-40 defeat at Berwick Bandits in the Championship with Jye Ethridge top scoring with ten points for the home side.

Next best for Bandits was skipper Kevin Doolan and former Glasgow Tigers captain Aaron Summers with nine points each.

And newcomer John Lindman chipped in with a valuable eight points.

Guest Paul Starke, riding through the pain barrier after a horror crash over a week ago, scored five points.

Ex-Berwick rider Ben Barker, guesting for Ipswich, scored seven points, the same as Michael Haertel but the rest of his team-mates misfired.

The visitors were only two behind at 22-20 after seven heats and only four adrift at 29-25 two heats later.

But a 4-2 for Bandits in Heat ten and a 5-1 two races later did the damage.