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| |  | BIRMINGHAM gave last year’s runners-up Ipswich a real run for their money on the road before a late turnaround saw them lose 49-41.
Just 72 hours after earning their first league point against reigning Champions Sheffield, the Curtis Sport Brummies produced yet another encouraging overall display.
The fixture opened with successive shared races with reserve Zach Cook taking the chequered flag in Heat Two.
Brummies took the lead in the third when Wiktor Lampart and Steve Worrall gated their way to a 5-1 before Scott Nicholls passed both 2017 World Champion Jason Doyle and Dan Thompson in one foul swoop around the outside on bends three and four of the opening lap in Heat Four.
The Brummies opened up a six point gap when Vaclav Milik and Tom Brennan scored a 4-2 in the fifth but the hosts struck their first 5-1 of the night courtesy of former Birmingham man Adam Ellis and Emil Sayfutdinov in Heat Six.
A hat-trick of 3-3s followed; Lampart and Worrall took the minor places behind Doyle in Heat Seven before Brennan blasted his way to victory in Heat Eight. Team-mate Leon Flint’s nightmare continued though as he failed to finish a race for the third time.
Nicholls notched is second win of the night in the ninth before the hosts moved in front for the first time with another maximum from Ellis and Sayfutdinov who both passed Worrall heading into lap two.
Brennan worked his way by Jordan Jenkins to take third in another 3-3 in Heat 11 before Ipswich doubled their advantage in Heat 12 when Dan Thompson passed Lampart on the last lap whilst captain Danny King took the win.
A second exclusion of the night for Sayfutdinov gave the Brummies an extra man advantage in Heat 13 - but Nicholls and Milik couldn’t land a blow after Doyle made another fast start.
The hosts sealed the points in the penultimate race when Cook was on the receiving end of a 5-1 after Worrall had fallen in the initial staging.
Nicholls and Brennan kept Ellis at bay in one last 3-3 in Heat 15 to mean the aggregate point margin is at eight points ahead of the Witches’ visit to Perry Barr on May 27.
In the meantime, the Brummies are back on home shale this coming Monday (April 1, 7.30) when a bumper crowd is expected for their Bank Holiday clash with Oxford.
IPSWICH 49: Jason Doyle 14, Adam Ellis 11, Dan Thompson 7+3, Keynan Rew 7+1, Danny King 5, Emil Sayfutdinov 4+2, Jordan Jenkins 1+1.
BIRMINGHAM 41: Scott Nicholls 11, Tom Brennan 8+2, Vaclav Milik 7+2, Zach Cook 6, Wiktor Lampart 5, Steve Worrall 4+2, Leon Flint 0.
Photo credit: JEFF HIGGOTT
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