The Evening Star Ipswich Witches are back in action on Monday 21st July after the traditional mid season interval for the Speedway World Cup.

Their opponents at Foxhall Stadium will be the Swindon Robins in a meeting (sponsored by Volvo Truck and Bus Centre East Anglia) which will be shown live on Sky Sports.

This will be the Elite League B Fixture between the two sides and the A fixture in April was also televised. The Witches will have depressing memories of the 50-43 defeat in that encounter back on 14th April, when the Robins came from a 10 point deficit to win in a last heat decider. The Witches management have hotly contested the validity of Joel Parsons’ appearance as a guest for the Robins that evening. The protest was rejected and the seven points that Parsons scored have been confirmed and the result stands.

The Sky Sports cameras have chosen to feature what is set to be a tough encounter between two sides that regularly push each other to the wire. Last season at Foxhall the Witches managed to overturn a strong Robins’ side 46-44 in June, but then lost the B fixture 44-46 in September. As stated above the Robins were victorious 50-43 at Foxhall in April but the Witches gained some sort of revenge in the form of a 45-45 draw just three days later at Swindon’s Blunsdon Stadium in the return of the Elite League fixture.

Jarek Hampel will be appearing in the World Cup final for his native Poland on Saturday evening, while Swindon’s captain Leigh Adams will be there with Australia. The two were in fierce competition in Event 1 of this year’s World Cup in Lezno, Poland last Saturday, culminating in a tense run off for top spot. Adams sealed the win to take Australia to the Final in Denmark by the direct route, while Hampel who had managed a superb 15 point maximum to remain unbeaten in the meeting until the runoff against the Australian captain, had to wait until the race-off meeting in Vojens on Thursday before the Poles achieved qualification for the Final.

The pair line up against each other again on Monday evening, in what should be a hotly contested head to head battle. Hampel has appeared only once against the Robins this year after missing the away trip on 17th April. He scored 10 points in the first encounter between the sides this season, while Adams managed 17 points, including a 6 point tactical victory. Adams may currently have the upper hand over Ipswich’s Polish star for club and country, but on Monday evening Hampel will have the chance to turn the tables, and get the better of the Australian and Swindon.

The remainder of the Robins side have suffered mixed fortunes since that success at Foxhall earlier in the season. At reserve injury has ruled out Seb Alden and also number 8 Cory Gathercole, who has been replaced by Joel Parsons. The young Australian at the centre of the controversy in April may feature again on Monday night in the absence of Alden. Theo Pijper has been dropped from the side after failing to score consistently and he has been replaced by 25 year old Austrian Manuel Hauzinger. Hauzinger is a five times Austrian champion and is set to make his debut at Foxhall on Monday. He also rides for Berwick in the Premier League.

In the main body of the side, Mads Korneliussen has moved to a heat leader role at number 3, and impressed at Foxhall back in April recording a score of 10+1. At number 2 former Australian international Travis McGowan may be hoping to do better than the 5 points he managed last time out. Young English rider James Wright has moved to number 4 in the side and also impressed with the Robins last time with a credible 5+1, whilst World Under 21 hopeful Troy Batchelor also did his bit that evening with a score of 6+2.

The two sides come into the meeting on Monday with everything still to ride for in the 2008 campaign. Despite a slight dip in form since their unbeaten run in May, the Witches have climbed to within six points of the Robins, who sit in second spot in the Elite League. The Witches however have four matches in hand over the Robins and will know that a victory will not only close the gap in the league standings, but perhaps also lay to rest the controversy of the home defeat in April. With the Sky Sports cameras in attendance, it should be a great opportunity for the fans to get behind their side and show the rest of British speedway that they are still challenging for the title.