Witches asset Scott Nicholls, on loan to Poole Pirates this season, returned to haunt his former team mates at a sodden Foxhall stadium last night.

Three points behind going into the final six lap top scorers race the Witches needed a 5-1 to snatch victory by a point and for the first four laps Chris Louis and Tomasz Gollob looked to be cruising, only for disaster to strike.

As the pair rounded the second turn with less than two laps remaining Gollob's bike started to falter and Nicholls, looking on extremely fast machinery this season, was able to race past.

Despite Gollob cutting back under the British Under 21 Champion coming off the fourth bend he was again passed on the back straight of the last lap and this time Nicholls held on to second place which ensured the points were heading for Dorset.

Two races earlier Louis and Gollob had again been heading for a 5-1 which would have put the Witches four up, but the Pole lost control in the deep wet shale on the outside of turn four and cartwheeled into the fence.

Although unhurt his dropped points were to prove crucial to the final outcome as the Suffolk side continue their slide down the Craven Shield table.

For the Witches, top man was Captain Chris Louis, who dropped just one point to another former Foxhall rider Mark Loram in heat six.

On his debut Tomas Topinka scored four and the management will be looking for him to consistently score more once the Elite League fixtures begin in two weeks time.

IPSWICH: Chris Louis 14, Brett Woodifield 5+1, Toni Svab 6, Tomas Topinka 4+1, Tomasz Gollob 9, Savalas Clouting 3+1, Jason Bunyan 3+1.

POOLE: Gary Havelock 6+2, Matej Ferjan 3+1, Scott Nicholls 13, Lee Richardson 4, Mark Loram 6, Martin Willis 0, Magnus Zetterstrom 13+2.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.