Ipswich Witches suffered their heaviest defeat of the Premiership season after Belle Vue emphatically beat the league leaders 60-30 in Manchester.

The Suffolk side, parading two new riders, in Rohan Tungate and Aaron Summers, gated well enough during the meeting, but on the fast National Stadium bowl, had few answers out track as the Aces showed their speed.

It was a very disappointing result for the visitors, as talisman No.1 Jason Doyle suffered engine issues, although Ipswich do remain top of the table and will look to put this result behind them on Thursday night, when King's Lynn visit Foxhall Heath.

It was a glorious summer's evening in Manchester as the Premiership's two top teams went head to head.

The Witches gated well in heat one, but home ace Matej Zagar swept round both of them to take the lead in an opening drawn race.

Norick Blodorn missed the two minutes time allowance in heat two for the home side and started with a 15m handicap. However, the young German didn't let it bother him and he made the most of Summers' early bike issues and then caught and past Danyon Hume on the final lap to put the home side 8-4 ahead.

Tungate made an instant impression on his return to the Witches line-up, gating to the front in the next, as Brady Kurtz went past Danny King on lap three.

The Witches remained sharp out of the tapes but Hume was soon overtaken by both Aces, as Max Fricke got by Troy Batchelor on the last lap. The Aces now six ahead at 15-9.

Doyle became the Witches first heat winner in heat five but the Witches went 10 behind, as Zagar and Tom Brennan thumped home another Aces 5-1.

It was 23-13 to the home side and the Aces went 12 up as the Witches struggled to find heat winners in a thrilling heat seven that saw King and Fricke battle for the lead. Paul Starke and Brennan passed and re-passed in heat eight, before Doyle came in for a tactical ride in heat nine.

But it all went wrong for the Suffolk side, Doyle shedding a chain when in third, while Batchelor was passed by Charles Wright for another home 5-1 as the Aces lead stretched to 18 at 36-18.

It was as good as curtains one race later with Brennan holding off Tungate, with King at the back.

The game was over for the home side in the next as Belle Vue hit another maximum in heat 11, both Starke and Doyle suffering bike issues and although Summers beat Blodorn in an exciting heat 12, the points were all Belle Vue's.

Ipswich ended the night with heat wins for Doyle and Tungate again, but it was all far too late.

Scorers

Belle Vue: M Zagar 8+1, T Brennan 8+1, B Kurtz 11+2, C Wright 7+1, M Fricke 14, J Etheridge 7+2, N Blodorn 5+1.

Ipswich: J Doyle 9, P Starke 4+1, D King 2, R Tungate 8, T Batchelor 4, A Summers 2, D Hume 1.

Heat details

1. Zagar, Doyle, Starke, Brennan 61.50 3-3

2. Etheridge, Blodorn (15m), Hume, Summers (e/f) 61.47 8-4.

3. Tungate, Wright, Kurtz, King 61.0 3-3 11-7

4. Fricke, Batchelor, Blodorn, Hume 61.01 15-9

5. Doyle, Kurtz,Wright, Starke 60.63 18-12

6. Zagar, Brennan, Batchelor, Summers 61.03 23-13

7. Fricke, King, Etheridge, Tungate 61.10 27-15

8. Brennan, Starke, Blodorn, Hume 61.25 31-17

9. Kurtz, Wright, Batchelor, Doyle 60.62 36-18

10. Brennan, Tungate, Zagar, King 61.78 40-20

11. Fricke, Etheridge, Starke, Doyle (e/f) 61.44 45-21

12: Kurtz, Summers, Blodorn, King 61.82 49-23

13. Doyle, Fricke, Zagar, Batchelor 61.75 52-26

14. Tungate, Wright, Etheridge, Summers 62.21 55-29

15. Kurtz, Fricke, Doyle, Tungate 61.8 60-30

Aces 3pts. Witches 0pts.

Top Witch: Rohan Tungate: Encouraging return to the Witches fold for the Aussie on an otherwise disappointing night for Ipswich.


Premiership

Ipswich 15 31

Belle Vue 14 29

Wolves 14 27

Sheffield 12 26

King's Lynn 13 13

Peterboro 14 10