Adam Ellis beats his idol but Sheffield Tigers fall to defeat at Ipswich

Sheffield’s new signing made his debut in the 51-39 defeat at Ipswich but got the better of a man he described as his ‘idol’.

“I told Jason it was a dream come true for me,” said Ellis. “It was a great moment to beat him like I did even though he left room because he thought it was his partner Danny King.

“I’m pleased with my performance and it was great to finally make my debut for Sheffield. It was good to catch up with all the guys.

“When we have a full team I think we’ll be a force. I was nervous before the start but after my first ride I felt fine.

“When we’ve got Jack (Holder) back in the side we’ll be a tough team to beat.”

Crump rolled back the years with a 13-point haul and Ipswich had more strength at reserve with youngsters Drew Kemp and Anders Rowe who notched 14-points between them.

Skipper Kyle Howarth got stuck in for Sheffield with 10+2 including a fine pass along the way and there was an impressive debut for Ellis who scored 16 including three wins from his seven outings.

Ellis, a former Ipswich rider, rounded the night off in style with a fine ride to pass Crump in the last race. He also won Heat 13 but the fact that Ipswich packed the minor places meant the meeting was done as a contest at 44-34 with only two heats remaining.

To their credit Simon Stead’s Tigers kept plugging away but ran out of steam with a lack of strength lower down the side as reserve Josh Bates struggled with bike issues and shed a chain in his last ride which caused him to crash. Thankfully he got up and walked away.

IPSWICH 51: Jason Crump 13, Danny King 9+2, Cameron Heeps 8+1, Drew Kemp 7+2, Anders Rowe 7, Jake Allen 6+1, Jordan Stewart 1SHEFFIELD 39: Adam Ellis 16, Kyle Howarth 10+2, Justin Sedgmen 6+1, Troy Batchelor 5+1, James Wright 1+1, Josh Bates 1, Jack Holder r/rPremiership points: Ipswich 3 Sheffield 0