The race for track glory is over for another year for Eastbourne Eagles after they crashed to defeat at Ipswich last night.

Eagles lost 55-39 in the first round of the Elite League play-offs. Ipswich are now away in the semi-finals to Wolverhampton, who thrashed Oxford 61-33.

Eagles were comprehensively beaten in the end, although for a brief spell in the middle of the match they threatened to cause one of the shocks of the season.

An 8-1 by Nicki Pedersen and impressive reserve Davey Watt over Hans Andersen and Kim Jansson in heat six cut Ipswich's lead to five points after they had taken a commanding lead in the early stages with a trio of 5-1s through first Andersen and Jansson and then Chris Louis and Jesper Jensen (twice).

The next two heats were shared, one of which was won by Watt, and when Pedersen and Watt produced another piece of magic for a 4-2 over Louis and Jensen in heat nine the gap was down to three points at 30-27.

Watt, who finished with paid 11, and Pedersen were really the only riders to trouble the home side, however, and Ipswich found an extra gear after that.

Andersen and Jansson scored a 5-1 over Adam Shields and Joonas Kylmakorpi in the next, and Eastbourne's last hope went in heat 13 when Scott Nicholls and Andersen hit Pedersen and Watt with a one-two.

Louis and Daniel King rubbed salt in Eagles' wounds with an-other 5-1 against Shields, who was on double points, and Pedersen and Russian guest Sergei Darkin could do nothing to stop Nicholls in the last.

Ipswich: Scott Nicholls 13, Chris Louis 10, Daniel King 9, Hans Andersen 9, Jesper Jensen 8, Kim Jansson 6, Trevor Harding 0
*Bonus points: King 2, Jansson 2, Louis 1, Andersen 1, Jensen 1.

Eastbourne: Nicki Pedersen 15, Davey Watt 9, Adam Shields 5, Sergei Darkin 4, Joonas Kylmakorpi 4, Edward Kennett 1, Sebastian Tresarrieui 1
*Bonus points: Watt 2, Shields 1, Darkin 1, Kennett 1.