National League Pairs @ Leicester

LEICESTER were crowned National Development League Pairs champions with Dan and Joe Thompson running unbeaten on their home track.

The twins were dominant at the Paul Chapman & Sons Arena, racing to maximum 7-2 advantages over Belle Vue, Armadale and Berwick in the qualifying stages.

Having beaten Oxford in the semi-final, the Lion Cubs duo met Armadale again in the Final after the Devils knocked out Plymouth in the semi.

The Thompsons took another maximum advantage as Elliot Kelly and Tom Woolley had to settle for runners-up spot overall.

Cubs captain Joe Thompson said: “I really enjoyed it, and it’s nice to get so many races with Dan during the evening.

“It’s the most enjoyable racing I’ve had really, so I’m glad it was a good finish in the end.

“It’s been a bit of a roller-coaster for me lately, but I’m starting to find things out and starting to get back to where I was. It’s all about enjoying it, taking it step by step and progressing even further.”

Devils skipper Woolley said: “If you avoid last places then you progress forward. We were maybe a little bit fortunate in one ride but you have to take the good with the bad.

“Elliot rode his socks off, he was really good. He rode with a smile on his face and enjoyed every minute of it. I think it’s going to give him a lot of confidence going forward.”

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE PAIRS, Leicester
GROUP 1
LEICESTER 21: Joe Thompson 12, Dan Thompson 9.
ARMADALE 13: Tom Woolley 8, Elliot Kelly 5.
BERWICK 12: Greg Blair 9, Luke Crang 3.
BELLE VUE 8: Jack Smith 8, Harry McGurk 0.

GROUP 2
PLYMOUTH 16: Adam Roynon 10, Rhys Naylor 6.
OXFORD 15: Jordan Jenkins 11, Sam Hagon 4.
MILDENHALL 14: Jason Edwards 11, Jack Kingston 3.
KENT 9: Ben Morley 9, Sam Woolley 0.

SEMI-FINAL 1: D. Thompson, J. Thompson, Jenkins, Hagon – [Leicester beat Oxford 7-2]
SEMI-FINAL 2: Roynon, Kelly, T. Woolley, Naylor (f.exc) – [Armadale beat Plymouth 5-4]
GRAND FINAL: D. Thompson, J. Thompson, Kelly, Woolley – [Leicester beat Armadale 7-2]

FINAL PLACINGS
1 Leicester
2 Armadale
3 Plymouth
4 Oxford

OFFICIAL REFEREE SCORECARD
Available here

Photo credit: MARK HALL