ADVANTAGE ACES IN GRAND FINAL
BELLE Vue hold an 18-point advantage at the halfway stage of the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership Grand Final after a 54-36 win over Leicester in the first leg in Manchester.
Dan Bewley swept to an imperious 15-point maximum for the Aces, who came up with a strong finish to the meeting after their lead had been pegged at eight points with three races remaining.
The home side adapted better to conditions as rain moved in during the second half of the meeting, with Brady Kurtz (10+2) and Jaimon Lidsey (10+1) also in double figures, and Niels-Kristian Iversen made a strong guest appearance with 8+1.
It means the Aces will travel to the East Midlands as favourites on Thursday, although their visits to Beaumont Park this season have resulted in defeats by margins of 16 and 20 points.
Bewley said: “It was a good night for me but more importantly a good night for the boys, but the job’s not finished yet. We go again in a couple of days at Leicester and that’s a big one.
“They’re good at their place just as we are here, and they kept us honest for a time. The track was really good, it’s just a shame the rain came when it did, but we knew we’d have to make it work.
“Brady and myself had a plan ahead of Heat 15. We knew what lines we wanted and we made it work.
“We take 18 points into the next leg. Hopefully it’s enough but we’ll see what we can do.”
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Photo credit: IAN CHARLES
