KO CUP JOY FOR LIONS

LEICESTER are celebrating major top-fight team silverware for the first time in their history after lifting the Premiership KO Cup on Thursday.

The Lions raced to an emphatic 60-30 win over King’s Lynn at the Hydroscand Arena, Beaumont Park after teams had drawn 45-45 in the first leg of the Final in Norfolk.

With Ryan Douglas (14), Sam Masters (12+2), Max Fricke (10+1) and guest Tom Brennan (9+2) all dropping just one point to an opponent, the hosts enjoyed a largely trouble-free night.

That was in stark contrast to the Stars who kept the gap at four points across the first four races with skipper Nicolai Klindt (11) winning his first two rides before a crash in Heat 6.

The visitors were involved in an array of incidents, and when Chris Harris was disqualified from Heat 12 after clashing with Douglas, the Lions only needed both of their riders to complete the re-run in order to secure the trophy.

Leicester boss Stewart Dickson said: “Full credit goes to my riders for Monday night and tonight. We did the hard yards on Monday, and whilst it was nip and tuck for the first four or five races tonight, we then came into our own.

“I think the Nicolai Klindt exclusion kind of rocked them a bit, and we found some momentum and pushed on.

“When you saw us in the second half of the meeting in full flight, all looking for each other, it was great to see.

“To celebrate in front of the supporters was a special moment for us, because when we won the (Championship) league at Glasgow in 2019 we were away from home, so to do it in front of our own supporters – and how many were there tonight! – was fantastic.”

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Photo credit: STEVE DIXON