Leicester Lions v Birmingham Brummies

Report

LEICESTER made it six matches unbeaten with a 48-42 win over Birmingham to consolidate their position in the play-offs.

The Lions are now three points ahead of fifth-placed Oxford in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership and they still have two matches in hand on the Spires.

But the in-form home side were made to fight by the bottom club, with the Brummies taking a 5-1 in Heat 13 when Max Fricke had an engine failure, and the visitors gated in Heat 14 only for Luke Becker to storm through to win the match for the Lions.

Sam Masters led the Leicester scoring with 13 from five rides, whilst Fredrik Lindgren and Tom Brennan both scored 11+2 for the Brummies.

Lions boss Stewart Dickson said: “I did say in the build-up that I expected a tough meeting. A lot of people were expecting a 20-point win, but never were we going to beat that Birmingham team by 20 points tonight.

“We won, and for me that’s the most important thing. I’d said to Luke Becker before Heat 14, ‘I do not want a last heat decider,’ especially with what happened in Heat 13.

“They gave us a good meeting, they rode well, but we got the job done, and sometimes after you get a big win in any sport like we did at King’s Lynn, the next meeting can be an awkward one.”

Lindgren said: “Again, it was a pretty good effort – but still, we don’t get that win.

“All the boys are trying their absolute best, myself included, and we are giving everything out on the track.

“We came up short again by six points but it’s another decent display in an away game.”

LEICESTER 48: Sam Masters 13, Ryan Douglas 9, Luke Becker 8+1, Max Fricke 7+1, Richard Lawson 7+1, Lewis Kerr 4+1, Sam Hagon 0.
BIRMINGHAM 42: Fredrik Lindgren 11+2, Tom Brennan 11+2, Michael Palm Toft 7, Leon Flint 6, Zach Cook 4+2, Wiktor Lampart 3, Piotr Pawlicki r/r.

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Photo credit: STEVE DIXON