Leicester Lions v Oxford Spires

Report

LEICESTER are celebrating play-off qualification in the top-flight for the first time in the club’s history.

The Lions, who are the form team in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership, made it nine matches unbeaten with a 53-37 win over Oxford on Monday which guarantees their top four place, and takes them second in the table.

It was also a result which all but ended the Spires’ hopes as they can now only move level with Belle Vue on match points, but their current race points difference is vastly inferior to the Aces.

Skipper Max Fricke led the way for the Lions with 13 points at the Pidcock Motorcycles Arena, Beaumont Park, whilst Ryan Douglas added 10+2. Polish ace Maciej Janowski was excellent for the Spires as he racked up 15 from seven rides.

Leicester boss Stewart Dickson said: “We started very well but the weather intervened and Oxford gave us a bit of a fright, they asked questions of my team and we finally found the answers after two or three heats.

“Last year we fell agonisingly short of the play-offs and that pushed me on, and one or two of the guys who were here last year.

“Credit to the riders and to the Leicester supporters, we have had a great response from them, they have been through some tough times but we got the win and we are in the play-offs.”

Spires manager Peter Schroeck said: “The track came back to them, and they’re a classy team. I was hoping for a bit more drizzly rain because that might have helped us a bit more!

“We got ourselves right back into it one point and I thought we might have a chance, but we have to accept it.

“It’s our first year in this league, there’s teams here who have been chasing it for years and years, so we can be quite proud of ourselves, and our main agenda now is to get a credible fifth place.”

LEICESTER 53: Max Fricke 13, Ryan Douglas 10+2, Craig Cook 8+2, Richard Lawson 7+2, Sam masters 7+1, Luke Becker 7, Sam Hagon 1.
OXFORD 37: Maciej Janowski 15, Charles Wright 7+2, Chris Harris 6+1, Erik Riss 4, Ashton Boughen 3, Luke Killeen 2+1, Rohan Tungate r/r.

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Photo credit: RICHARD BOETTCHER