Sheffield Tigers v Leicester Lions

PREMIERSHIP KO Cup holders Leicester fired themselves back into contention to defend the trophy with a shock 49-41 win at Sheffield on Thursday.

It means the Northern section will be decided in the one remaining meeting which is the reverse fixture between the Lions and the Tigers back in the East Midlands next week.

Sheffield will need to win that match to progress whilst a draw would be enough for Leicester to top the group and reach the Final again.

The Lions produced a super-solid display at Owlerton with all of their riders  scoring between five and nine points, and reserves Drew Kemp and Joe Thompson outscored their counterparts 13-3.

Kemp and former Tigers skipper Kyle Howarth secured the win with a 5-1 in Heat 14, whilst Jack Holder (12+1) and brother Chris (10) top scored for the hosts.
Leicester boss Stewart Dickson said: “It was a full seven-rider performance, which is the way the team was built this season, although obviously when I look at the scores there was a big difference at reserve.

“But my top five also rode very well tonight. We got off to a difficult start with Dougy (Ryan Douglas) having problems in Heat 1, but we recovered well and whilst it’s probably a surprising result it does show what we’re capable of when we all click.

“There’s a good feeling in the camp, which is always the way when you win, and we’ve given ourselves a real chance of qualifying for the Final, which didn’t look the case at 7.30pm – but it’s not over yet. We’ve still got a job to do next Thursday, and there’s still something for Sheffield to aim for.”

Sheffield manager Simon Stead said: “Sometimes you’ve got to roll with the punches and acknowledge that you were beaten by the better team.

“That was certainly the case tonight – but you’ve got to remember it’s early days, it’s only our second home meeting.

“For whatever reason, Leicester were more at it than we were and we have to hold our hands up, acknowledge that we weren’t good enough and make sure we come out swinging in a week’s time.”

PREMIERSHIP KO CUP (NORTH)
SHEFFIELD 41: Jack Holder 12+1, Chris Holder 10, Josh Pickering 9, Anders Rowe 5+1, Jye Etheridge 2+1, Leon Flint 2, Luke Killeen 1.
LEICESTER 49: Ryan Douglas 9, Kyle Howarth 8+2, Drew Kemp 8+1, Dan Thompson 8, Nick Morris 6+1, Joe Thompson 5+2, Sam Masters 5.

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Photo credit: MIA DURKIN