LIONS SNATCH DERBY DOUBLE

LEICESTER extended their unbeaten run in in regular ROWE Motor Oil Premiership fixtures to seven matches with a dramatic 46-44 win at Birmingham.

The Lions have made the most of their matches in hand on Oxford and have now opened up a six-point gap on the Spires as they chase the play-offs – and in fact they are now only five points off the top.

Ryan Douglas was the hero at Perry Barr as he held off a hard-charging Fredrik Lindgren in Heat 15 with skipper Max Fricke maintaining third place for the 4-2 they needed to snatch victory.

Douglas, with 12 points, won four of his five outings as the Lions also collected the aggregate point, whilst Zach Cook collected 12 from six for the Brummies.

Leicester boss Stewart Dickson said: “I knew it was going to be tough here, and it was a good team performance, and very pleasing because halfway through it was getting to the stage of could we hold on for a point, never mind three.

“Credit to the lads for showing the determination to get us over the line, because no matches are easy in this Premiership and that was a toughie tonight.

“Birmingham will feel absolutely gutted, I know I would if I was in their shoes. I thought they raced really well, and we had to pull all the stops out to get the win.”

Brummies manager Sam Ermolenko said: “We tried everything we could but we just lost grip of the track a little bit, it was difficult for some of the boys.

“We had the choice of gate positions for Heat 15 thinking that was going to be it.

“Their boys got out in front though and with Freddie, you can tell he’s a world class rider. He put everything he had into that but the track didn’t give him enough out there to be able to give him that nice pass he was looking for.”

OFFICIAL REFEREE SCORECARD
Available here

Photo credit: STEVE FEENEY