LEICESTER collected their first away win of the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership season with a hard-earned 49-41 Easter Monday victory at Oxford.
The Watling JCB Lions enjoyed the perfect response to their home defeat by Ipswich last week as they inflicted a second Cowley league loss on the Spires with a strong all-round showing.
Vice-captain Sam Masters gave his best performance of the campaign so far with four race wins on the track he calls home in the Championship, whilst Lions were also impressive in the second-string department and new Rising Star Dan Gilkes made a solid debut.
Conditions at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium were not easy with light rain during the first half of the meeting, but the riders got stuck into the contest with the track preparation team also doing a fine job.
Luke Becker and skipper Max Fricke gave the Lions a perfect start with a 5-1 in Heat 1 before a shared reserves’ race as Oxford’s Rising Star Luke Killeen did well to come from the back.
The teams then traded 4-2s with Kyle Howarth splitting Peter Kildemand and Charles Wright in Heat 3 whilst Masters took his first win in the next as Gilkes this time got the better of Killeen.
Three shared races followed as Leicester kept their lead at four points, with Drew Kemp disqualified from Heat 6 after suffering mechanical trouble just before the race was stopped for an unsatisfactory start.
But it was back all level as Oxford collected a 5-1 from Heat 8 with Gilkes falling on the top turn whilst Erik Riss and Killeen headed Becker home.
Parity was maintained in the two races heading into the interval, Masters going clear of Wright and Kildemand in Heat 9 whist Riss held on for the win over a charging Ryan Douglas in Heat 10.
But Lions inflicted major damage on the Spires in Heat 11 as Fricke did a great job to close down home guest Tom Brennan, which allowed Becker to make it through and give the visitors a 5-1.
And although Masters finally dropped a point in Heat 13, his third place ahead of unhappy Oxford No.1 Rohan Tungate, and Fricke’s win over Brennan, put Leicester six points up.
That did enable the Spires to use a tactical substitute in Heat 14, which put some pressure on the race, but Howarth produced an excellent ride to see off Riss with Gilkes adding the insurance of third place ahead of Kildemand.
Fricke allowed Masters the preferable gate two for Heat 15, with gate four proving unsuccessful for everyone, and Masters duly took the win as Fricke this time missed out for third place to Wright, although the job was already done by then.
Manager Stewart Dickson said: “We did target this meeting for an away win, and the timing of the signing of Dan Gilkes worked in our favour because when you look at the scorechart his four points was a big contribution to the 49 that we got.
“Conditions were difficult for both teams, and they lost any home track advantage, but we were pretty good and all in all we deserved the two points on offer, so it was a good day for us.
“Sam was very, very good, he was making lightning starts, and in fairness Max gave him gate two in Heat 15 which he appreciated, and he went out and did the business. 13 points was an exceptional afternoon’s work.
“I was also very pleased with Kyle in Heat 14, I did tell him they were putting Riss in for a tactical substitute, and Kyle responded to that. Paid-nine for him was outstanding and he just goes about his business quietly.
“I remember a lot of comments that he couldn’t replace Richard Lawson, and maybe one or two people should know better because we now have two very good second-strings. No disrespect to Richard, but Kyle has come in and is doing more than the job he was brought in for.
“Well done also to their track curator Jamie Courtney for getting it on, and with a bit of grading it certainly came better as the meeting went on.
“We rode pretty well, although I’m not denying we will face tougher challenges, but it’s good to wipe out the home defeat against Ipswich.”
With the scheduled evening return at the Hydroscand Arena, Beaumont Park falling victim to the weather, Lions return to action next Monday (April 28) when they make a league visit to Birmingham.
OXFORD 41: Charles Wright 10+1, Erik Riss 10, Tom Brennan 10, Luke Killeen 5+1, Peter Kildemand 4+1, Rohan Tungate 2+1, Francis Gusts 0.
LEICESTER 49: Sam Masters 13, Max Fricke 9+2, Luke Becker 8+1, Kyle Howarth 8+1, Ryan Douglas 5+1, Dan Gilkes 4, Drew Kemp 2+2.
Picture: LES AUBREY
