LEICESTER are back in the top four of the Sports Insure Premiership after a 57-33 home win over King’s Lynn.
The Watling JCB Lions hit back from a heavy defeat at Belle Vue earlier in the day to take all three points available against the Stars, and now they move on to a massive and decisive week.
Lions now lead Ipswich by one point, with the Witches’ last fixture coming at King’s Lynn next Monday.
Should the Suffolk side be victorious there, Lions would almost certainly need a win at either Wolverhampton or Peterborough to book their place in the top four.
Their performance against the Stars was far more in keeping with their strong run over the summer, against opposition which was admittedly weakened by injuries.
Robert Lambert put on a great show for the visitors with 16 points, ending the maximum hopes of Max Fricke by defeating him in Heats 13 and 15 with fast starts from the inside.
But the Lions put on a solid team display with Richie Worrall winning his first three rides, reserves Jake Allen and Drew Kemp both contributing well, and Justin Sedgmen also back in the points.
Sedgmen would have scored more but for an unfortunate stoppage whilst he was leading Heat 9, and that enabled Lynn skipper Simon Lambert to take the notable scalp of Bewley, which ended a run of three successive Lions 5-1s.
Kemp recovered from a last place in Heat 2 when he was on the rough end of a brutal first bend, and did well with three paid wins, including a fine fourth to second effort in Heat 8 when he used the outside to good effect against Michael Palm Toft and Anders Rowe.
Fricke defeated Robert Lambert when the Stars No.1 was taking a tactical substitute ride, firing inside his opposite number off bend four, but Lambert hit back with wins in his final three rides.
However, Bewley and Kemp secured maximum points in Heat 12 and Allen and Sedgmen did likewise in Heat 14 as the Lions wrapped up a comfortable and welcome victory.
Manager Stewart Dickson said: “That was much more like it, and it was the sort of performance we’ve been needing to get the confidence levels up right through the whole team.
“Everybody contributed, which is good from a team manager’s point of view, and we’re pleased to get the three points which puts us in the play-off spots – and that’s where we hope to stay.”
LEICESTER 57: Max Fricke 13, Richie Worrall 11+2, Dan Bewley 11+1, Jake Allen 9+1, Drew Kemp 7+3, Justin Sedgmen 6+3, Craig Cook r/r.
KING’S LYNN 33: Robert Lambert 16, Simon Lambert 6+1, Michael Palm Toft 4, Anders Rowe 4, Connor Mountain 2, Kye Thomson 2, Nicolai Klindt r/r.
Leicesterwin the aggregate point
