BOSS Stewart Dickson was proud of his Leicester pairing after they narrowly missed out on top spot in the Championship Pairs at Somerset.
The Watling JCB Lions edged through to the semi-finals after a crucial heat advantage over the hosts in the final programmed heat of the night - but were unable to land a decisive blow in the all important grand final against Glasgow.
It was a solid showing from skipper Scott Nicholls and Aussie Ryan Douglas who tallied up 21 points in qualifying including a pivotal 7-2 over Berwick in Heat 11.
Dickson said: “We did well to reach the final but unfortunately we came up just short.
“On lap three it looked like it may have been our night but Rasmus Jensen managed to repay the compliment after Scott (Nicholls) had got by him.
“These things happen and Glasgow were probably the best pairing on the night - they rode really well so congratulations goes to them.”
Leicester got off to a strong start with a 6-3 advantage over Sheffield after Douglas blocked the move of Kyle Howarth who attempted to cut up the inside of the Aussie from the outside gate.
Heat 11 went even better for the Lions with Nicholls and Douglas cruising to a maximum over Berwick - putting them in pole position to qualify for the semi-finals.
However, it wasn’t all plain sailing with eventual winners Glasgow inflicting a 7-2 on the Lions pairing after Douglas had made a fine getaway from the inside gate.
The duo went into their final ride knowing six points were needed to avoid being knocked out in the qualifying round - Nicholls and Douglas duly obliged with a battling 6-3 advantage to knock their hosts out in a decisive Heat 22.
Leicester reached the final by packing the minor places behind Birmingham’s Ellis in the semi-final but had no answer to Cook’s pace in the decider, while Jensen took third after a close encounter with Nicholls.
CHAMPIONSHIP PAIRS, Somerset
FINAL: Glasgow beat Leicester 6-3 (Cook, Douglas, Jensen, Nicholls).
SEMI-FINALS
Glasgow beat Sheffield 7-2 (Jensen, Cook, Howarth, King).
Leicester beat Birmingham 5-4 (Ellis, Douglas, Nicholls, Aarnio).
Qualifying scores:
Glasgow 25: Rasmus Jensen 13, Craig Cook 12
Birmingham 22: Adam Ellis 13, Tero Aarnio 9
Leicester 21: Ryan Douglas 12, Scott Nicholls 9
Sheffield 20: Danny King 14, Kyle Howarth 6
Scunthorpe 20: Jake Allen 13, Ben Barker 7
Redcar 19: Jordan Stewart 13, Erik Riss 6
Eastbourne 18: Richard Lawson 12, Lewis Kerr 6
Newcastle 15: Steve Worrall 12, Lasse Bjerre 3
Somerset 15: Nick Morris 8, Rory Schlein 7
Edinburgh 13: Ricky Wells 8, Cameron Heeps 5
Berwick 10: Tomas H Jonasson 10, Jye Etheridge 0
