LEICESTER are through to their first major national final of the modern era.
They made no mistake in brushing aside a brave Berwick at sunny Shielfield Park with a solid all-round team effort.
When Scott Nicholls crossed the line to win Heat 11 and Ellis Perks was third it put the Watling JCB Lions four-points up on the night – 22 on aggregate.
That was the moment, realistically, which sealed the deal – and mathematically it was confirmed moments later when Josh Bates split the Berwick duo.
And when former Leicester man Aaron Summers fell in the last lap of Heat 13 it allowed Nicholls and Richie Worrall to romp home for a celebratory maximum which sent the travelling Lions fans wild.
Jubilant boss Stewart Dickson said: “I told the guys to treat this as a one-off meeting, no talk about aggregate scores, I wanted to win on the night and we did.
“It was a solid performance from 1-7, everybody contributed and I can’t ask for much more than that.
“I’d also like to give a quick mention to the travelling Leicester fans who came up here and gave us their support. They were great on the third turn and thanks to them.”
Now Dickson is preparing for the showpiece Championship Fours on Sunday with Leicester strongly fancied.
“I anticipate a fair few from Leicester heading to Peterborough,” he said. “We’ve got guys in our team who know the Peterborough track really well, but we won’t be taking anything for granted.
“The first target is to make the top four from the 11 clubs in the semi-final and then anything can happen between four clubs in the final. We’ll give it everything we’ve got.”
BERWICK 42: Jye Etheridge 12, Kevin Doolan 9+1, Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen 6+1, Dany Gappmaier 5+2, Aaron Summers 5+1, Leon Flint 3, Coty Garcia 2+1.
LEICESTER 48: Scott Nicholls 11, Ryan Douglas 10, Richie Worrall 8+1, Josh Bates 8, Ellis Perks 5, Connor Mountain 4, Jack Thomas 2+1.
Leicester win 102-78 on aggregate.
