HIGH riding Leicester head into a big weekend on the road with silverware on their mind.
The Championship leaders make the long trip to Berwick on Saturday for the deciding leg of their Shield semi-final holding a healthy 18-point advantage from last weekend’s opener.
Given that their heaviest defeat of the season was by a 48-42 scoreline at Scunthorpe, the Watling JCB Lions will start as favourites to set up a Final clash with either Glasgow or Eastbourne.
And then it’s a quick turnaround to return south to Peterborough on Sunday for the Championship Fours (2pm) – where they are expected to be backed by a bumper travelling support.
First job, though, is to secure a place in the Championship Shield Final as they go up against a Bandits side including several riders who can be expected to perform better on their home circuit than at Leicester.
But Lions star Richie Worrall says the mentality will still be to look for a win on the night, after a great victory at Somerset in midweek.
He said: “We got the gap we needed on Sunday, but Berwick are the kind of team who can come and get you at any time.
“Every meeting we try to win, and every race we try to score points – no last places, definitely.
“There’s a really good feel about this team, and I love turning up to race for the Lions. It’s a great bunch of guys and all the staff around the club are great too.”
Worrall, Scott Nicholls, Josh Bates, Ryan Douglas and reserve Ellis Perks represent the Lions in the Fours at the East of England Arena, with all eleven clubs competing in the semi-final. The top four clubs after Heat 22 progress to the 12-heat Final.
Avoiding mistakes in the early phase of the meeting is of vital importance, as each team has only eight opportunities to score points before the cut-off.
Lions were runners-up in the event in both 2011 and 2012 and will look to go one step further at Alwalton.
Boss Stewart Dickson said: “This is a meeting we will treat very seriously, and we are definitely going there to try and win.
“We have our top four riders by average, and we also have Ellis Perks who will be in my opinion one of the strongest reserves in the meeting, so that gives us an extra option should we need it.”
BERWICK: Aaron Summers, Kevin Doolan, Jye Etheridge, Dany Gappmaier, Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen, Coty Garcia, Leon Flint.
LEICESTER: Scott Nicholls, Ellis Perks, Josh Bates, Ryan Douglas, Richie Worrall, Jack Thomas, Connor Mountain.
