LEICESTER put up a brave fight but could not prevent a 52-40 defeat against Poole at Wimborne Road.
The Watling JCB Lions put in an encouraging team display against the powerhouse Pirates but fell just short of a consolation point.
Skipper Danny King top scored with a hard-fought 13+1 point haul and partnered Erik Riss to a 5-1 in the final race to ensure they ended the night on a high.
Riss also notched paid double figures, whilst No.1 Kim Nilsson and battling reserve Josh Bates put in solid showings.
But Lasse Bjerre struggled to make an impact and Danny Ayres failed to score as the visitors took the chequered flag on just three occasions and failed to add to their SGB Premiership points tally.
And young gun Bates admitted they need to get everyone firing if they are to start picking up more points on the road.
Said Bates: “I think we rode well as a team, we just all need to gel together more. When one rider is going well, another is struggling and we’re never clicking at the same time.
“It’s frustrating, but we were pushing Poole for a lot of the meeting and we can take plenty of positives from it.
“Poole is always a hard match, they’ve got a strong team and are good at home. We obviously wanted to get something but we just couldn’t quite manage it in the end.”
The Lions will be looking to bounce back as they head to Somerset on Friday (7.30).
POOLE 52: Hans Andersen 12, Jack Holder 10+2, Brady Kurtz 10, Paul Starke 9+1, Grzegorz Zengota 5, Carl Wilkinson 3+2, James Shanes 3.
LEICESTER 40: Danny King 13+1, Erik Riss 9+2, Josh Bates 8+1, Kim Nilsson 7+2, Lasse Bjerre 3+1, Danny Ayres 0, Jason Garrity R/R.
