LEICESTER were well beaten 56-34 by a strong Poole side on a night to forget at Beaumont Park.
The Watling JCB Lions registered just one heat advantage all meeting and were unable to add to their SGB Premiership points tally.
Brady Kurtz went unbeaten from four rides for the visitors while Krzysztof Kasprzak, Hans Andersen and former Lion Nicolai Klindt all contributed double figures too for the Pirates.
Club No.1 Kim Nilsson was the only rider who managed to do that for the hosts and admits it was a very disappointing night for the team who were without Josh Bates and Erik Riss due to Championship commitments.
"I do think we missed those boys a little bit but I'm not sure if they'd have been able to stop Poole tonight if I'm being honest," Nilsson said.
"They were very good tonight and we were beaten by the better team.
"We're not making excuses, but they had a problem with the water truck today and it made it very hard to pass with how warm it's been.
"It meant we had to be even quicker out of the gate than normal and unfortunately we just didn't do that enough.
"I was pleased with my own performance; I've been made to feel very welcome at Leicester and I already feel like I've been a part of this club for a long time.
"We'll bounce back though and we already can't wait to try and put things right in the Knockout Cup against Somerset next weekend."
Nilsson secured two race wins on his way to 11 points while guest Rory Schlein recovered from a retirement in his first ride to finish with a solid effort.
Captain Danny King started off with a win but his night faded out after that, while Josh Auty had a comfortable first meeting back on home shale this season.
Danny Ayres linked up with Auty for a 5-1 in heat eight while guest reserve Jan Graversen endured a tough night after ending up on the deck twice in heat two.
Kacper Gomolski also struggled, but engine problems and mistaking a red light in the crowd for a stoppage signal whilst leading heat five were factors in his end overall score.
The Lions are back in action next Saturday (April 15) when they look to overturn an eight point deficit in the home second leg of their Premiership Knockout Cup tie against Somerset.
SGB PREMIERSHIP
LEICESTER 34: Kim Nilsson 11, Rory Schlein 7, Danny King 6, Josh Auty 5+1, Danny Ayres 2+1 Kacper Gomolski 2, Jan Graversen 1.
POOLE 56: Brady Kurtz 12, Krzysztof Kasprzak 11+2, Hans Andersen 11+1, Nicolai Klindt 11+1, Lewis Kerr 5+2, James Shanes 4+2, Jack Holder 2+1.
