On the eve of three important fixtures during the Bank Holiday period Leicester have been rocked by the news that they will be without Krzysztof Buczkowski who broke a shoulder blade in a crash against Poole on Wednesday and Nicolai Klindt who injured his scaphoid whilst riding in Denmark.
“Our situation is serious, which leaves me with the task of finding suitable guests at this late stage for all three matches and I am waiting on updates from Mads Korneliussen and Josh Bates as to whether they have recovered from their injuries” said the Lions Team Manager, Norrie Allan.
The Rapid Solicitors Lions embark upon three matches in as many days with first of all the visit of the Poole Pirates to the Jordan Road Surfacing Stadium on Saturday followed by home and away fixtures against Coventry on Monday.
The Pirates are the current Elite League Champions and one of the glamour clubs of British Speedway having built a persona within the sport on the back of a remarkable record that is unequalled in the modern era. The current team are heading in the direction of another stellar year for the Pirates who have already added the Elite Shield to the club’s portfolio and are odds on securing a place in the play-off stage of the competition later next month.
The visitors are led by one of Australia’s top riders of his generation, Darcy Ward who has taken on the captaincy of the team this season and he is joined at the sharp end by Maciej Janowski and Przemyslaw Pawlicki, two Polish riders who are both in their second year with the Dorset club. Poole are without their Czech Republic rising star Vaclav Milik who is representing his country in the Under-21 World Cup Final and his place is taken by the former Leicester track record holder Craig Cook. In the main body of the team is the ever improving Josh Grajczonek with Kyle Newman a tall scoring reserve who is partnered by Matt Williamson.
“Our recent run of good form at home will be severely tested on Saturday. Their top three riders are the youngest trio in the Elite League and are guaranteed to score heavily for Poole. Admittedly they are without Vaclav Milik but as he has never ridden the Leicester track I believe that the team are stronger with the inclusion of Craig Cook as his replacement. He knows our track having ridden it so many times before. Whilst we will give Poole every respect they deserve we will not be standing on ceremony and although we are not in the race for the play-offs there is pride at stake here and an opportunity to build upon our home record" added Allan.
Teams
Leicester: 1. Jason Doyle, 2. Simon Stead, 3. Mads Korneliussen, 4. Guest for Nicolai Klindt, 5. Guest for Krzysztof Buczkowski, 6. Max Clegg and 7. Josh Bates
Poole: 1. Darcy Ward, 2. Josh Grajczonek, 3. Przemyslaw Pawlicki, 4.Craig Cook, 5. Maciej Janowski, 6. Kyle Newman and 7. Matt Williamson
