Leicester fended off a spirited performance from the Sheffield Tigers at the Jordan Road Stadium on Sunday.
The Lions were ten points up after nine races but back-to-back wins in the subsequent heats for the Tigers brought them to within one point of Leicester.
Kevin Doolan and Charles Wright created some daylight by taking maximum points from the penultimate heat but their hopes of securing all three match points disappeared when Doolan touched the tapes in the deciding race.
"We were a trifle unlucky when Kevin was adjudged to have touched the tapes in the final race. He was unbeaten at that stage and it was realistic to think that we had it in us to take all three match points. Kevin did so well to pick up a third place right on the line but the result meant that the Tigers went home with a consolation bonus point. The chase for a top six finish is getting very tight indeed and we desperately needed all three match points tonight. We now have to win all of our remaining home fixtures by the maximum three match points and the point we dropped tonight has placed more emphasis of securing results on the road" commented the Lions Co-promoter Alan Jones.
