LEICESTER continued their perfect run in the WSRA National Development League with a thoroughly convincing 54-36 win at Middlesbrough on Friday.
The result was the Lion Cubs’ seventh victory from seven matches this season, and it gave them all three points on the night as the aggregate point was also banked.
It takes them three points clear of Oxford at the top of the NDL table, with a match in hand, and they are now effectively one more win away from clinching the title.
The Cubs had three riders in double figures on Teesside, with William Cairns starring as expected as a guest, as he won his first four rides on his way to a score of paid-16 from six outings.
Sonny Springer, too, was in superb form as he underlined the progress he has made in his first NDL season, going unbeaten from his first four outings.
Springer was involved in all three of the early 5-1s in Heats 1, 3 and 5 which gave the Lion Cubs total control of the meeting, and he ended up with an impressive total of 12 paid 14.
Skipper Joe Thompson was solid as ever with 11 paid 12, and he had the satisfaction of denying home heat leader Jake Mulford a maximum when he won Heat 15.
The remainder of the Lion Cubs all got stuck in and the most telling statistic was that the team only recorded two last places all night, those coming in Heats 13 and 15 when the match was long-since decided.
Springer combined with Thompson for 5-1s in Heats 1 and 5, and with Tom Spencer in Heat 3, with the Lion Cubs’ gating too strong for the Tigers.
A series of 4-2s followed as Cairns, who had suffered a big crash on the Isle of Wight one night earlier, won Heat 6 over home No.1 Ben Trigger whilst Luke Crang supplied third place, and Springer took Heat 8 with Arran Butcher in third ahead of William Hocaniuk.
Cairns then went back-to-back in Heats 9 and 10 with Crang and Spencer providing the back-up, and the Lions were into a massive 22-point lead.
To their credit, the home side fashioned a response in the closing stages with wins for Danny Phillips and Ben Rathbone along with Mulford, who was joined by Trigger for a 5-1 over Thompson and Crang in Heat 13.
But Thompson had the final say in Heat 15 as he held Trigger and Mulford at bay, and he is now one step closer to lifting the trophy as Lion Cubs captain for a second time.
Manager Dave Howard said: “Everybody rode great tonight, and it was a very good away win for us, which puts us in a very good position in the league now.
“Sonny started superbly, being unbeaten in his first four rides, and the team as a whole put on a great performance. Everybody can take some credit tonight.
“William was a great guest for us, as he’s been for everybody. He had a big crash on the Isle of Wight on Thursday and initially he didn’t know how he’d be when he woke up this morning, but he rode fantastically, so that was great for us.
“We’ve got three away matches to come, at Sheffield, Oxford and Edinburgh, and obviously we want to be in a position where we can complete the task and win the NDL.”
The Lion Cubs are back in action on Thursday August 22 when they travel to Owlerton to face the combined Sheffield/Scunthorpe team.
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE
MIDDLESBROUGH 36: Jake Mulford 13+1, Ben Trigger 9+1, Danny Phillips 6, Ben Rathbone 3, William Hocaniuk 2, Kai Ward 2, Jamie Halder 1
LEICESTER 54: William Cairns 15+1, Sonny Springer 12+2, Joe Thompson 11+1, Tom Spencer 7+1, Luke Crang 5+1, Arran Butcher 4+2, Vinnie Foord rr
Leicester win aggregate point
