LEICESTER’S class of 2024 etched themselves into the history books by securing the club's first Premiership play-off berth with a 53-37 win over Oxford Spires.
The Watling JCB Lions roared out of the traps and into a 12-point lead after six heats only for the weather and fortunes to turn, Maciej Janowski inspiring the visitors to battle back to within two.
However, as the rain that may have threatened the meeting blew through, Leicester found a second wind with the returning Craig Cook taking a chequered flag ahead of Ryan Douglas in Heat 11 to swing the pendulum once more.
Max Fricke led the way with four wins out of five, crucially helping to halt the busy Janowski’s run of three straight race wins to all but seal victory in the 13th, and the hosts were irresistible from there, widening the gap to send the Lions into the end-of-season shootout in style.
Team boss Stewart Dickson said: “I am very pleased, it was a good night.
“We started very well but the weather intervened and Oxford gave us a bit of a fright, they asked questions of my team and we finally found the answers after two or three heats.
“Credit to Oxford for pushing us hard without a No 1, they never made it easy for us. I am very relieved but very happy.
“There was a good feeling in the stadium tonight and we still have three matches to go to build our confidence and get as high up this league table as we can.”
It gives the Lions fans who endured some lean times in the top flight in previous years the chance to see their side gun for the big prize, something Dickson feels they richly deserve.
“When we came back to the Premiership, I did promise that while I was here I would do everything in my power to make sure we didn’t have that sort of run again,” he added.
“Last year we fell agonisingly short of the play-offs and that pushed me on, and one or two of the guys who were here last year. Credit to the riders and to the Leicester supporters, we have had a great response from them, they have been through some tough times but we got the win and we are in the play-offs.”
Leicester gated well from the outset and coupled that with finding the right lines, Luke Becker and Sam Masters then Fricke and Richard Lawson teaming up for comfortable maximums in Heats 5 and 6.
A seat malfunction saw Cook drop out of Heat 7 and as the rain came in mid-meeting, Oxford tackled the conditions better with tactical substitute Janowski jetting away to lead 5-1s in the ninth and tenth races.
That left things on a knife edge but as the weather and track settled, so did Leicester with Cook and Douglas covering all angles to restore a six-point lead in Heat 11, a success the hosts never looked back from.
LEICESTER 53: Max Fricke 13, Ryan Douglas 10+2, Craig Cook 8+2, Richard Lawson 7+2, Sam masters 7+1, Luke Becker 7, Sam Hagon 1.
OXFORD 37: Maciej Janowski 15, Charles Wright 7+2, Chris Harris 6+1, Erik Riss 4, Ashton Boughen 3, Luke Killeen 2+1, Rohan Tungate r/r.
