LEICESTER’S tremendous unbeaten run now stretches to ten ROWE Motor Oil Premiership matches after a convincing 50-40 win at Oxford on Thursday.
The Watling JCB Lions are now all-but guaranteed a top two finish in the table ahead of the play-offs, and with leaders Sheffield slipping up at King’s Lynn, first place is still a possibility.
To achieve that, the Lions need to collect home and away wins over Lynn next week, starting at the Adrian Flux Arena on Monday, and also increase their race points difference by at least 14, as they can currently finish level on match points with the Tigers whose race points are slightly superior at this stage.
It was another clinical display from the Lions at Cowley as they led throughout the meeting and limited the Spires to just four race wins on their own circuit.
American ace Luke Becker was in top form again with 13 points on a track where he had scored just two in June, whilst skipper Max Fricke was in double figures as well, with solid contributions from the rest of the side.
Lions got off to a flying start with advantages in each of the first three races, with the Spires having Luke Killeen disqualified from Heat 2 after he and Craig Cook came to grief, and Leicester’s first 5-1 came in Heat 3 with Becker hitting the front early doors whilst Sam Masters overcame Charles Wright for second place.
Two shared races followed with Wright defeating the combination of Fricke and Richard Lawson in Heat 5, and the hosts were back in business when Rohan Tungate and Erik Riss grabbed a 5-1 over Ryan Douglas in Heat 6.
That cut the lead to four points, and although Lions briefly raised it back to six when Masters took Heat 7 with Becker third, split by Maciej Janowski, Oxford cancelled that out in Heat 9 after a hard-fought opening lap with Wright getting the better of Douglas whilst Chris Harris scored his first point of the night in third.
Becker was back to winning ways in Heat 10 with Masters squeezed out, and the shared races continued when Janowski defeated Fricke in the next to leave Lions 35-31 up with four heats to go.
But Masters took a key win in Heat 12 ahead of a battle between Harris and Cook which gave Lions a 4-2, and Fricke maintained the lead with a classy effort from the start in Heat 13 although Douglas lost out to Janowski.
The Spires were running out of time and needed an advantage from Heat 14 to remain in with a chance, but Becker flew away from Wright and Ashton Boughen to secure the match for the Lions.
Becker and Fricke then added further gloss with a 5-1 in Heat 15 to leave the final margin at ten points, and that outcome could be significant if race points are a factor in the league table.
Manager Stewart Dickson said: “We were pushed all the way by Oxford, we expected a tough meeting, we knew what we were coming into and we battled hard.
“After what happened the last time on the run to Heat 15 when Oxford caught us on the line, it was ringing in the ears of the riders to let them know this meeting wasn’t over yet at the interval.
“We stuck to the job in hand, and we got there in the end. It’s another win and it keeps the unbeaten run going, and it keeps the confidence high which is the most important thing.
“Luke is riding now like the rider we signed last winter – he’s not been the only reason, but he’s certainly helped to push us to what we’re doing now.
“There’s a good atmosphere in the pits, and it’s always the same when you’re winning, but things are coming along nicely.”
Lions look to keep it going when they face an improving King’s Lynn side at the Adrian Flux Arena on Monday – but before that, the club hosts the British Youth Championship and the Women’s British Open Final on Saturday (5pm).
OXFORD 40: Maciej Janowski 9+1, Rohan Tungate 9, Charles Wright 9, Erik Riss 5+2, Ashton Boughen 3+1, Chris Harris 3, Luke Killeen 2+2.
LEICESTER 50: Luke Becker 13, Max Fricke 12+1, Sam Masters 8+1, Richard Lawson 6+2, Ryan Douglas 6, Craig Cook 4, Sam Hagon 1.
Leicester win the aggregate point
Photo credit: LES AUBREY
