LEICESTER head to King’s Lynn for their latest ROWE Motor Oil Premiership fixture on Monday (7.30pm) missing two members of their regular septet.
The Watling JCB Lions raced to an excellent win over Sheffield last Thursday, but that meeting did include a crash for Kyle Howarth in the closing stages.
Having suffered concussion, the Lions’ vice-captain will be sidelined for a mandatory nine-day period, with Oxford’s Australian youngster Mitch McDiarmid coming in to guest.
Dan Thompson also remains on the injured list but he is making good progress in his recovery from a broken collarbone, with the hope being that he can resume in Leicester’s next fixture at home to Ipswich on June 11.
With new averages coming into effect and Howarth dropping to reserve, manager Stewart Dickson has altered the riding order as he looks to make the best possible use of rider replacement for Thompson.
Drew Kemp, who moves up from reserve, takes over at No.2 alongside Ryan Douglas with skipper Sam Masters moving to No.4 alongside Nick Morris, whilst Thompson’s rides will be covered in the No.5 position.
King’s Lynn have had an inconsistent season so far and have been without a meeting since way back on May 11, when they were beaten at home by Belle Vue.
They track a full-strength side with former Lions skipper Max Frice at No.1, whilst youngsters Cooper Rushen and Jody Scott have produced several impressive displays at reserve.
Dickson said: “We have won a couple of times at King’s Lynn in the Premiership since I’ve been in charge, although the situation is a little different now.
“Whether we are capable of winning there again, especially with two riders out, remains to be seen.
“But we’ll certainly be looking to keep it as close as possible at the very least, with a view to the aggregate point.
“I know that can sound boring, but we also have to understand we’re not riding quite at the top of our game to be that confident, plus we have the injuries as well. But if we get a sniff, we’ll grab it!”
Monday’s meeting is not being live streamed so for supporters not making the trip to the Adrian Flux Arena, the best way to keep in touch will be via the BSP’s new Live Updates system which can be found at https://britishspeedway.co.uk/live/ .
KING’S LYNN: Max Fricke, Paco Castagna, Jan Kvech, Ben Cook, Chris Harris, Cooper Rushen, Jody Scott.
LEICESTER: Ryan Douglas, Drew Kemp, Nick Morris, Sam Masters, Dan Thompson R/R, Mitch McDiarmid, Joe Thompson.
