LEICESTER returned home after five weeks with a hard-fought 49-41 win over Northampton at the Hydroscand Arena, Beaumont Park.
The Watling JCB Lions were always ahead on the night but it took some time to shake off their opponents, and the final score was a fair reflection of the Foxes’ efforts.
Lions were indebted to their one-two combination of Ryan Douglas and Dan Thompson who combined for 5-1s in Heats 1, 6 and 10, as well as a 4-2 in Heat 15, the latter two races being two of the best of the season at Leicester.
Elsewhere it was a mixed bag of results, and a tough night once more for the unfortunate Kyle Howarth who clipped the fence on the last bend of Heat 3 and fell awkwardly.
Although he re-emerged to compete in Heat 5, he retired from the race after losing out in a battle with Kye Thomson, and was then withdrawn suffering from the effects of the spill.
Thomson and Jaimon Lidsey carded a 5-1 in that race for the visitors, which had the effect of cancelling out one of the Lions’ early maximums, with Douglas and Thompson having recorded a 5-1 in Heat 1 followed up by Nick Morris and Joe Thompson over Northampton captain Nicolai Klindt in Heat 4.
Jonas Jeppesen was the sole Foxes winner in the first four races as he passed Joe Thompson to win Heat 2, whilst skipper Sam Masters came from the back to see off Troy Batchelor in Heat 3.
Having seen their lead reduced to two points, Douglas and Dan Thompson re-extended it to six with a 5-1 over Klindt in Heat 6, but the Foxes looked set to hit back in the next until Drew Kemp made it past Niels-Kristian Iversen heading into the last lap.
The visitors added another 4-2 in Heat 9 as Klindt found his form, making the score 28-26, but the next two races proved crucial.
Northampton gated on a 5-1 in Heat 10 but in a terrific race Dan Thompson forced his way to the front and then the two visiting riders almost tangled enabling Douglas to pass Batchelor. The Lions’ No.1 then chased Iversen and superbly cut back off the last bend to snatch second place on the line.
Morris and Kemp followed up with another 5-1 in Heat 11 to extend the gap to ten points and give the Lions welcome breathing space, although the Foxes kept on battling and held a 5-1 position again in Heat 13 only for Douglas and Morris to both pass Jaimon Lidsey, although Douglas lost his maximum to Klindt.
A tactical substitute move in Heat 14 paid off for the visitors as Klindt came in to partner Batchelor to a 5-1, the race awarded after Morris fell, and the same pairing nearly repeated the feat in Heat 15 only for the Lions to come up with a spectacular finale.
Douglas looked to have passed both riders in one move only for Batchelor to re-take the lead, and whilst Dan Thompson got the better of Klindt, Douglas finally came through to hit the front with Thompson just missing out on second place.
Lions manager Stewart Dickson said: “I think after not racing for five weeks at home you’re almost starting again, and I think you could see it with some of our performances.
“I always thought it would be a tough meeting, because Northampton have riders who like this track, so I’m happy with the two points, and we’ll worry about the aggregate point when we go there.
“The track was a bit tricky to begin with because of the weather, but there was some really good racing in the second half of the meeting.
“Our opening pairing of Dougy and Dan got us three 5-1s, and the fact that the two of them were in Heat 15 showed that at the moment those are the two who are riding at the top of their game.
“Kyle said he just didn’t feel right, so maybe in hindsight the one race where he crashed should have done him for the night. He did the right thing to pull out rather than endanger himself or others, and I’ve told him to get checked out properly, and make sure he’s okay for the long-term.”
The Lions’ next home meeting comes up very soon as this coming Monday (July 6) sees defending champions Ipswich visit in the first repeat of last season’s Grand Final.
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2
LEICESTER 49: Ryan Douglas 12+2, Dan Thompson 12+1, Sam Masters 9, Nick Morris 7+1, Drew Kemp 5+1, Joe Thompson 4+1, Kyle Howarth 0.
NORTHAMPTON 41: Nicolai Klindt 10, Troy Batchelor 9+1, Jonas Jeppesen 7, Kye Thomson 5+1, Niels-Kristian Iversen 4+2, Jaimon Lidsey 4, Luke Harrison 2+1.
