LEICESTER’S terrific unbeaten start to the WSRA National Development League season continued with an emphatic 56-34 win over defending champions Oxford.
The Lion Cubs made it three out of three in the NDL, and five out of five in all competitions as they left the Chargers running on empty on another baking hot day at the Hydroscand Arena.
Fast Freddy Hodder and Max Perry led the way with double figure scores, but this was a full all-round team performance where the Lion Cubs did their job in every department.
Not surprisingly, Chargers No.1 Jody Scott scored heavily, providing four of their six race wins, but his hopes of going through the card were wrecked by a penalty for touching the tapes in Heat 13.
Scott overhauled Lion Cubs skipper Ben Morley to win a shared Heat 1, but the Lion Cubs then put the match effectively beyond the Chargers with a stunning run of three successive 5-1s.
Reserves Seth Norman and Eli Meadows raced to maximum points in Heat 2, and they were backed up by Perry and Ryan Ingram in the next as Harry Fletcher came to grief from third place.
Then 15-year-old Norman took the scalp of the experienced Darryl Ritchings as he partnered Hodder to yet another 5-1 in Heat 4.
Scott stemmed the tide by heading up an Oxford 4-2 in Heat 5 as Ingram got filled in and ran a rare last place, but that was cancelled out with a 4-2 for the Lion Cubs in Heat 7 as Ashton Vale came to grief when Meadows went through.
A home 5-1 looked likely in Heat 8 only for Norman to fall on the third lap, with Tom Spencer continuing for the win, although that turned out to be his last ride as he was feeling unwell.
Ritchings had defeated Morley in Heat 6 but he was unable to get on terms with Perry and Ingram in Heat 9 as the Lion Cubs stretched 16 points clear, before Fletcher pulled off a good ride to get the better of Morley for an Oxford 4-2 in Heat 10.
Chargers pulled two more points back in Heat 11 with a fine effort by Scott to pass Hodder, but the Lion Cubs’ response was swift as they rebuilt a good lead with the aggregate point in mind.
First Perry raced to his third win in Heat 12 with Norman third, just missing out to Fletcher in a fine scrap, whilst Hodder and Morley picked up a big 5-1 in Heat 13 after the Oxford captain had been sent back 15m for touching the tapes.
Ingram and Meadows increased the pain for the Chargers with another maximum advantage in Heat 14, before Scott wound up with his fourth win of the day ahead of Perry and Hodder in a shared Heat 15, in the fastest NDL time of the season at Beaumont Park.
Manager Jen Crossland said: “I couldn’t be prouder of the team, every single one of them, and I did call that performance beforehand.
“We want to win the league of course, but there’s a long way to go on that and Edinburgh will be tough.
“I think they’re the team we’ve got to look out for, but I’m absolutely delighted with our lads. The are a great bunch to work with.”
The Lion Cubs are next in action in a fortnight (Sunday July 26) when they race their first away league match at Buxton, with dates awaited for trips to Middlesbrough and King’s Lynn which were recently postponed for various football and staffing reasons.
LEICESTER 56: Freddy Hodder 13, Max Perry 12+1, Ben Morley 8+1, Ryan Ingram 7+2, Seth Norman 6+1, Tom Spencer 5+2, Eli Meadows 5+2.
OXFORD 34: Jody Scott 13, Harry Fletcher 7, Darryl Ritchings 5, Jamie Halder 4, Ashton Vale 3, Lee Harrison 2+1, Max Broadhurst 0.
