LEICESTER’S tough week on the road ended with a heavy 57-33 defeat at Sheffield.
The Watling JCB Lions got off to a disastrous start at Owlerton, conceding four 5-1s and a 4-2 in the first five races, and after Heat 7 they found themselves 22 points down and looking for damage limitation at best.
They were partially successful in that respect as the second half of the meeting saw the Tigers extend their lead by just two further points, but that was little consolation as the South Yorkshire side are still in prime position to take the aggregate point.
The result leaves the Lions still second in the league table but only one point ahead of Sheffield, albeit with a match in hand.
Ryan Douglas recovered from a slow start personally to card double figures including two race wins, with Drew Kemp the only other Lions rider to take the flag although Nick Morris finished well with two paid wins in consolation 5-1s.
Leicester were left stunned in the early stages by a barrage of Tigers maximums, starting when guest Jason Doyle forced his way through on turn three of Heat 1 to join Anders Rowe, whilst Jye Etheridge and Luke Killeen followed suit in the next.
Morris was the first Lions rider to beat an opponent when he split Leon Flint and Chris Holder in Heat 3, but home reserve Killeen produced a shock paid win behind Josh Pickering in Heat 4 before Flint and Holder relegated Douglas to third place in Heat 5.
Sam Masters held off Rowe for second place behind Doyle in Heat 6, and Morris collected another two points in Heat 7 but at that stage it was 32-10 and the Lions had to do something to save face.
Thankfully they replied with a 5-1 from Kemp and Joe Thompson over Killeen and Rowe in Heat 8, although that was immediately cancelled out when Holder re-passed Masters to team up with Flint again in the next.
Sheffield added two more 4-2s, Dan Thompson getting on the board between Rowe and Doyle in Heat 10 whilst Douglas lost out to Pickering in Heat 11 when he lifted on turn four.
With the scores at 46-20 it looked potentially set to be a heavier defeat than at Belle Vue on Monday, but Douglas took a tactical substitute ride and joined forces with Morris for a 5-1 over Holder and Killeen in Heat 12.
The Tigers found their form again with a 4-2 from Doyle and Pickering, split by Douglas, in Heat 13, and another maximum in Heat 14 as Flint made it four wins out of four, backed up by Etheridge.
But they had a scare in the last race when Pickering crashed heavily on turn four, thankfully being able to walk away after treatment, and the re-run at least saw Douglas and Morris have the final word with a 5-1 against Holder with the Sheffield captain having been disqualified.
Douglas said: “They started so well and put us under the pump. They took the meeting away from us before it started really, so it’s a shame.
“We had a similar thing at Belle Vue so we know it’s not good enough. We’re going out there and giving it 100 per cent but sometimes it doesn’t work out that way.
“It’s nice that we finished with a couple of decent races at the end, and we just have to dust ourselves off and look forward to the next one now.”
The Lions will look to hit back when they return to the Hydroscand Arena, Beaumont Park for the return fixture against the Tigers next Thursday (August 13).
SHEFFIELD 57: Leon Flint 12, Josh Pickering 10, Jason Doyle 9+1, Chris Holder 7+2, Jye Etheridge 7+1, Anders Rowe 7, Luke Killeen 5+2.
LEICESTER 33: Ryan Douglas 11, Nick Morris 8+2, Drew Kemp 4, Joe Thompson 3+1, Dan Thompson 3. Sam Masters 3, Will Cairns 1.
Phoro credit: CHARLOTTE FLANIGAN
