LEICESTER Lion Cubs saw their unbeaten run come to an end in the WSRA National Development League as they were edged out 47-43 at Oxford.
The Lion Cubs still did more than enough to take the aggregate point, but having lost out in a last-heat decider at Cowley there is little doubt that the big winners on the day were Edinburgh who are now the only team to boast a 100 per cent record.
Freddy Hodder piled up a superb 15 points from six rides for the Lion Cubs who were without Max Perry who had been signed out injured after his Championship match for Workington on Saturday.
That meant the Lion Cubs had to use rider replacement, which meant a busier afternoon than expected for several team members.
But despite conceding a 5-1 in Heat 1, the early stages could hardly have gone better as the Lion Cubs responded with three successive 5-1s of their own.
Two of them involved Seth Norman as he combined with Eli Meadows in Heat 2 and the with Hodder over home star Darryl Ritchigns in Heat 4, whilst Hodder and Ryan Ingram also notched maximum points in Heat 3.
With a 16-8 lead the Lion Cubs looked favourites, but the Chargers hit back with a 5-1 and a 4-2 in the next race to slash the margin to two points ahead of a series of shared races.
The match lead then turned in Oxford’s favour with a 5-1 in Heat 10 from the unbeaten Jody Scott and the returning Senna Summers, despite the efforts of Ingram to split them.
Two more 3-3s followed before the Chargers edged a 4-2 in a dramatic Heat 13, first with Hodder coming down in first bend bunching, with all four coming back for the re-run.
That saw Hodder just miss out to Scott whilst Ben Morley was disqualified when he went down under the challenge of Ritchings.
Ingram won Heat 14 with Norman in third place to narrow the Oxford lead to two points, but Heat 15 was always going to be a big ask with the unbeaten Scott in the race.
So it proved as the Chargers skipper got his side over the line despite the opening lap efforts of Hodder, with Ritchings giving the home team more insurance with third place.
The Lion Cubs are next in action at home to King’s Lynn on Sunday September 6.
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE
OXFORD 47: Jody Scott 15, Darryl Ritchings 9, Senna Summers 8+2, Harry Fletcher 7+1, Ashton Vale 7+1, Emerson Betty 1, Max Broadhurst 0.
LEICESTER 43: Freddy Hodder 15, Ryan Ingram 9+2, Seth Norman 7+2, Tom Spencer 5+1, Ben Morley 4, Eli Meadows 3+2, Max Perry R/R.
Leicester win the aggregate point
Photo credit: STEVE EDMUNDS
