LEICESTER Lion Cubs had to be content with just one league point from a bruising day of WSRA National Development League action against Oxford.
The Lion Cubs and the Chargers drew 44-44 at the Hydroscand Arena, Beaumont Park in a hugely eventful clash which saw the visitors win a Super Heat for the extra league point.
But for Leicester it came at a big cost as their middle order of Max Perry and Sonny Springer was wiped out in an horrific Heat 9 crash which ended up having a major bearing on the meeting.
The Lion Cubs pair were set for a clear 5-1, which would have put their side into a five-point lead, when Springer – making his final appearance before retiring from the sport – suddenly straightened on turn one putting him on a collision course with Perry’s rear wheel.
Both riders came down heavily and it was a relief to see them walk away after treatment, but neither could continue in the meeting, and it completed a disastrous day for Perry who had fallen whilst battling for second place in Heat 3 and then suffered mechanical trouble two races later.
Thankfully there appears to be no lasting damage as Perry was withdrawn with shock and grazing, and Springer with a thigh muscle injury.
The Lion Cubs had to regroup after a lengthy delay and they so nearly did enough to win the meeting, as a 5-1 from excellent guest Ben Morley and the sensational Cooper Rushen in Heat 10 put them six points up.
But the Chargers fought back with a great ride by captain Jody Scott to pass Max James on the last bend of Heat 11, before Darryl Ritchings finally ended Rushen’s unbeaten run in the next.
Lion Cubs edged a 4-2 in a cracking Heat 13 with Morley just holding off Scott, who had fought his way past James, and they were inches away from clinching the meeting in Heat 14.
As Ryan Ingram stole a vital third place from Ashton Vale, Rushen spectacularly rounded Ritchings heading into the final bend, only to suddenly lift on the way to the flag end be edged out for the win.
That gave the Chargers an opening to salvage a draw in Heat 15 with Rushen having completed seven rides, and Ritchings and Scott both took the outside to pass the previously unbeaten Morley and level the match at 44-44.
With a Super Heat then staged to decide the extra point, Lion Cubs were able to pair Rushen with Morley, and the start of lap two saw them briefly in a winning position as Rushen charged under Scott, with Morley up-front.
But the Chargers rider hit back on turn three and in the increasingly tough conditions Rushen hit the fence on turn four and the race was stopped and awarded in Oxford’s favour.
The evening meeting at BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium was always likely to be a step too far with the Lion Cubs down to three of their regular riders, whilst the Chargers recruited Belle Vue captain Freddy Hodder to replace Jacob Clouting, who had taken a heavy fall in the re-run of Heat 9 at Leicester.
Rushen was spectacular once again with five race wins out of seven, taking his incredible total to 20 wins out of 27 in his first four NDL matches.
Morley and James also added race wins but it was a meeting in which the Lion Cubs were always likely to run short of options, with Jamie Etherington stepping in as a third guest at short notice, although he too picked up a knock in his final ride.
Despite a fall for James in Heat 4, the Lion Cubs kept the deficit at four points after Heat 5, and even after conceding a 5-1 in the next they took a 4-2 back from Rushen and Etherington in Heat 7.
Oxford extended the margin into double figures when Scott and Senna Summers combined in Heat 10, only for Rushen to hold off a strong Hodder challenge in Heat 11 ahead of Morley for a 4-2.
The Chargers then secured the win with a 4-2 in Heat 12 after Etherington had come to grief – although Ingram took a good second over Arran Butcher – followed by a 5-1 from Scott and Hodder in Heat 13.
Rushen, who had missed out in Heat 10 when he touched the tapes, completed a superb personal day with a win in Heat 14, before Scott came from the back to round off a full maximum in the last race with Ritchings joining him for a 5-1.
Manager Jen Crossland said: “We can’t fault anyone for effort, it was just a really tough day and obviously the big crash at Leicester had a big impact on things.
“It was just good to see the riders walk away, although Max hurt his elbow and was battered and bruised, and Sonny had a nasty gash to his leg, and as we knew before the weekend sadly he’s now stepped down.
“I’d like to thank Ben Morley who came in at short notice, especially at Leicester he was superb, and also I feel really bad for Jamie Etherington because he twisted his knee at Oxford and he may have some ligament damage. His steel shoe came off and the bike just threw him off.
“Obviously Cooper was incredible, and he’ll now be at No.1 for us when he gets his new average, and we’ll be taking a look at what we can do elsewhere before the Steelers meeting in a fortnight.”
LEICESTER 44: Cooper Rushen 18+1, Ben Morley 13, Max James 5, Sonny Springer 4, Ryan Ingram 2+1, Harry Fletcher 2, Max Perry 0.
OXFORD 44: Darryl Ritchings 13+2, Jody Scott 13, Arran Butcher 6, Senna Summers 4+2, Jacob Clouting 4, Ashton Vale 2, Max Broadhurst 2.
Oxford beat Leicester 5-4 in Super Heat
OXFORD 55: Jody Scott 15, Darryl Ritchings 11+2, Ashton Vale 8+1, Freddy Hodder 8+1, Senna Summers 6+2, Arran Butcher 6+2, Max Broadhurst 1+1.
LEICESTER 35: Cooper Rushen 17, Ben Morley 7, Max James 5, Ryan Ingram 4, Jamie Etherington 2, Harry Fletcher 0, Sonny Springer r/r.
Oxford win the aggregate point.
