LEICESTER gave their play-off hopes a further boost with a 53-37 win over King’s Lynn at the Hydroscand Arena, Beaumont Park on Thursday.
The Watling JCB Lions were always in control of the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership clash, and the result takes them six points clear of the Stars in the league table, with two matches in hand.
But thanks to the efforts of former Lions riders Richard Lawson and Chris Harris in the main, there was still plenty of good speedway and Leicester did not have things all their own way.
All of the home riders were involved in at least one win or paid win, with reserves Drew Kemp and Joe Thompson breaking the deadlock with a 5-1 in Heat 2.
That was quickly backed up by Ryan Douglas and Kyle Howarth in the next, with Douglas roaring around Harris into turn three and Howarth forcefully making his way through on the inside.
But Sam Masters, who had fallen in Heat 1, was then on the end of a 5-1 reverse against Lawson and Zach Cook in Heat 4 as the Stars put themselves on the board.
Lions extended their lead to eight points with 4-2s in Heats 6 and 7, Howarth again passing Harris in the former, whilst the seventh saw Kemp hold on for a fine win over the Stars skipper.
Skipper Max Fricke’s winning run around the Hydroscand Arena was finally ended by Lawson in Heat 8 as the Lynn man made it three wins on the bounce – and it was nearly four in Heat 9 only for Douglas to pull off an excellent overtake off the final bend, snatching the verdict on the line.
Douglas suffered mechanical trouble in Heat 10 as he lost out to Harris and Cook, but that was cancelled out by Lawson pulling out of Heat 11 as he looked to reel in Masters.
It was 42-30 with three races to go but Lions then banged in two more 5-1s with Fricke storming inside Niels-Kristian Iversen going into the last lap of Heat 13, the Dane falling but the referee being content with the pass being fair, before Howarth and Kemp combined for more maximum points in the next.
But it was the Stars who had the final say in a terrific Heat 15 with Harris holding off Masters and Howarth before Lawson came from nowhere in the latter stages, going from fourth to second on the last lap as he snatched second place and a consolation 5-1 on the line.
Kemp said: “It was a really good win for the guys tonight. I think King’s Lynn are on our tails and chasing us for that play-off spot, so to get one over on them was a good result for us.
“I think we’re all coming into form how we should be, Joe (Thompson) is chipping in with points and making some good starts, Max (Fricke) is as good as ever and we’re all pretty consistent.
“That’s what we need and what we were lacking at the start of the year, but we all seem to be finding our feet and I think it shows.”
The Lions are back in league action at the Hydroscand Arena, Beaumont Park next Thursday (July 10) when they face Oxford.
LEICESTER 53: Max Fricke 13+1, Drew Kemp 10+2, Ryan Douglas 10, Sam Masters 9, Kyle Howarth 8+2, Joe Thompson 3+2, Luke Becker r/r.
KING’S LYNN 37: Richard Lawson 14+2, Chris Harris 11, Zach Cook 7+2, Niels-Kristian Iversen 4, Luke Harrison 1, Tobias Thomsen 0, Jan Kvech r/r.
