LEICESTER captain Max Fricke was delighted to see the hard work of the last three seasons rewarded with major silverware on Thursday.
Aussie star Fricke has been with the Watling JCB Lions ever since they moved back up into the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership in 2023.
The first season saw them just miss out on reaching the title play-offs, whilst last year they made it all the way into the Grand Final, finishing as runners-up to Belle Vue.
The race for the league in 2025 is still very much on, but the Lions already have a trophy in the bag thanks to their Premiership KO Cup success.
Having defeated Birmingham and Sheffield in the earlier rounds, they got the better of King’s Lynn by a 30-point margin in the Final and lifted the trophy amidst celebratory scenes at the Hydroscand Arena, Beaumont Park.
Fricke said: “When I first came here they were just coming back up into the league, and it’s nice to see the team building and growing year after year.
“To come away with some silverware after all the hard work is really cool to see, the fans and everyone here deserve it so much, and it’s great to be part of it.
“Everyone in the team is riding really good, and they all deserve it. It’s great to see how everyone is working so well together behind the scenes, and it’s all come together with such a great collective result.”
The Lions are also in a strong position to challenge for the Premiership league title again this season as they sit third in the league standings approaching the final month of the regular campaign.
Fricke added: “That’s the goal, but first of all we need to get through the league healthy and get to those play-offs.
“I think we have a great team and when everyone is on their day, riding like they did today, we are definitely one of the strongest teams out there.”
