LEICESTER have two injury concerns after a 47-43 defeat at Northampton on Monday where they salvaged the aggregate point in unlikely circumstances.
The Watling JCB Lions saw their middle order ripped out when Nick Morris and Dan Thompson were involved in a frightening Heat 7 crash which saw both riders withdrawn from the meeting.
Thompson was in discomfort with his hip with Morris having an ankle complaint, and both riders will be assessed over the next 24 hours although most importantly they walked away from the accident itself.
It was undoubtedly a major turning point in the meeting because the Lions had dominated the early stages and seemed set for an away win, before finding themselves fighting a rearguard action for the aggregate point.
Ryan Douglas and Drew Kemp opened up with a 4-2 in Heat 1 before reserves Joe Thompson and Paco Castagna raced to a clear 5-1 in the next – and wins for Morris and Sam Masters in the next two races along with third place for Thompson in Heat 4 put the Lions 16-8 up.
Douglas added another win in Heat 5 before the Foxes fashioned a comeback in the next race with Niels-Kristian Iversen and Kye Thomson combining for a 5-1.
But the Lions seemed set to turn that around immediately when Morris and Dan Thompson gated in the fateful Heat 7, only for Morris to see his front wheel wash out slightly on the inside taking him into his team-mate, and both riders suffered a high-speed trip into the barrier.
Remarkably after treatment both made their way back to the pits under their own steam, but their racing for the night was done leaving the Lions with a huge hole to fill.
Northampton pulled level with 4-2s in the next two races, Kemp hitting trouble on the last lap of Heat 8 as Freddy Hodder snatched third place, and then the hosts went ahead with another 4-2 in Heat 9 as Adam Ellis nicked third from Castagna on the line.
Iversen and Thompson put the Foxes six points to the good with a 5-1 in Heat 10, and although a tactical substitute win for Masters in Heat 11 gave Lions respite with a 4-2, home reserve Mitch McDiarmid rounded the visitors’ reserves in Heat 12 for a 5-1 with Nicolai Klindt to make it 40-32 with the aggregate scores level.
When Iversen and Lidsey took maximum points over Douglas and Masters in Heat 13, it appeared all hope of even one point had slipped away, but the hard-working Joe Thompson and Kemp popped up with a 5-1 over Ellis in Heat 14 to maintain their interest.
Both sides needed an advantage from Heat 15 for the aggregate point, and it was the Lions who got it as Masters and Douglas this time got the better of Iversen and Lidsey in a reversal of the result from two races earlier.
There was little doubt that the Lions deserved their league point especially given the circumstances, but manager Stewart Dickson admitted it wasn’t the most pressing matter on his mind.
Dickson said: “I think we’ll know more in the morning about both Dan and Nick, and we’re hopeful that they’re not season ending injuries, although it’s fair to say they are both doubtful for Thursday (at Ipswich).
“The result was not the most important thing in those circumstances, although it was good to get the point out of it which was some small consolation.
“But at the moment that’s not really what’s on my mind – it’s waiting to see what sort of response I get from these two, although I’m a little more hopeful now than I was when I saw the crash.
“It’s probably another meeting that’s got away from us, but it wasn’t anyone’s fault and Northampton capitalised on our misfortune, which is something you have to do when that happens.
“We had a really good support there so at least we were able to come back for the point in the closing stages, but the most important thing is how these two boys are.”
NORTHAMPTON 47: Niels-Kristian Iversen 11+1, Jaimon Lidsey 9+1, Nicolai Klindt 9+1, Kye Thomson 8+1, Adam Ellis 5+1, Mitch McDiarmid 3+2, Freddy Hodder 2.
LEICESTER 43: Joe Thompson 12, Sam Masters 11+1, Ryan Douglas 11, Drew Kemp 3+1, Paco Castagna 3+1, Nick Morris 3, Dan Thompson 0.
Leicester win the aggregate point
