Leaders Lions targeting first away win in league
WORRALL BACK IN EDINBURGH HAVING RIDDEN FOR CLUB LAST YEAR
LEICESTER make the long journey north tomorrow night to race against the Edinburgh Monarchs with the aim of strengthening their lead at the top of the Championship table by gaining their first away win in the league this season, writes Alan Jones.
Lions co-promoter David Darcy said: “Whilst we have been dominant at home we have only picked up one match point so far from three away fixtures, so it is an area we are mindful that improvement is needed.
“The Edinburgh team are a very good side and give very little away at home.
“Although having said that, they lost last week in the Scottish derby against Glasgow so the Monarchs will be doubly keen to get back to winning ways against us.
“The Armadale circuit is a small technical track and if you make good starts it is a lot easier to win races and defend.
“Our record there is not the best, having only won once in six previous visits, but we have riders in our team who have ridden plenty of laps around the place and none more so than Richie Worrall who was an Edinburgh rider last year.
“So we go there with full optimism that we will be competitive and come away with a good result.”
The Lions make one change to the side that beat Oxford last weekend with Berwick’s Kyle Bickley coming into the team as a guest replacement for Anders Rowe who is missing due to illness.
Teams
Edinburgh Monarchs: 1. Sam Masters, 2. Lasse Fredriksen, 3. Paco Castagna, 4. Kye Thomson, 5. Josh Pickering, 6. Jacob Hook and 7. James Sarjeant.
Leicester Lions: 1. Richie Worrall,
2. Dan Thompson, 3. Nick Morris,
4. Connor Mountain, 5. Kyle Howarth,
6. Kyle Bickley and 7. Joe Thompson.
Meanwhile, Leicester’s second team, the Lion Cubs, finally begin their season this weekend.
They host the Belle Vue Colts at the Paul Chapman and Sons Arena on Saturday in a National Development League fixture followed by an away match in Sittingbourne against the Kent Royals on Sunday.
The club have had to wait for reserve Max Perry to turn 15 before starting their fixtures.
The youngster is now eligible to race and joins fellow debutants Connor Coles and Vinnie Foord in the side that includes returnees from last season, Tom Spencer, Mickie Simpson and the Thompson twins, Dan and Joe.
The Leicester team is one of the youngest in the division – five of the side are teenagers with Coles the elder statesman at 27 and Spencer five years his junior.