Leaders Lions aim to finish on a high
LEICESTER COMPLETE CHAMPIONSHIP FIXTURES WITH VISIT OF BERWICK BANDITS THIS WEEKEND
LEICESTER Lions complete their Championship fixtures on Sunday with the visit of Berwick Bandits to the Paul Chapman and Sons Arena – and a win against the Border club will give them a total of 46 match points, writes Alan Jones.
Leicester have held top position in the league table from the start of the season and are currently nine points ahead of second-placed Glasgow.
While the Scottish club have matches in hand over the Lions, a win against Berwick will mean they cannot be overtaken in the final league table.
Co-promoter David Darcy said: “Finishing top of the league is a big plus for us as it means that we avoid having to race in the quarter-finals of the play-offs.
“Instead we will have the privilege of having first pick of the quarterfinals winners in the semi-finals.
“Although we can’t get ahead of ourselves as there is a job to be done against Berwick on Sunday.
“They have not had the best of seasons to be honest and are fighting to stay off the bottom of the league table but we cannot underestimate them for one moment.
“They have riders in their side who are experienced campaigners and know what it takes to win matches so we have to be on our guard.”
Before that, Leicester make their second appearance in the Championship Jubilee League competition tonight at Scunthorpe Scorpions, with high hopes of improving on their opening match.
The Lions lost 51-39 at Redcar Bears last Friday but they are boosted by the news that Dan Thompson returns to the side.
The teenager has missed Leicester’s two previous senior matches while serving a mandatory 12-day suspension caused by concussion after a fall in a previous Lion Cubs fixture.
Sunday’s teams
Leicester Lions: 1. Nick Morris,
2. Connor Mountain, 3. Richie Worrall,
4. Dan Thompson, 5. Kyle Howarth,
6. Max Clegg and 7. Joe Thompson While the seniors are setting the pace in their league, the Lion Cubs are now one of the main contenders for the play-offs in the National Development League.
The juniors secured a draw at Oxford Chargers on Wednesday after coming from six points behind.
Ben Morley topped the scorechart with a maximum points haul from his five rides, and he was ably supported by Max Perry, Joe Thompson and Connor Coles.
Meanwhile, a cup final appearance beckons for the Lion Cubs who head to Berwick tomorrow tonight to race the second leg of the Knock-out Cup semi-final with high hopes of a positive result at Shielfield Park.
Leicester hold a commanding lead of 36 points from the first leg at home and a win on aggregate will earn the defending champions a place in the cup final.