Lions tame Panthers to pick up first away points of campaign
FRICKE DISPELS COMEBACK FEARS
LEICESTER picked up their first away league points of the Premiership season with a 47-43 win at Peterborough on Bank Holiday Monday.
The Lions gained an additional match point awarded to a team winning on aggregate over corresponding fixtures as they beat the Panthers at home by an identical score at the Pidcock Motorcyles Arena, Beaumont Park last month.
The Lions were on the front foot from the beginning at the East of England Showground and went ahead by eight points after three heats only to allow the home side to work their way back into the match by outpointing the visitors in heats four and six.
The scores then settled down, with heats seven to 10 drawn, before the Lions delivered a hammer blow in heat 11 through their top pairing of Max Fricke and Justin Sedgmen, who completed their second maximum score of the match, relegating the previously unbeaten Niels Kristian-Iversen into third place.
By now both teams were reduced to six riders, with Benjamin Basso withdrawing after aggravating a hand injury and Leicester’s teenage reserve, Dan Thompson, crashing at the end of the eighth heat.
When the teams resumed after the interval the points were shared, thanks to Richard Lawson who shielded team partner Jake Allen from the advances of Richie Worrall, and the outcome maintained Leicester’s lead at six points.
Heat 13 ended with Leicester moving further ahead by 8 points when Nick Morris posted his first race win and Fricke settled into third place with two heats remaining.
The Panthers gave their fans hope of salvaging a draw when their two riders, Worrall and Hans Andersen, ironically two former Leicester riders, secured a maximum score in the penultimate heat.
It was a prospect that never materialised as Fricke blazed his way to the front to secure Leicester’s first away win of the season.
Peterborough 43: Michael Palm Toft 6+2 points, Ben Cook 4+1, Benjamin Basso 1, Richie Worrall 8, Niels Kristian-Iversen 14, Hans Andersen 7+3 and Jordan Jenkins 3.
Leicester 47: Max Fricke 13 points, Justin Sedgmen 7+2, Richard Lawson 9+1, Kyle Howarth 3+2, Nick Morris 5+1, Jake Allen 7 and Dan Thompson 3+1.