Leicester terrific as Bears defeated
The Leicester Lions proved why they are the reigning Championship title holders as they were simply too strong for the Bears. The star man for the Lions was the young prodigy Dan Thompson who scored 13 points from 7 rides whilst the Bears top scorer was the guest Richard Lawson who scored 11 points.
The meeting actually began in positive fashion for the Bears as Richard Lawson won from the gate and Jordan Jenkins passed Ty Proctor on bend 2 lap 1 for a Bears 4-2. Heat 2 saw the Thompson twins take a maximum heat advantage as James Sarjeant slid off in pursuit of Joe Thompson on the last lap. Heat 3 saw the Bears gate on a 5-1 only for Jake Allen to be passed by Kyle Howarth but Anders Rowe took the chequered flag to bring the meeting level at 9 apiece. Heat 4 saw one of the races of the night as Jordan Jenkins and Ryan Douglas had a ding-dong battle before Jenkins was excluded due to a collision with the Australian. Heat 5 saw the Lions take a vice-like grip on the meeting after both Lions passed Jake Allen for a maximum heat advantage. Heat 6 saw stand-in skipper Michael Palm-Toft steady the ship with a win but the gap remained the same as the Lions packed the minor placings. The 7th heat of the evening saw Leicester pick up another 5-1 as Dan Thompson and Ryan Douglas defeated Jake Allen and Anders Rowe. Heat 8 saw a titanic battle between the Bears rising star Jordan Jenkins and the experienced Ty Proctor with the Englishman taking the chequered flag.
Heat 9 saw the Lions take their lead into double figures with a 4-2 as Kyle Howarth took the win. Heat 10 saw the league champions extend their lead further with another 4-2 advantage with a win from their number 1 Nick Morris. Heat 11 saw Redcar use their tactical substitute and it looked like the decision had paid off with the Bears on a 5-1 before Palm-Toft suffered bike problems meaning the Bears only secured a 4-2. Heat 12 saw another shared heat as Allen and Jenkins packed the minor places for the Bears. Heat 13 saw the Bears pack the minor places again as Ryan Douglas picked up his maiden win on the night. Heat 14 saw any hopes of a consolation point extinguished as Ty Proctor passed Anders Rowe to take the Lions lead to 12. The final heat of the evening saw Richard Lawson take the win in a shared heat with the Lions running out 51-39 winners.
After the meeting we caught up with Jordan Jenkins who had another solid evening and the Bears reserve had this to say on the evening, “Tonight could have been better as I dropped a couple of points here and there but it could’ve been a lot worse. I never settle and I am always wanting to do better but it was a decent night. Leicester is a hard place to come so I don’t believe this is a massive setback for the team but I think we do miss having Jordan Stewart in the 1-7. I’m already looking forward to the Kent meeting on Friday, they have some good riders but I believe we can win the meeting if we ride well.”
Leicester Lions = 51
1. Nick Morris – 2, 2, 3, 0 = 7
2. Ty Proctor – 0, 1*, 2, 1, 1 = 5+1
3. Kyle Howarth – 2, 2*, 3, 3, 1* = 11+1
4. Josh Bates R/R
5. Ryan Douglas – 2, 2*, 2, 3, 2 = 11+1
6. Dan Thompson – 3, 0, 3, 3, 1, 0, 3 = 13
7. Joe Thompson – 2*, 1*, 1*, 0 = 4+3
Redcar Bears = 39
1. Richard Lawson (G) – 3, 0, 3, 2, 3 = 11
2. Jordan Stewart R/R
3. Jake Allen – 1, 1, 1, 0, 2 = 5
4. Anders Rowe – 3, 0, 0, 2, 0 = 5
5. Michael Palm Toft – 3, 3, 2, 1, 1*, 0 = 10+1
6. James Sarjeant – F, F, 0 = 0
7. Jordan Jenkins – 1, 1, Ex, 3, 1*, 2 = 8+1