LEICESTER 49 FOXES 41

NORTHAMPTON Foxes went down 49-41 in another competitive ROWE Motor Oil Premiership fixture at Leicester on Thursday.

Skipper Nicolai Klindt won three races as he reached double figures, and Troy Batchelor produced his best performance of the season, but the Foxes are still striving to find ultimate consistency.

The did have openings at the Hydroscand Arena against a side renowned for their home form, and they would certainly have been closer but for the Leicester opening pairing of Ryan Douglas and Dan Thomposn which did significant damage on the night.

A late tactical move had the effect of narrowing the gap with the deficit reduced to single figures, and the meeting could well have finished closer than that.

The early stages were tough with the Foxes conceding 5-1s in Heats 1 and 4, although there was an excellent ride by Jonas Jeppesen to pass Joe Thompson and win Heat 2.

Batchelor shocked the home crowd by going from third to first in Heat 3 only to be re-passed by Sam Masters, but the Foxes still shared the race when home man Kyle Howarth crashed on the last bend.

Trailing 15-9, Northampton got back into the meeting with a 5-1 in Heat 5 from Jaimon Lidsey and Kye Thomson, the latter re-passing Howarth for second place with the Lions rider subsequently retiring and pulling out of his remaining rides.

Douglas and Dan Thompson added their second 5-1 in Heat 6 but the Foxes worked hard to contain their hosts, with a 4-2 in Heat 7 as Batchelor took the win with Niels-Kristian Iversen holding second place for nearly three laps before Drew Kemp split the Foxes.

Another 4-2 in Heat 9, this time from Klindt and Jeppesen, meant there were just two points in it, but the meeting swung in the next two races.

Iversen and Batchelor led away in Heat 10 but a fine ride by Dan Thompson saw him hit the front, and Douglas then worked his way through from fourth to second, passing Iversen on the run to the line for a turnaround 5-1.
The home side backed that up with a second maximum on the spin in Heat 11, this time from Nick Morris and Kemp over Lidsey and Thomson who had mechanical trouble on the third lap.

A comeback from there was going to be tough, but the Foxes did what they could and they were on a 5-1 again in Heat 13 before Douglas and Morris both forced their way past Lidsey for a 3-3.

Klindt was an impressive winner of the race, and he was introduced into Heat 14 for a tactical substitute ride where he combined with Batchelor for maximum points with the race awarded after Morris fell on lap three.

But it was the Douglas/Dan Thompson pairing which had the final say in a dramatic Heat 15 where Douglas piled through on the inside of both Foxes riders whilst Thompson managed to overcome Klindt but just couldn’t complete an unbeaten score as Batchelor held on for second place.

Adams said: “We kept on plugging away and to lose by eight away from home is a credible performance, and it was really Heats 10 and 11 which took the wind out of our sails.

“Nicolai won three races in succession after a slow start, and it was good to see Troy having a better night tonight.

“I would maybe have used the tactical substitute a little earlier but it didn’t seem that we would be coming off the right gates, so when it came to Heat 14 I just felt we had to throw everything at it and try to reduce that deficit so we have a better chance of getting the aggregate when they return to us later in the year.”

“We know what the riders are capable of and we’re looking for them to click together, but every meeting we’ve been to so far, all seven just haven’t clicked at the exact same time. When that happens, we’re going to be winning.”

The Foxes are next in action on Monday when they visit King’s Lynn, before a big night at the Shaleway next Thursday (July 9) when they host league leaders Belle Vue, complete with World No.2 Brady Kurtz leading their side.

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2
LEICESTER 49: Ryan Douglas 12+2, Dan Thompson 12+1, Sam Masters 9, Nick Morris 7+1, Drew Kemp 5+1, Joe Thompson 4+1, Kyle Howarth 0.
NORTHAMPTON 41: Nicolai Klindt 10, Troy Batchelor 9+1, Jonas Jeppesen 7, Kye Thomson 5+1, Niels-Kristian Iversen 4+2, Jaimon Lidsey 4, Luke Harrison 2+1.