LEICESTER continued their 100 per cent start to the WSRA National Development League season with an impressive 56-34 win over Edinburgh.
Skipper Joe Thompson struck a faultless 15-point maximum for the Lion Cubs, who produced a terrific all-round team performance against a Monarchs Academy side who had been expected to cause them several problems.
The Cubs were especially strong at reserve where Luke Crang won three races on his way to a double figure score, whilst youngster Sonny Springer enjoyed a dream home debut as he picked up paid-10, going unbeaten in his first three outings.
Despite tracking two former Leicester title winners in Connor Coles and Max Perry, the visitors were limited to just three race wins, two of them from Sam McGurk and the other from Perry in Heat 9.
The Lion Cubs took control of the meeting with 5-1s in Heats 2 and 4, both of them involving Springer with the latter a major surprise as he and Max James took a super maximum over Perry.
Tom Spencer then defeated Connor Coles in Heat 5 and the Cubs moved ten points clear at the halfway stage before Springer and Vinnie Foord combined for a 5-1 in Heat 8, Foord having picked himself up from a spill in the first race when he was looking to pass Coles.
Perry did take the win in Heat 9 after initially clashing with Spencer who came to grief, but the Lion Cubs effectively wrapped things up in the next two races with the previously unbeaten McGurk running a last behind Foord in Heat 10, before Crang and James collected a 5-1 in Heat 11 when Coles looped at the start and was disqualified.
Spencer raced to his second win in Heat 12 with Springer re-passing Kyran Lyden for third place, and the Cubs reached the 50-point mark with a 4-2 from Thompson and James, split by Coles, in Heat 13.
The last two races were shared with Crang taking Heat 14 as Arran Butcher came to grief, whilst McGurk and Coles packed in behind Thompson in Heat 15 as the Cubs captain completed his full house.
Manager Dave Howard said: “It was a great performance, especially considering none of them apart from Joe had ridden the track this season after the changes.
“But everybody was fantastic and it’s great to get a big win, and to get two wins out of two at the start of the season.
“Obviously Edinburgh have a stronger top three, but everybody put their bottom four behind them, so it was a great performance by everybody today, and it’s brilliant to get the result.”
The Lion Cubs’ next fixture sees them host Middlesbrough on Sunday April 21 (3pm).
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE
LEICESTER 56: Joe Thompson 15, Luke Crang 11, Sonny Springer 8+2, Max James 7+2, Tom Spencer 7+1, Vinnie Foord 4+1, Arran Butcher 4.
EDINBURGH 34: Sam McGurk 10, Connor Coles 7+1, Max Perry 6, Dayle Wood 4, Mason Watson 3+1, Mark Parker 2+1, Kyran Lyden 2+1.
