King’s Lynn slipped to a 57-33 defeat at Leicester on Monday as the play-off-chasing Lions proved too strong.
Robert Lambert was sensational once again for the MacInnes Stars whilst skipper Simon Lambert took the scalp of Lions guest Dan Bewley in a real highlight of the meeting, but this was a night where the middle-order injuries really caught up with them.
The Lions were fired up after a heavy loss at Belle Vue earlier in the day and had no margin for error as they look to work their way back into the play-off places.
And without three members of their top five, it was always going to be a tough ask for the Stars – who did briefly lead thanks to a 5-1 in Heat 2 with some strong riding from Anders Rowe and Simon Lambert.
Leicester gradually established control and struck a hat-trick of 5-1s between Heats 6 and 8, before a dramatic Heat 9 saw Justin Sedgmen shed a chain whilst leading, whilst Lambert held off every challenge of Bewley to take a superb victory.
Bewley was standing in for the injured Richard Lawson but Robert Lambert had his number when they met in Heat 5 with a tremendous ride, and whilst Lambert was beaten by Max Fricke when he took a tactical substitute ride in Heat 10, he dominated the closing stages of the meeting.
Lambert roared clear of Richie Worrall in Heat 11 before ending Fricke’s maximum hopes with a pair of fast starts from the inside in Heats 13 and 15.
The Lions did, however, ease further clear with 5-1s in Heats 12 and 14 as reserves Drew Kemp and Jake Allen recovered from their maximum concession in Heat 2 to score well for the rest of the meeting.
The Stars face their penultimate away match of the season at Sheffield on Thursday, where they will come up against former Lynn rider Chris Holder who has been announced as a deadline day signing by the Tigers.
Leicester Lions 57: Max Fricke 13, Richie Worrall 11+2, Dan Bewley 11+1, Jake Allen 9+1, Drew Kemp 7+3, Justin Sedgmen 6+3, Craig Cook r/r.
King’s Lynn Stars 33: Robert Lambert 16, Simon Lambert 6+1, Michael Palm Toft 4, Anders Rowe 4, Connor Mountain 2, Kye Thomson 2, Nicolai Klindt r/r.
Leicester win the aggregate point
