OXFORD Cheetahs saw victory snatched away in the final heat as Leicester Lions claimed a 5-1 to take the points.

The teams were neck and neck at 42-all going into the decider, with Troy Batchelor and guest rider Erik Riss given the chance to seal a memorable win over the SGB Championship leaders.

But the duo suffered a 5-1 loss as Lions triumphed 47-43 to stretch the gap at the top of the table to 12 points.

Cheetahs, meanwhile, stay eighth as they spurned another chance to close in on the play-off places.

With captain Scott Nicholls again sidelined through injury, former German champion Riss stepped in as guest.

He collected a solid eight points, as did Dillon Ruml, while Batchelor top-scored with ten.

Cheetahs were aiming to repeat last week’s dramatic win over high-flying Glasgow Tigers at Sandy Lane, when they took a 5-1 in the final heat to triumph – but it was roles reversed as Leicester continued their relentless season.

Nick Morris and Richie top-scored – like in the return fixture last month – collecting 13 and 12+1 respectively.

Cheetahs return to action next Wednesday, when they host Plymouth Gladiators.

SCORERS

OXFORD 43: Troy Batchelor 10, Erik Riss 8, Dillon Ruml 8, Aaron Summers 6+1, Cameron Heeps 5+2, Paul Starke 3+1, Jordan Jenkins 3.

LEICESTER 47: Nick Morris 13, Richie Worrall 12+1, Kyle Howarth 7+1, Dan Thompson 7, Jason Edwards 5+2, Connor Mountain 3+1, Joe Thompson 0.

Championship points: Oxford 0 Leicester 3.