King’s Lynn Stars’ Premiership play-off hopes have been effectively dashed after Ipswich secured a crucial away victory at Leicester on Monday night.
The Witches defeated the Lions 48-42 at the Hydroscand Arena, handing Leicester their first home defeat of the season and, crucially, putting Ipswich beyond King’s Lynn’s reach.
Had Ipswich lost at Leicester – or even failed to take the aggregate point – they would have remained within range of the PSH Environmental Stars ahead of Lynn’s final fixture at Northampton on Thursday.
Instead, Ipswich cannot now be caught.
The Stars are also three points behind Sheffield, who complete their programme at home to Northampton on Wednesday.
Even if Sheffield suffer a surprise defeat against the side Lynn face on Thursday, the Tigers’ superior race points difference of 71 means the Stars would still require an unprecedented set of results to overhaul them.
Lynn’s final Premiership fixture comes at Northampton on Thursday, but their hopes of reaching the play-offs now rest on an extremely unlikely sequence of results.
There is still track action at the Adrian Flux Arena on Wednesday, with the Young Stars hosting Leicester and then Middlesbrough in a WSRA NDL double header.
