OXFORD Chargers skipper Jordan Jenkins was delighted by a team performance which helped the side end Oxford Speedway’s 18-year wait for silverware.

Chargers beat defending champions Leicester Lion Cubs 34-32 in a dramatic National League grand final at Oxford Stadium.

In doing so, they won Oxford Speedway’s first league championship since the Oxford Academy won the Conference League in 2005.

After the postponement at Leicester’s Beaumont Park on Sunday, British Speedway bosses decreed the Sandy Lane meeting would be a one-leg affair, while the title would be awarded to table-topping Lion Cubs in the event that the meeting was rained off.

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In Heat 12, Cubs’ heat leader Max Perry lifted entering the first bend, and both he and his bike slammed straight into the air fence.

With Perry requiring medical attention, there was a delay in proceedings, during which time heavy rain arrived and led to an inevitable abandonment.

Since the meeting had passed 10 races, the result stood as a two-point victory to Chargers.

Jenkins said: “It’s not ideal that Max had the crash that he did, and he’s picked up some nasty injuries, so first of all, we have to pass on our best wishes to Max.

“We’re over the moon to be National League champions. We wanted to win this title so much and collect a trophy for Oxford. It was a massive target on our list and we’ve managed to do it.

“I was so keen to win Heat 6 against Joe Thompson that I hit the tapes and ended up 15 metres back. There was no one in the stadium more angry with me than myself, and Pete [Schroeck, team manager] could see he didn’t have to say anything to me.

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“I wasn’t in the best of moods, because I felt I’d let everyone down. In the third ride, my kill switch got caught on my race jacket and I felt it come out down the straight.

“I had a job to keep the bike running one-handed, but got it going and picked up a point that proved vital in the end.

“This is the second time I’ve won the National League as No 1 and captain – I also won it with Mildenhall in 2021. This is the time I move on from this league to progress in my career.

“Leicester are a good team and they pushed us all the way on our home circuit. But we came out on top and all the boys can be proud of the part they played – it was a team performance where every point counted.”