Duncan Bell felt Bath missed a golden opportunity to make a major statement to the rest of the Guinness Premiership after letting a 13-point lead slip at Leicester.

Bath led 22-9 midway through the second half – but conceded two late Tom Croft tries to lose 24-22 as they blew the chance to go level on points with London Irish at the top of the table.

Tries from Stuart Hooper, Pieter Dixon and Joe Maddock put Bath in total control in front of more than 17,000 spectators at Welford Road – only for their late lapses to cost them dear.

And prop Bell, who started in place of rested England man Matt Stevens, said: "We said before the game that we needed to make a statement.

"We wanted to make a statement to the rest of the league that we could come to Welford Road, not be intimidated and go away with four points.

"And after 60-65 minutes, we had done the job. But again we haven't put in an 80-minute performance and the game has gone because of that.

"A lot of good things have come out of the game – and we will take the positives – but it's a defeat and we are disappointed because we have lost three points here."

Bath have only won once in the league at Welford Road – and Bell accepted that chances for victory there, let alone actual wins, are few and far between.

"It was an opportunity to win at Welford Road – and any time you get in a position where you are two scores up with 20 minutes to go at Welford Road, you have to take it," he said.

"It's a nightmare of a place to come, but we should have won the game. Leicester dug deep and I suppose they wanted it more at the end."