On Sunday, the Kent SLYDE Kings completed their Travel Plus Tours National League [TPTNL] regular fixture programme with another away win – this time by 49-40 at the highest track in the country, Hi Edge Raceway – the home conversely, of the lowest positioned side in the league, bottom club Buxton Hitmen.
The hosts went into the match on an unusual high, having finally broken their 2018 TPTNL duck by beating Plymouth Devils in the first part of a double header.
Buxton’s woes this term have been in part brought on by the weather, which can be especially intemperate high up in the Derbyshire Dales; and no sooner did the patient Kings appear out on track than the rains came again. Not a major amount of precipitation this time, though and the action wasn’t delayed over long; but track conditions were tricky and after going into an early lead after impressive reserves in-form Alex Spooner and a fast looking Jamie Couzins got a 5-1 in heat two, the early stanzas were not happy for the Kings. Indeed after five heats the unthinkable spectre of hugely unlikely defeat for Chris Hunt’s charges suddenly looked an actual possibility as the visitors trailed by six points.
The bizarre events of heat six didn’t especially help. Buxton’s former GB Under 21 champion Ben Wilson was leading from Jack Thomas and Couzins only to fall on the final bend of the third lap, allowing the Kings pairing into a 5-1 position. That the conditions were catching out even the more experienced was shown when the Kent skipper also fell, this on the third bend of the final lap allowing Couzins to take the chequered flag. Wilson had remounted to finish and with the other Hitmen rider Lewis Whitmore already having retired from the race, it gave the opportunity for Thomas to push home for a point. This he did only for the referee to press the exclusion light. To the astonishment of all outside of the referee’s box, it had been concluded that when Wilson passed Thomas it was to lap him. As all of this happened on the final lap such a thing was of course physically impossible; but despite the obvious representations the exclusion decision stood.
Things didn’t improve as the homesters took a 4-2 in heat seven and with Taylor Hampshire looking out of sorts and stand-in number one Kyle Bickley being the latest to be hit by the ‘Guest’ jinx for the Kings, the deficit was now up to an alarming seven points.
There was in fact nothing to be concerned about. Every remaining heat saw a Kings’ man first to the chequered flag with seven heat advantages including three consecutive 5-1s in the final three heats (including Hampshire delivering one of trademark heat 14 wins against the odds) to run out winners by a decisive nine points – securing all four points and ending the last vestiges of any debate over the justice of a top four status. Indeed, for a second season running after this, Kent finish second at the cut-off point, being chosen for the play offs by table toppers Mildenhall.
Buxton Hitmen 40
Ben Wilson 3, 3, 2, 2, 1 11
Lewis Whitmore F, R withdrawn – injured 0
Richard Andrews (G) 3, 2′, 3, 2, 2, F 12+1
Tom Woolley 2′, 3, 1′, 2, 2, 2 12+2
James Cockle – Rider Replacement
Kieran Douglas 1, 1, 0, 0, 0 2
Corban Pavitt F, 1, 2, 0, 0, F 3
Kent SLYDE Kings 49
Kyle Bickley (G) 1′, 0, 1, 2′ 4+2
Anders Rowe 2, 1, 3, 3 9
Nathan Stoneman 0, 2, 3, 3, 1 9
Taylor Hampshire 1, 0, FN, 3 4
Jack Thomas 2, X – lpd, 3, 3, 3 11
Jamie Couzins 2′, 3, F, 1 6+1
Alex Spooner 3, 0, 1, 1, 1 6
Heat Results
1 (awarded) Wilson, Rowe, Bickley, Whitmore (fell) no time (3-3)
2 (awarded) Spooner, Couzins, Douglas, Pavitt (fell) no time (4-8)
3 Andrews, Woolley, Hampshire, Stoneman 58.2 (9-9)
4 Wilson, Thomas, Pavitt, Spooner 59.0 (13-11)
5 Woolley, Andrews, Rowe, Bickley 58.5 (18-12)
6 Couzins, Wilson (fell rem.), Thomas (fell pushed home; exc. “lapped”) Whitmore (ret,) (20-15)
7 Andrews, Stoneman, Douglas, Hampshire 58.3 (24-17)
8 Rowe, Pavitt, Spooner, Douglas 58.7 (26-21)
9 Thomas, Andrews, Woolley, Couzins (fell) 58.7 (29-24)
10 (rerun) Stoneman, Wilson, Spooner, Pavitt, Hampsire (fell; non starter in rerun) 2-4 (31-28)
11 Rowe, Woolley, Bickley, Douglas 56.6 (33-32)
12 Stoneman, Andrews, Couzins, Pavitt 2-4 (35-36)
13 (awarded) Thomas, Bickley, Wilson, Pavitt (fell) no time (36-41)
14 Hampshire, Woolley, Spooner, Douglas 57.8 (38-45)
15 Thomas, Woolley, Stoneman, Andrews (fell) 2-4 (40-49) 57.6