It was defeat for the Kent CTA Fire Kings last night in their opening National Trophy at Central Park against the Isle of Wight Islanders.
The Islanders are among the favourites for National Trophy in the third tier of British Speedway, and they underlined this with a 22-44 victory in front of a packed audience.
It was the Kent Kings that got off to the best possible start with Steve Boxall winning the first heat of the night, and in so doing becoming the first man to do it at Central Park since Speedway came to Kent.
In heat two it started to go wrong for the Kings with Jack Kingston retiring on lap one, and Adam Kirby falling on lap two, giving the Islanders their first maximum of the night.
Heat four looked to be going the way of the Kings until a fall by Kingston fell on the final bend and pushed his bike over the line, to a fantastic cheer, he would then be taken away in an ambulance after heat eight, after a fall capping off a bad night for a rider who is fast becoming a fans favourite.
It is looking from early reports as though there is no broken bones and it is just soft tissue damage which means he should be fit to ride next week.
Heat ten saw manager John Sampford played his last card of the evening in heat ten with Steve Boxall going for double points. Unfortunately that didn’t work out as planned as his engine blew on the opening straight, which meant he couldn’t close the points gap.
Speaking after the race, Sampford said: “Taking nothing away from the Isle of Wight who are a very good side, we weren’t helped by losing Jack Kingston from a heavy fall, and when Steve Boxall’s engine blew up when he was on a tactical ride it summed up the evening really. Everything was going against us, and then the heavens opened and that was it.”
National Trophy | Monday 13th May 2013
KENT CTA FIRE KINGS 22
1. Steve Boxall 3, 3, R^, = 6
2. Sam Woods 0, 0, 1, 1, = 2
3. Ben Morley 2, 3, 1, = 6
4. Connor Coles 0, 0, = 0
5. David Mason (C) 3, R, 1, = 4
6. Adam Kirby 1, 2, 0, 0, = 3
7. Jack Kingston R, 1, FX, = 1
Team manager: John Sampford
ISLE OF WIGHT ISLANDERS 44
1. Tom Perry 2, 2, 3, = 7
2. Danny Stoneman 1′, 1′, 3, 2′, = 7+3
3. Ben Hopwood (C) 3, 3, 3, = 9
4. Darryl Ritchings 1, 1, 2′, = 4+1
5. Tom Young F, 1′, 3, = 4+1
6. Adam Ellis 2′, 2, 2′, = 6+2
7. Brandon Freemantle 3, 2, 2′, = 7+1
Team manager: Chris Hunt and Kevin Shepherd
REFEREE: Dale Entwhistle
GATE POSITIONS: Islanders won the coin toss and took gates 2 and 4 in heat 1.
HEAT DETAILS:
Heat 1: Boxall, Perry, Stoneman, Woods, 59.2 (3-3) 3-3
Heat 2: Freemantle, Ellis, Kirby, Kingston (R), 64.0 (1-5) 4-8
Heat 3: (Re-Run): Hopwood, Morley, Ritchings, Coles, 59.3 (2-4) 6-12
Heat 4: Mason, Freemantle, Kingston, Young (F), 61.3 (4-2) 10-14
Heat 5: Morley, Perry, Stoneman, Coles, 61.3 (3-3) 13-17
Heat 6: Boxall, Ellis, Young, Woods, 59.7 (3-3) 16-30
Heat 7: Hopwood, Kirby, Ritchings, Mason (R), 60.7 (2-4) 18-24
Heat 8: (Re-Run): Stoneman, Freemantle, Woods, Kingston (FX), 61.9 (1-5) 19-29
Heat 9: Young, Ellis, Morley, Kirby (RC), 60.9 (1-5) 20-34
Heat 10: Hopwood, Ritchings, Woods, Boxall (TR, R), 61.0 (1-5) 21-39
Heat 11: Perry, Stoneman, Mason, Kirby, 64.2 (1-5) 22-44
Meeting abandoned due to rain. Result stands. Kent CTA Fire Kings 22 Isle of Wight Islanders 44
Next Home Fixture
Monday 20th Home National Trophy 6.30pm Stoke Potters