The Bank Holiday weekend saw the Kent CTA Fire Kings speedway pick up their first point of the season against Buxton Hitmen on Sunday.
They then succumbed to a six point defeat at home to Mildenhall Fen Tigers on bank holiday Monday afternoon.
Tuesday evening’s fixture against the Isle of Wight Islanders was postponed to a waterlogged track, after heavy rain during the day.
On Sunday the two teams seemed well matched and that is how it appeared and although Buxton took the win by five points, it meant that the Kent Kings picked up a point and their first point of the season by keeping the winning margin below six points.
In the first three heats the Kent Kings got off to a fantastic start winning all three races, thanks to captain Boxall, Kirby and then Morley. After the end of the first eight heats the scores were locked at 24 a piece underlining how evenly matched the two teams were.
After heat 12 it was the Kings who lead thanks to Morley and Kingston taking maximum points but that lead was to be short lived. The home side then started to pull away and pulled away slightly to ensure the five point victory and give the Kings their first point of the season.
Then on bank holiday Monday in the sunshine the Kings could not follow up and take their first victory of the season, losing by six points.
The first two heats ended up being level at the end of them, after the Fen Tigers had taken the lead only to see it shored up by the Kings in Heat two.
After heats three and four the visitors pulled clear by taking the wins in both of the heats and moved on to a 10-14 lead. That lead was never really pegged back as the Fen Tigers managed to maintain the gap through to the finish of the race and even after a number of reruns in heats Kent Kings just couldn’t peg the gap back.
BUXTON HITMEN
1. Charles Wright 2, 3, 3, 3, 2, = 13
2. Tyler Govier 1′, 0, 1, = 2+1
3. Ryan Blacklock 1′, 2, FX, = 3+1
4. Adam McKinna 2, FX, 3, 3, 2′, = 10+1
5. Tony Atkin (C) 2′, 2, 2, 1, = 7+1
6. Tom Woolley 2, 1′, 2, 1′, 1, 2′, = 9+3
7. Matt Williamson 1′, 3, F, F, = 4+1
Team manager: Jack Lee
KENT CTA FIRE KINGS
1. Steve Boxall (C) 3, 3, 3, 2, 3, = 14
2. Sam Woods R, 1, 1, = 2
3. Ben Morley 3, 3, 2, 3, 0, = 11
4. Connor Coles 0, 0, R, 1, = 1
5. Benji Compton 1, 1′, 2, 0, = 4+1
6. Adam Kirby 3, 2, 3, R, R, = 8
7. Jack Kingston 0, 0, FX, 2′, = 2+1
Team manager: Will Pottinger
HEAT DETAILS:
Heat 1: Boxall, Wright, Govier, Woods (R), (3-3) 3-3
Heat 2: Kirby, Woolley, Williamson, Kingston (FR), (3-3) 6-6
Heat 3: Morley, McKinna, Blacklock, Coles, (3-3) 9-9
Heat 4: Williamson, Atkin, Compton, Kingston, (5-1) 14-10
Heat 5: (Re-Run): Boxall, Blacklock, Woods, McKinna (FX), (2-4) 16-14
Heat 6: Wright, Kirby, Compton, Govier, (3-3) 19-17
Heat 7: Morley, Atkin, Woolley, Coles, (3-3) 22-20
Heat 8: (Re-Run): Kirby (RC), Woolley (RC), Woods, Williamson (F), (2-4) 24-24
Heat 9: (Re-Run): McKinna, Compton, Blacklock (FX), Kingston (RC, FX), (3-2) 27-26
Heat 10: Wright, Morley Govier, Coles (R), (4-2) 31-28
Heat 11: Boxall, Atkin, Woolley, Kirby (R), (3-3) 34-31
Heat 12: Morley, Kingston, Woolley, Williamson (F), (1-5) 35-36
Heat 13: Wright, Boxall, Atkin, Compton (FR), (4-2) 39-38
Heat 14: McKinna, Woolley, Coles (FR), Kirby (R), (5-1) 44-39
Heat 15: Boxall, Wright, McKinna, Morley, (3-3) 47-42
KENT CTA FIRE KINGS
1. Steve Boxall (C) 1, 3, 2, 2′, 3, = 11+1
2. Sam Woods R, FX, FX, = 0
3. Ben Morley 1, 2, R, 2, = 5
4. Connor Coles 0, 0, 2, = 2
5. Benji Compton 3, 3, 3, 3, R, = 12
6. Adam Kirby 3, 1, 2, 3, 0, FX, = 9
7. Jack Kingston 2′, FX, 0, 1′, = 3+2
Team manager: John Sampford
MILDENHALL FEN TIGERS
1. Robert Branford (G) 3, 3, 2, 1, 1′, = 10+1
2. Aaron Baseby 2′, 1, 3, 1′, = 7+2
3. Josh Bates 2′, FX, 1, R, = 3+1
4. Jon Armstrong 3, 2, 3, 3, 2, = 13
5. Daniel Halsey (C) 2, 2, 2, 0, = 6
6. Liam Rumsey F, 1′, 1′, 1′, 3, = 6+2
7. Ryan Terry-Daley 1, N2, 1, 1, = 3
Team manager: Robert Henry
REFEREE: Christina Turnbull
GATE POSITIONS: Fen Tigers won the coin toss and took gates 1 and 3 in heat 1. Kings took gates 1 and 3 in heat 15.
HEAT DETAILS:
Heat 1: Branford, Baseby, Boxall, Woods (R), 60.1 (1-5) 1-5
Heat 2: Kirby, Kingston, Terry-Daley, Rumsey (F), 63.5 (5-1) 6-6
Heat 3: Armstrong, Bates, Morley, Coles, 60.8 (1-5) 7-11
Heat 4: (Awarded): Compton, Halsey, Rumsey (RC), Kingston (FX), Terry-Daley (N2), No Time (3-3) 10-14
Heat 5: Branford, Morley, Baseby, Coles, 63.3 (2-4) 12-18
Heat 6: (Re-Run): Boxall, Halsey, Rumsey, Woods (FX), 60.1 (3-3) 15-21
Heat 7: (Re-Run): (Awarded): Compton, Armstrong, Kirby, Bates (FX), No Time (4-2) 19-23
Heat 8: Baseby, Kirby, Terry-Daley, Kingston, 61.5 (2-4) 21-27
Heat 9: Kirby (RC), Halsey, Rumsey, Morley (R), 63.4 (3-3) 24-30
Heat 10: (Awarded): Armstrong, Boxall, Bates, Woods (FX), No Time (2-4) 26-34
Heat 11: (Re-Run): Compton, Branford, Baseby, Kirby, 60.8 (3-3) 29-37
Heat 12: Rumsey, Morley, Kingston, Bates (R), 62.6 (3-3) 32-40
Heat 13: Compton, Boxall, Branford, Halsey, 61.1 (5-1) 37-41
Heat 14: (Re-Run): Armstrong, Coles, Terry-Daley, Kirby (FX), 61.3 (2-4) 39-45
Heat 15: (Re-Run): Boxall, Armstrong, Branford, Compton (R), 60.3 (3-3) 42-48