Kent TouchTec Kings moved to within one point of the Play Off positions in the SGB Championship with a fourth consecutive home victory, extending their unbeaten record to six matches with a 50-40 win over Birmingham Brummies.
A large Bank Holiday Monday crowd at Central Park was thrilled by some top quality racing as the rampant Kings roared ahead in the second half of the match to secure a ten points victory, which in turn denied their close challengers in the table of the consolation of a bonus point.
The opening salvoes saw the closely matched sides locked together – with the Brummies securing an early advantage with their German number one Erik Riss taking the scalp of his counterpart in the hosts’ side Troy Batchelor in heat one and former Kings’ rider Jack Thomas and the Italian ‘Paco’ Castagna combining in the rerun reserves race to put the Second City side two points ahead.
The anticipated highlight of the match-up between multi-British Champions and former SGP riders, Scott Nicholls and Chris Harris was first up in heat four and the Kent skipper dominated it completely, with Harris having to expend his energies after a woeful start in catching Kent teenager Dan Gilkes, only getting round the youngster in a trademark around the boards sweep at the end of lap three.
Heat six saw Batchelor matched up with Harris this time and partnered by Ben Morley, the Kings’ number one brought the scores level -a state of parity which remained until heat nine when Paul Starke and the in-form Cameron Heeps delivered a crucial 5-1, magnificently keeping Harris back into third putting the hosts into a lead they were not to surrender. That lead was extended by Batchelor and Morley in the next race and the now traditional maximum from the dynamic duo of Scott & Troy in heat 13 put the match close to beyond the visitors.
There just one moment’s anxiety as heat 14 opened, with the Brummies’ duo of Riss and former GB Youth champion Ashley Morris on a 5-1 – a maximum in this one would’ve set up a last heat decider. But Heeps was in no mood to let that happen and got past Morris and very nearly repeated the trick on the twice World Long Track Champion German.
So to the final heat and with Birmingham just six behind there was the prospect in the plucky visitors’ minds of snatching a bonus – but with Messrs Batchelor & Nicholls in terrific tandem, taking a second 5-1 in the space of three heats to ensure all joy for the TouchTec Kings.
The two star men were clearly in bullish mood about the resurgence of the side in a glorious August and of the prospect of going in September for the title-deciding play offs.
Batchelor commented at the end,
“The Championship has been good for me and I’m really enjoying it here at Kent -let’s go for the play offs!”
And his skipper backed up the sentiment,
“Believe me, we’re pushing for the play offs – it’s been a tough start but the fans have been amazing and the play offs are what we want”.
The fans excelled themselves too in the annual collection for the sport’s charity, the Speedway Riders’ Benevolent Fund – with a club record of over £1,800 raised.
Next up for the TouchTec Kings is another double foray up north, taking on Redcar Bears on Friday and then Berwick Bandits the following evening – with the next home match, back to the traditional Tuesday night against Scunthorpe Scorpions at Central Park on September 7th. – 6,30pm start time.
Kent TouchTec Kings 50
Troy Batchelor 2, 3, 3, 2′, 3 =13+1
Ben Morley 1, 1, 1′, 1 = 4+2
Paul Starke R, 2, 3, 3 = 8
Cameron Heeps 3, 1’, 2′, 2 = 8+1
Scott Nicholls 3, 3, 2, 3, 2′ = 13+1
Jake Mulford 0, 0, 0, 0 = 0
Dan Gilkes 2, 0, 2, 0 = 4
Birmingham Brummies 40
Erik Riss 3, 3, 3, 1, 3, 1 = 14
Valentin Grobauer 0, 0, 0 = 0
James Shanes 1’, 1’, 0, 1′ = 3+3
Ashley Morris 2, 2, 2, 1 = 7
Chris Harris 1’, 2, 1, 0 = 4+1
Paco Castagna 1, 0, 0 = 1
Jack Thomas 3, 2, 3, 1, 2, 1 = 12
Heat details
1 Riss, Batchelor, Morley, Grobauer 57.9 [3-3]
2 (rerun) Thomas, Gilkes, Castagna, Mulford 58.0 [5-7]
3 Heeps, Morris, Shanes (pushed home), Starke (ret.) 58.7 [8-10]
4 Nicholls. Thomas, Harris, Gilkes 57.1 [11-13]
5 Riss, Starke, Heeps, Grobauer 58.1 [14-16]
6 Batchelor, Harris, Morley, Castagna 57.7 [18-18]
7 Nicholls, Morris, Shanes, Mulford 58.1 [21-21]
8 Thomas, Gilkes, Morley, Grobauer 59.3 [24-24]
9 Starke, Heeps, Harris, Castagna 58.6 [29-25]
10 Batchelor, Morris, Morley, Shanes 58.4 [33-27]
11 (rerun) Riss, Nicholls, Thomas, Mulford 58.4 [35-31]
12 Starke, Thomas, Shanes, Gilkes 59.1 [38-34]
13 Nicholls, Batchelor, Riss, Harris 58.4 [43-35]
14 Riss, Heeps, Morris, Mulford 59.4 [45-39]
15 Batchelor, Nicholls, Riss, Thomas 58.3 [50-40)