To use a term more suited to Brands Hatch, than Central Park, the Kent TouchTec Kings have put themselves in pole position for victory in the National Trophy [NT], after a 48-41 Bank Holiday afternoon victory over holders, Mildenhall Fen Tigers.

After back to back victories over the seven-times winners, Kent are tied at the top of the NT group table on 10 points with Mildenhall,  However, the Suffolk side (with better points for and against record but behind on the ‘head-to-head’) have now completed their fixtures. The potential spoilers are the Isle of Wight Warriors, who the TouchTec Kings face in the two remaining NT fixtures.  Outsiders from the outset, the side from Ryde on the holiday island can actually be crowned NT winners themselves by victories in both of those matches with the Kings. Kent do remain in the box seat, though, knowing that just two points in that trip across the Solent will clinch the silverware – with the back up of the home match against the Warriors next Monday to wrap matters up.

That’s the future, back to the present and it was a past Kent rider, Danny Ayres who stole the show individually, with a sensational, six-ride salvo on Monday afternoon, clinching his best ever score on the circuit he knows so well: an 18 points maximum,   However, a solid all round performance from the TouchTec Kings sealed the victory and crucially by seven points meaning that the potential bonus point was out of the Fen Tigers’ reach too. – with every member of the side claiming either at least a paid or full victory.  

The top scorer for the homesters ironically, was the former Fen Tigers rider Jordan Jenkins who thrilled his way to a hat trick of wins in his opening three rides on his way to a 13+1 score. There is a special mention for Jacob Clouting who after being dropped from the Kings side last year, when he found points hard to come by, won his first ever race at third tier level when taking heat two comfortably from team mate Nathan Ablitt, in the first of the Kings’ six heat advantages.

The visitors opened with a 4-2, with Ayres taking the victory over Kent number one (another former Fen Tiger) Drew Kemp after he brilliantly battled past Fen Tigers second string Matt Marson. The hosts hit back, with back to back 5-1’s heat advantages to go six points up after three heats – the second from Anders Rowe and captain Rob Ledwith who was having an up and down afternoon at this point, literally! This win coming in the middle of two falls.

A little more about man of the moment, Jordan Jenkins – after his stunning performance at West Row, he reeled off three classy wins, the most stylish of these came in Heat 4. Beaten out of the gate by visiting heat leader Jason Edwards, Jenkins hounded his prey for the first two laps before finding the narrowest of gaps on the inside to pull of an almost eye of the needle past around the first to delight the home fans win. Jenkins then took back to back wins in heats 7 and 8 in the latter having had to pick himself up off the shale after a nasty coming together with Mildenhall reserve Macauley Leek in the first attempt at staging.

That heat 8 was vital in the context of the meeting – this period of the meeting was where the Touch Tec Kings really took control: a 4-2 from Jenkins and Ablitt, was the precursor to a second Ledwith and Rowe 5-1.  This was followed by Kemp leading home another 4-2 advantage after visitor Charlie Brooks fell and was excluded from the re-run. This put the Kings 12 points clear, and whilst four of the next five races were won by Danny Ayres (once as a tactical substitute, the controversial ruling now allowed in the competition) – there was insufficient support to challenge the Kings position.

Team Manager Chris Hunt commented,

“Today has been very much job done and we’ll take this confidence into Thursday and we know what we have to do.  You have to remember we still have two riders out injured and yet we’ve come through against such top quality opposition which is to the great credit of the team”.

Mildenhall’s challenge now met and repelled, Chris Hunt’s charges now have the away and home encounters with the Isle of Wight Warriors with destiny awaiting them.  They travel to the IOW on Thursday and hope to be in a position to see the National Trophy presented to them in triumph at next Monday’s huge home match (Monday June 3rd.) – 6.30pm start time (gates at 5pm; parade at 6.10pm).

 

Kent TouchTec Kings         48

Drew Kemp 2, 3, 3, 2, FX         10

Rider Replacement –  Alex Spooner

Anders Rowe 2′, 2, 3, 2         9+1

Rob Ledwith 0, 3, 0, 2′, 3         8+1

Jordan Jenkins 3, 3, 3, 2, 1′, 1         13+1

Jacob Clouting 3, FX, 1, 0 4

Nathan Ablitt 2′, FX, 0, 1, 1′, FX         4+2

 

Mildenhall Fen Tigers         41

Danny Ayres 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 18 [M]

Matt Marson 1, 1, 2, 1         5

David Wallinger  1, 1′, 2, 0         4+1

Charlie Brooks 0, 2, FX, 2 4

Jason Edwards 2, 2, 1, 0, 2′ 7+1

Elliot Kelly 0, 1′, 0         1+1

Macauley Leek   1, 1′, FX, FX 2+1

 

Heat details

1 Ayres, Kemp, Marson, Ledwith (fell rem.) 57.6  [2-4]

2 (rerun) Clouting, Ablitt, Leek, Kelly   59.9 [7-5]

3 Ledwith, Rowe, Wallinger, Brooks  59.1 [12-6]

4 (rerun) Jenkins, Edwards, Leek, Ablitt (fell exc,) 60.0  [15-9]

5 Ayres, Rowe, Marson, Ledwith (fell rem.) 58.9  [17-13]

6 Kemp, Edwards, Kelly, Ablitt 60.0  [20-16]

7 (rerun twice) Jenkins, Brooks, Wallinger , Clouting (tapes 15m/fell exc.) 60.7  [23-19]

8 (rerun)  Jenkins, Marson, Ablitt, Leek (fell exc.) 62.5  [27-21]

9 Rowe, Ledwith, Edwards, Kelly  61.4 [32-22]

10 (rerun) Kemp, Wallinger, Clouting, Brooks (fell exc.)  61.4 [36-24]

11 Ayres, Jenkins, Marson, Clouting   60.6 [38-28]

12 Ayres (T/S), Rowe, Ablitt, Wallinger   59.8 [41-31]

13 Ayres, Kemp, Jenkins, Edwards   60.4 [44-34]

14 (rerun) Ledwith, Brooks, Ablitt (fell exc.), Leek (fell exc.)  63.7 [47-36]

15 (rerun) Ayres, Edwards, Jenkins, Kemp (fell exc.)  61.6 [48-41]