A plucky performance at the home of the champions. Four heat wins out of the final five races. A promising debut by a teenaged newcomer.
These were the positive headlines written from the Kent SLYDE Kings first ever trip to Perry Barr in Birmingham; but in the end it was a case of second best in the Second City, as a third City Gearboxes National League defeat on the spin was inflicted on the Sittingbourne-based side by the title holders, Cradley.
First to that debut. 16-year-old son of three times British champion and World Finalist Andy Smith, young Jack Smith was a last minute change by SLYDE Kings’ team boss Chris Hunt looking to shore up the team, suffering clear difficulties outside of the side’s top four riders.
For Smith, who has been groomed expertly by his vastly experienced Grand Prix rider father via a successful winter down under in Australia and racing in Poland, this was a first ever competitive fixture in the UK and there was much anticipation when he took his place in heat two. And his plucky effort in battling the Heathens’ Michael Neale every inch of the way and leaving reigning GB Youth champion Luke Harris in his wake to claim two points, promised much for the rest of the meeting.
Sadly though those hopes came literally to a crashing halt in his second ride. Paired with man of the moment, Team GB Long Track World Cup pick, James Shanes, young Jack found himself with nowhere to go when the home rider Ellis Perks went into him on the first bend. It was a nasty looking pile up and all were grateful that the debutant walked, albeit it limping heavily, away from the incident.
There was far less happiness in the Kent camp that the referee Ronnie Allan had put on the yellow exclusion light – inexplicably disqualifying Smith from the rerun. Young Jack was to appear once more but clearly was struggling and then had to withdraw with a jarred knee. It was an unfortunate end to what trusts will not be a cameo but the start of a fruitful relationship.
Those heat wins to claw back points and end the meeting on a high was the other main story. With ten heats gone and a succession of successful heat advantages for the homesters, Kent found themselves trailing by 14 points. Cue the black and white helmet colour for number one Ben Morley (the Kings’ only race winner up to this point) and the skipper didn’t let down his charges, sweeping to an emphatic win over Nathan Greaves to grab double points.
Next out was Danny Ayes who burst into life, riding a superb first bend and pulling clear to win with ease. With Danno Verge getting a deserved first point of the evening keeping Harris at bay, suddenly the visitors had reduced the deficit to nine points. Heat 13 saw Morley and Shanes (who’d been fast all night without ever quite getting past a Heathens leader to take a race win) against Cradley’s top two of Greaves and captain Max Clegg.
The normally fast-trapping Morley this time found himself third behind the Heathens pairing coming out of bend two. Shanes took over the mantle of leading the chase and the ‘Wizard of Balance’ performed a trademark maneouvre to take Clegg as they entered bend three and set off after Greaves.
The Dorset dynamo nearly got past Greaves but amazingly Clegg rode around both of them to regain the lead; and it was Shanes and Morley now attacking outside and inside to get back on terms by passing Greaves.
To the naked eye it certainly appeared at the line that the young Kent man had taken second but the referee again outraged the SLYDE Kings visiting support by calling it in favour of Greaves and a match-deciding 5-1 to the Heathens.
Unbowed though Kent hit back with heat wins by Ayres and Morley (taking revenge over Clegg and Greaves in heat 15) in the final two races.
There was one other debut in the Central Park-based side’s ranks: West Midlander Cameron Hoskins taking one ride as no. 8. It came in heat 10 when a fall when ahead of Perks allowed the Cradley man to catch the remounted Hoskins and deny him a point at the death. Too short a cameo to draw any real conclusions about the former Buxton man’s viability as a possible answer to problems in the SLYDE Kings’ lower order.
Kent Co-promoter Len Silver was impressed by the debut – albeit cut short by injury – of young Jack Smith.
“Jack’s effort certainly gave us a lot to be optimistic about. He made a fair start from gate one but Cradley’s Michael Neale went past him in the first corner. On the second lap, Jack dived under Neale at full throttle as he tried to pass, but got in a little bit of trouble which enabled Neale to pull away and Jack continued for a good second place. His heroic effort immediately marked him as a young rider with potential for advancement.
“Unfortunately in his second race when he started from gate four ,he raced for the first turn alongside the more experienced Ellis Perks and both machines tangled which threw Jack headlong into the safety fence. The usual and frankly obvious decision for this would be “all four back” since no one was at fault;. however the referee pulled Jack from the re-run to everyone’s annoyance. However, it was academic because Jack had wrenched his knee and was unable to take any further part in the meeting. It was a debut, even when cut short, of promise”.
Next up in the CGNL is a home match vs. Rye House Raiders at Central Park on Monday 15th. June – this a day after the much-vaunted top four go for glory in the National Fours at Coventry.
Cradley Heathens 53
1. Max Clegg 3 , 2′ , 3 , 3 , 2 13+1
2. Ellis Perks 1 , 3 , 1 , 1 6
3. Matt Williamson 3 , 2 , 3 , 2 10
4. Arron Mogridge 0 , R , 1 , 2 3
5. Nathan Greaves 3 , 3 , 2 , 2′ , 1′ 11+2
6. Michael Neale 3 , F/X , 1′ , 1′ 5+2
7. Luke Harris 1 , 1 , 3 , 0 5
Kent SLYDE Kings 40
1. Ben Morley 2 , 3 , 6^ , 0 , 3 14
2. Jamie Couzins 0 , 1 , 1′ , 2 , R 4+1
3. Danny Ayres 1′ , 2 , 2 , 3 , 3 , F/X 11+1
4. Rider replacement
5. James Shanes 2 , 2 , 1 , 2 , 1 8
6. Jack Smith 2 , F/X , 0 withdrew- injured, 2
7. Danno Verge 0 , 0 , 1 , 0 0
8. Cameron Hoskins 0 0
Heat Results
Heat 1: Clegg, Morley, Perks, Couzins [4-2]
Heat 2: Neale, Smith, Harris, Verge [8-4]
Heat 3: Williamson, Shanes, Ayres, Mogridge (fell rem) [11-7]
Heat 4: Greaves, Shanes, Harris, Verge [15-9]
Heat 5: Morley, Williamson, Couzins, Mogridge (fell rem. ret.) [17-13]
Heat 6: (rerun) Perks, Clegg, Shanes Smith (fell exc.) [22-14]
Heat 7: (rerun) (awarded) Greaves, Ayres, Couzins, Neale (fell exc.) [25-17]
Heat 8: Harris, Couzins, Perks (pshd home), Verge [29-19]
Heat 9: (rerun) Williamson, Shanes, Mogridge, Smith [33-21]
Heat 10: Clegg, Ayres, Perks, Hoskins (fell rem.) [37-23]
Heat 11 Morley (T/R), Greaves, Neale, Couzins (fell rem. ret.) [40-29]
Heat 12: Ayres, Williamson, Verge, Harris [42-33]
Heat 13: (rerun) Clegg, Greaves, Shanes, Morley [47-34]
Heat 14: Ayres, Mogridge, Neale, Verge [50-37]
Heat 15: (rerun) Morley, Clegg, Greaves, Ayres (fell exc.) [53-40]
Picture supplied by Elizabeth Leslie.