Kent’s already slim hopes of topping their Southern Qualification Group and reaching a second National Trophy [NT] Final all but disappeared along with their long 16 match 100% winning record at home, as Fortress Central Park was breached by holders Mildenhall Fen Tigers on Monday evening.
That this was a depleted side from Suffolk (using two Guests, a debutant rookie art reserve and needing to use Rider Replacement for another of their three pointers) only served to increase the sense of disappointment and frustration for all involved at the Kent club.
Not for the first time, the ‘Guest’ hoodoo came back to haunt Chris Hunt’s charges. When Ryan Kinsey played the role of ‘guest’ for Kent in a match at Central Park last season he scored just one point on, ironically, the occasion of the last home defeat before last night. This time in the colours of his 2018 side he was outstanding, recording four heat wins on the way to a match-winning 15 points as stand-in skipper on the night.
The contributions of acknowledged Central Park track experts former Kings’ favourite Danny Ayres and one of the Fen Tigers’ two ‘Guests’ on the night Tom Bacon were less unexpected – and in fact, only a fall when leading and shedding a chain by Bacon and Ayres twice over cooking his pursuit of old adversary Luke Bowen leading to falls, restricted their totals.
The first of those falls by Ayres had opened up the door for the hosts and the 5-0 pushed them into a three points lead after six heats; but that was as good as it got for the SLYDE Kings who were having an unusually off night.
The battles between Kent skipper Bowen and Ayres were always going to be a highlight and their scrap in heat 13 was a classic – the visiting rider winning it to stop the Kent skipper’s maximum hopes and also meaning they led by three points with two heats to go. Could history repeat itself with the homesters pulling the match out of the fire in the final two races as they had the previous week?
Sadly not this time. Kinsley got his fourth race win in heat 14 and though Taylor Hampshire had one personal highlight from a disappointing night by diving under Matt Marson to take second on the line and then Bowen and Nathan Stoneman combining for a heat 15, 5-1 – it was too late to stop the visitors from continuing their own 100% record in this Group, ending the host’s long unbeaten run on their own track.
Next up for Kent are back to back matches versus Isle of Wight Warriors – away across the Solent on Thursday (24/5) and then entertaining the side from Ryde at Central Park Stadium on Bank Holiday Monday. The Warriors include three next Kings’ riders in their much-improved line-up: Kent’s record points scorer, Ben Morley; local favourite, Danno Verge; and the Kings’ rider of the year from last season, Ben Hopwood. The action on Bank Holiday Monday gets underway at 3.30pm (gates open at 2pm).
Kent SLYDE Kings 44
Luke Bowen 3 3 3 2 3 14
Anders Rowe 1 2* 2 0 5+1
Nathan Stoneman 2 1* 2 3 2* 10+2
Taylor Hampshire 0 2 1* 2 5+1
Jack Thomas 2 2 2 0 6
James Laker 1* 0 0 1+1
Alex Spooner 2 X2M 0 1* 0 0 3+1
Mildenhall Fen Tigers 45
Tom Bacon [G] 2 X 3 1 6
Rider Replacement – Sam Bebee
Ryan Terry-Daley [G] 1 1 1* 2 5+1
Ryan Kinsley 3 3 3 2 3 1 15
Danny Ayres 3 F 3 3 FX 9
Andrew Palmer 0 X R X2M 0
Matt Marson 3 1 3 1 0 1* 1 10+1
Heat details:
1. Bowen, Bacon, Rowe, Palmer, 57.6 (4-2)
2. (re-run; then awarded) Marson, Spooner, Laker, Palmer (f.exc) ( f.rem), no time (7-5)
3. Kinsley, Stoneman, Terry-Daley, Hampshire, 59.2 (9-9)
4. Ayres, Thomas, Marson, Laker, Spooner (exc.2mins), 59.5 (11-13)
5. (re-run) awarded Marson, Hampshire, Stoneman (f.rem) Bacon (f.exc), no time (14-16)
6. (re-run) Bowen, Rowe, Ayres (fell), Palmer (ret), 58.4 (19-16)
7. Kinsley, Thomas, Terry-Daley, Laker, 60.4 (21-20)
8. Kinsley, Rowe, Marson, Spooner, 61.6 (23-24)
9. Ayres, Stoneman, Hampshire, Palmer (exc.2mins), 58.5 (26-27)
10. Bowen, Kinsley, Terry-Daley, Rowe, 59.7 (29-30)
11. Bacon, Thomas, Spooner, Marson, 60.9 (32-33)
12. Stoneman, Terry-Daley, Marson, Spooner, 63.2 (35-36)
13. Ayres, Bowen, Bacon, Thomas, 59.6 (37-40)
14. Kinsley, Hampshire, Marson, Spooner, 61.8 (39-44)
15. (awarded) Bowen, Stoneman, Kinsley, Ayres (.exc), no time (44-45)