Kent TouchTec Kings’ great run of results in the SGB Championship [SGBC] came to a halt on Teesside on Friday night going down to a 51-39 defeat to the Redcar Bears.
It looked though with just four heats to go that the amazing form displayed on the previous Northern Tour a fortnight earlier might reap more away points as the visitors trailed by just 34 to 32. However, a late burst by the Bears, who are secure in their knowledge of their own play off status, meant it was ultimately to be disappointment for Chris Hunt’s long-travelling charges.
The hosts had steadily built up an eight points lead by the halfway point of the match – but the size of the deficit allowed the Kings to unleash the deadly duo of skipper Scott Nicholls and Aussie number one Troy Batchelor (the latter as a Tactical Sub) in heat nine and the familiar result of 5-1 halved the visitors’ deficit in one stroke. More joy for another large long-travelling contingent of the Kings’ faithful followed two races later with Batchelor overtaking the Bears’ Dane, Michael Palm Toft on the final lap with Ben Morley holding off a determined effort from Ryan Kinsey to make it another heat advantage and bring the gap down to a tantalising two points.
Few then would have envisaged that the Teessiders could from this stage, open up to win by 12 points but sadly that was indeed what ensued. Heat 12 saw a great effort from teenaged reserve Jake Mulford end with the youngster falling, while his team mate Paul Starke was passed at the front by Jake Allen. Then in a major shock there was a 5-1 in the heat 13 featuring Nicholls and Batchelor but it was against the Kings’ two main men – former British Champion Charles Wright & Palm Toft combining to leave the visitors right on the brink. And that defeat became a mathematical reality courtesy of the Bears’ new man Lewis Kerr and former Kings’ man Jordan Jenkins.
If Batchelor & Nicholls could repeat their often seen 5-1 in heat 15, a bonus point could yet be secured as consolation – but it wasn’t to be and the Kings knew they’d travel a bit further north the next day to Berwick needing something extra to get their own play off hopes back on course.
It was a slightly unusual situation for the Kings’ fans to see the Iwade Garage Royals’ skipper Ryan Kinsley in opposition colours – as the 22 year old has recently joined Redcar in the SGBC. It wasn’t a good night for Ryan on track though, failing to score; and things were about to get considerably worse for Kinsley when the absolutely devastating news came though the next morning that his van containing all three of his bikes was stolen from outside the Middlesbrough hotel he was staying at before the trip to Berwick for Kent’s next National League match.
Redcar Bears 51
Charles Wright 2, 2, 3, 3 = 10
James Sarjeant 1′, 1′, 2′, 0 = 4+3
Jake Allen 2′, 1, 1, 3 = 7+1
Lewis Kerr 3, 3, 0, 3, 3 = 12
Michael Palm Toft 2, 3, 2, 2′, 1 = 10+1
Ryan Kinsley R, R, 0 = 0
Jordan Jenkins 3, Fx, 3, 1, 1 = 8
Kent TouchTec Kings 39
Troy Batchelor 3, 2, 2′, 3, 1, 0 = 11+1
Ben Morley 0, 0, 1, 1 = 2
Paul Starke 1, 1′, 2, 2 = 6+1
Cameron Heeps R, 2, 1′, 2 = 5+1
Scott Nicholls 3, 3, 3, 0, 2 = 11
Jake Mulford 2, 0, 0 = 2
Dan Gilkes 1′, 1, 0, 0 = 2+1
Heat details
1 Batchelor, Wright, Sarjeant, Morley 54.1 [3-3]
2 (rerun) Jenkins, Mulford, Gilkes, Kinsley (ret.) 54.5 [6-6]
3 Kerr, Allen, Starke, Heeps (ret.) 55.0 [11-7]
4 (rerun) Nicholls, Palm Toft, Gilkes, Jenkins (fell exc.) 54.6 [13-11]
5 Kerr, Batchelor, Allen, Morley 54.1 [17-13]
6 Nicholls, Wright, Sarjeant, Mulford 55.1 [20-16]
7 Palm Toft, Heeps, Starke, Kinsley (ret.) 56.0 [23-19]
8 Jenkins, Sarjeant, Morley, Gilkes 56.1 [28-20] 56.1
9 Nicholls, Batchelor, Allen, Kerr 56.1 [29-25]
10 Wright, Starke, Heeps, Sarjeant 55.1 [32-28]
11 Batchelor, Palm Toft, Morley, Kinsley 56.5 [34-32]
12 (rerun) Allen, Starke, Jenkins, Mulford (fell) 55.3 [38-34]
13 Wright, Palm Toft, Batchelor, Nicholls 55.3 [43-35]
14 Kerr, Heeps, Jenkins, Gilkes 56.3 [47-37]
15 Kerr, Nicholls, Palm Toft, Batchelor 55.3 [51-39]