Kent Speedway club's junior side, the Kent 'Crayford' Kestrels got off to a winning start as their 2018 Southern Development League [SDL] season took off to flight with a ten points win over Weymouth Wildcats at Eastbourne on Saturday evening (16/6).
The SDL match immediately followed the senior side's disappointing heavy defeat to the hosting Eagles side in the National Trophy and provided some relief for the large contingent of travelling Kent fans - and also for the two youngsters Alex Spooner and Jacob Clouting.
The teenaged pairing who fill the reserve berths for the SLYDE Kings had suffered along with their compatriots in the NT match but gained redemption and got some valuable and much needed confidence with much improved performances against Weymouth in the six heat SDL match.
Spooner went through the card for a full nine points maximum and Clouting contributed eight points to the side's tally of 23.
The Wildcats had made a late change with Max Pankhurst (recently seen in Amateur League action for the Iwade Colts) coming in to replace Luke Barnes. Pankhurst getting the vote as number one seemed an inspired decision when he won heat one to give the erstwhile hosts an early lead - though to be fair to the Kestrels' Andrew Palmer, but for a first bend fall on the last lap when in front, the Canterbury-based youngster may well have opened his account with a win. Clouting catching and taking Weymouth's Connor Fletcher on the line in that opener not only meant the heat loss was minimised to just a 4-2 but was the confidence booster he needed and Clouting was unbeaten by an opponent after that.
James Laker, continuing his impressive 100% record of riding in all Kestrels' fixtures since the side was conceived last year, partnered Spooner to a 5- in heat two and having taken the lead, two more 5-1s and a 4-2 cemented the win and the SDL points for John Sampford's side.
Next up in the SDL for the Kestrels is on Sunday (17/6) when the Crayford Supporters-backed side take on reigning SDL champions, Reading Racers at Iwade with a 1pm start time.
The SDL action will be followed on Sunday at the Old Gun Site with an inter-league challenge against new opponents for Kent, Milton Keynes Knights.
Weymouth Wildcats 13 Max Pankhurst 3 2 3 8 Connor Fletcher 1 F F 1 Jacob Fellows 1 0 1 2 Bailey Fellows 0 1 1 2
Kent 'Crayford' Kestrels 23 Andrew Palmer F 2* 0 2+1 Jacob Clouting 2 3 2* 7+1 James Laker 2* 1 2 5+1 Alex Spooner 3 3 3 9 [M]
1. Pankhurst, Clouting, Fletcher, Palmer (fell) 68.3 (4-2) 2. Spooner, Laker, J. Fellows, B. Fellows 64.5 (5-7) 3. Spooner, Pankhurst, Laker, Fletcher (fell) 64.2 (7-11) 4. Clouting, Palmer, B. Fellows, J. Fellows 65.3 (8-16) 5. Spooner, Clouting, B. Fellows, Fletcher (fell) 65.8 (9-21) 6. Pankhurst, Laker, J. Fellows, Palmer (fell rem.) 66.2 (13-23)
