The Kent CTA Fire Kings went down to a first defeat of the season in the National League as they came up against current divisional pace-setters Coventry Storm under entirely appropriate heavy clouds up in the West Midlands on Friday evening.
It was in truth a match the Sittingbourne Central Park-based outfit never really looked in any form of serious contention in and with just three heat wins recorded from the 15 heats it was little surprise the Kings tumbled to a humbling 54 to 39 reverse.
The match started with the Kent side’s number one Simon Lambert being forced into the uncomfortable position of seeing the back wheels of both opponents, as twice GB under 19s champ Stefan Nielsen and man of the meeting Luke Crang stormed to maximum points to establish a lead the homesters never got close to relinquishing. This was despite an immediate stab at a fight back as Luke Harris continued his very useful habit of taking a race win in the reserves race. The CTA Fire Kings ‘ cause wasn’t helped by a tapes infringement (arguably due more to the referee’s habit of holding the tapes on the starting gate over long) in heat three for man of the moment, Ben Morley and before an indecently brief six heats the visitors found themselves ten behind.
Cure the introduction of a King at the double –with Morley selected for the battle for Tactical Ride points. The maximum benefit looked way off being realised until the otherwise unbeaten in the match proper James Sarjeant was forced back to barracks with a shed chain as young Ben raised smiles and hopes among another impressive travelling contingent.
Hopes of a comeback were lifted further in heat eight by an amazing swoop around the outside, virtually touching the air fence, by Luke Chessell to keep the gap down to just five points and a fall and exclusion for the home side’s number one Nielsen set up a chance with five heats remaining.
Unfortunately Chessell was sent 15 metres back after a tapes offence at the start of heat 11 and couldn’t make up the ground; meanwhile his skipper Lambert was leading Sarjeant at last but a slight error on the back straight on lap two saw the Storm’s top scorer take a decisive lead.
Battling Ben Morley was back in action in heat 12 chopping the hopes of another Dan Greenwood win to reduce the gap to nine points but it was all over just sixty seconds later as the impressive Sarjeant and a recovered Nielsen combined to chalk up a 5-1. A further win for Sarjeant in the top scorers’ race in heat 15 meant it was a final score of 54-39 and meant that it was Sarjeant lining up on parade alongside the King’s Simon Lambert for the final action of the evening, the match race battle for the Bronze Helmet.
And considering the Coventry man had up to that point been unbeaten in all the rides he’d finished it was testament to how much Lambert values his possession of the Bronze Helmet title that the CTA Fire Kings’ skipper stormed to a successful defence. Again a ‘bronze lining’ for the Kent side!
COVENTRY 54: James Sarjeant 15, Luke Crang 14+1, Dan Greenwood 8, Stefan Nielsen 7+2, Ryan Terry-Daley 7+1, Martin Knuckey 3+1, Oliver Greenwood R/R
KENT 39: Ben Morley 14+1, Benji Compton 7+2, Simon Lambert 7+1, David Mason 4, Luke Harris 4, Luke Chessell 3+1, Brandon Freemantle 0
National League points: Coventry 3 Kent 0
BRONZE HELMET; Simon Lambert (Kent) beat James Sarjeant (Coventry Storm)
