Four years on and Kent Speedway club is celebrating again in the National League [NL] Pairs – retaining the title after a Dynamic Duo performance from Drew Kemp and Anders Rowe up at Sheffield Stadium on Sunday evening (24/8).
The event is all about the predominance of the pair and ultimately by taking heat advantages from all six of their races across the Semi Final and Final, the terrific teens Kemp & Rowe were emphatic winners. It was always going to the Leicester Lion Cubs pairing of Ellis Perks and Danyon Hume who were going to represent the greatest threat to Kent claiming a second major title of the season and when considers that the two teams are currently tied at the top of the NL table, the meeting in the Steel City was effectively a vignette of the wider 2019 campaign,.
Drawn together in semi final ‘A; the two rivals couldn’t be separated – qualifying with some ease, both recording 18 points. The Isle of Wight’s hopes effectively ended when Georgie Wood was announced unfit to partner Ben Morley (the Kent winner of this title in 2015 hoping for a personal double) and NL4s winners Stoke were off the pace this time.
The second semi saw a surprise with Ben Wilson in his home city inspiring his Plymouth partner Nathan Stoneman to win the Group, also clocking up 18 points,. And Mildenhall saw off the highly-fancied Belle Vue Colts to join the Gladiators in the Final.
It was Kings vs Fen Tigers in heat one in that Final and Rowe’s pass on Edwards on the second bend took the Kent duo off to a perfect start – putting them firmly on the front foot. Heat three was crunch time. Leicester’s Perks (unbeaten individually all meeting) took the chequered flag but Kemp & Rowe kept Hume at the back to put the Kings on the brink. Then a fantastic maximum heat advantage in the 17th. and penultimate race of the evening sent the large Kings contingent of travelling fans into delirium.
Drew Kemp was cock-a-hoop about his performance on a circuit he knows well being his SGB Championship home this term, "It's the best I've rode here. It's been a fantastic meeting. We've won the National Trophy and the Pairs - now for the Play Offs" His partner Anders Rowe was equally exuberant, "Unbelievable, we've worked hard - it’s always good to ride with Drew" It was an evening to savour for the TouchTec Kings’ management team. Team boss Chris Hunt was quick to acknowledge the now legendary across the sport Kent support, "This is the for the fans, they are unbelievable" And veteran co-promoter Len Silver reflected, “It is a triumph over adversity, when you think of all that has been thrown at the team and they still come up with the plums"
Group A Isle of Wight Warriors 10 Ben Morley 2, 4, 2 8 Chris Widman 0, 2, 0 2