The halfway point of the National League Play Off Semi-Final [POSF] has been reached with the battle between Kent TouchTec Kings and Belle Vue Colts evenly poised after a 47-43 points win for the hosts up in Manchester on Friday night (4/10).
A solid showing across the septet by the visiting Kings meant that the Colts who had swept away opponents at their National Speedway Stadium [NSS] of late again found Chris Hunt’s charges a far different proposition. Winners there in the NL match last month, the match started where that memorable occasion had left off for Kent with an opening heat 5-1 – a resurgent Jordan Jenkins taking the chequered flag from team mate Anders Rowe with the hosts much-vaunted teenager pairing of Jordan Palin and Connor Bailey left in their wake.
The scores were level by heat three with captain Rob Ledwith passed by the unpredictable Bickley for a 4-2 to the hosts. The hosts were picking up heat winners, four in a row between heats 2 and 5 before Drew Kemp took Kent’s second race victory of the night in heat 6 and the highlight of the evening was Ledwith’s victory over the Colts’ top performer Leon Flint in the following heat; Dan Gilkes taking third to bring the scores level at 21-21 at the effective half way point of the meeting.
Heat 8 was a setback – Jenkins again led the way but suffered engine problems making him slow dramatically and hamper the trailing Ben Woodhull causing the referee to stop the race and exclude the Kent man. The 5-1 in the rerun put the hosts into a four point lead and must have given them hope of a putting on a charge in the latter stages but three shared heats and then a brilliant heat advantage in heat 12 courtesy of a Gilkes race win over Bickley and a vital third from NSS first-timer Jake Mulford saw the gap down to just two.
The old 1970s patch badge famously read ‘Happiness is 40-38’ but faced with that score-line won’t have delighted the hosts knowing a second leg at Central Park is to come – and that’s what it was after heat 13 thanks to Kemp and Rowe keeping Palin at the back to share the heat and keep the gap to just two. Ledwith’s second race win was vital in heat 12 meaning the fans were treated to yet another last heat decider between these two adversaries.
It was something of a surprise that the Belle Vue management duo of Stephen Williams and Graham Goodwin went to the struggling Palin as one of their nominated riders but with Flint holding off Rowe, the Belle Vue number one did keep Kemp behind him to double the hosts’ winning score at the death.
How vital the four points advantage may prove will be seen when the sides reconvene for the second leg at Central Park on Monday (7/10). Team boss Chris Hunt was very satisfied with progress so far, “It was a great performance all round from the lads and we have to pleased with a result like this in such an important two-legged tie. There’s everything to go for on Monday!”
Belle Vue Colts 47 Jordan Palin 1, 1*, 3, 0, 1 6+1 Connor Bailey R, 2, 3, 0 5 Kyle Bickley 1, 1, 2, 2 6 Danny Phillips 3, 3, 1*, 2 9+1 Leon Flint 3, 2, 3, 3, 3 14 Ben Rathbone 3, 0, 0, 1* 4+1 Ben Woodhull 1, 0, 2*, R 3+1
Kent TouchTec Kings 43 Anders Rowe 2*, 2, 2, 1*, 2 9+2 Jordan Jenkins 3, 0, X, 1* 4+1 Dan Gilkes 2, 1, 1*, 3 7+1 Rob Ledwith R, 3, 2, 3 8 Drew Kemp 2, 3, 3, 2, 0 10 Jake Mulford R, 0, 0, 1 1 Alex Spooner 2, 1*, 1, 0 4+1
