It was a case of two Captains Fantastic as the Kent CTA Fire Kings Speedway team racked up its best-ever National League win with maximum performances from both Club Captain Simon Lambert and his deputy, David Mason at Central Park on Monday.
The opponents were the Devon Demons and the devil was truly in the detail, with the home side producing 14 out of the 15 heat winners - including nine successive heat advantages to have the points wrapped up before the interval.
Lambert’s move from the heat one race jacket to number five in the riding order seemed only to galvanise the Central Park-based Kings’ skipper as he produced by far his most dominant performance of the campaign so far, recording an immaculate five wins out of five and a 15 point full maximum. Not far behind him at all was the evergreen David Mason in his best form for many years – thoroughly relishing his on track partnership with Luke Chessell, as the pairing chalked-up three superb five-ones to put the Plymouth-based Demons to the sword.
The tall Chessell fought brilliantly to hold off determined challenges from the visitors’ undoubted top two Brendan Johnson and James Shanes in those heats and only missed out on his own paid full house in the penultimate race of the meeting when the very impressive Shanes finally got the better of the Swindon-based racer and recorded what was his side’s only race win of a largely one-sided contest. Shanes certainly cemented his reputation as the most exciting visiting rider to Central Park this term and the large home crowd generously acknowledged the Devon youngster’s plucky and skillful efforts with a deserved ovation.
Ovations were besides that all coming the way of the home riders, with all seven CTA Fire Kings recording at least one paid win: Aaron Baseby winning heat one and then storming past the Demons’ skipper Matt Bates to clinch the match as early as heat 8; and Danny Ayres leading home team mate Luke Harris in heat two for the first of seven maximum heat wins in the match. With Lambert and Mason tallying up the last of these in heat 15 (Shanes by this time looking exhausted by his efforts) the 60 points mark was breached and a record NL win for the Sittingbourne Dog Track-based side had been achieved.
KENT 64: Simon Lambert 15, David Mason 13+2, Luke Chessell 9+2, Ben Morley 9+1, Aaron Baseby 9+1, Danny Ayres 5, Luke Harris 4+2.
DEVON 28: James Shanes 12, Brendan Johnson 8, Matt Bates 3+1, Richard Andrews 3, Danno Verge 2+1, Tyler Govier 0, Ben Reade R/R. National League points: Kent 3 Devon 0
Next Monday (23/6) the visitors to Central Park in the last eight of the Knock Out Cup are the Stoke Potters, led by recently-crowned National Pairs champs Ben Wilson and Jon Armstrong. Stoke are the form team in the division currently and will represent a significant challenge to the CTA Fire Kings having won in the League at Central Park last month. This quarter final first leg is Kent’s most important match of the 2014 season so far and promises to be a very exciting affair between two evenly-matched sides both intent on progressing into the last four of the National League Knock-out Cup. Tapes up at 6.30pm.
