Few believed that the CTA Fire Kings could get so close to pulling off a major shock but on a night where a piece of unwanted Speedway history was made, the Kent side got within a whisker of ending league leaders’ Cradley Heathens’ unbeaten record: going down 37-41.
It was a result even more agonisingly close, as the scheduled final heat - one which a 5-1 would’ve secured a draw for the plucky home side - never happened due to the curfew.
The visitors made a solid start with Paul Starke setting Central Park's fastest time of the season in Heat 1 before Heat 2 produced the race fans will be talking about for years to come. After an initial false start, both CTA Fire Kings reserves collided on the third bend, causing another re-start but without the unfortunate Jason Garrad (said to be the cause of the stoppage when it looked suspiciously like his team mate Danny Ayres who’d caused the coming together). At the third time of asking, the West Midland side’s pair of Danny Phillips and Nathan Greaves made the gate, pursued by Ayres until the lone King again fell on the third bend. The action wasn’t over - as this time the Cradley pair came together with both falling on the first bend of the second lap. Greaves remounted but under the misguided impression the race, he returned to the pits. This left two stricken riders out on track but neither under power. Both bravely tried to push home but with two laps to go the referee adjudged that within the rules such an action could not constitute a race and disqualified both – leading to an utterly unique heat score of 0-0. No-one among the large Central Pak crowd could recall ever seeing such a pointless outcome of a Speedway league match heat ever before!
A sharp start from skipper Simon Lambert and Benji Compton in the next race took the Kings though into a surprise lead; and this they stretched to four points when Aaron Baseby held off Starke in Heat 5. However an imperious 5-1 from Greaves and the immaculate Steven Worrall pulled the visitors level before perennial visiting guest, Ben Hopwood and Phillips put the Heathens back into the lead after Heat 8, despite the battling Baseby’s heroic effort to come back from a 15 metre penalty meted out for a tapes offence. Starke and Lambert produced the race of the night in Heat 11 neither giving an inch for four excellent laps, even ignoring the chequered flag to go on for a fifth before having to be stopped by the referee! With time running out the Heathens retained their leading margin when Phillips was adjudged to have held off Garrad’s late charge in Heat 14. The four points gap though gave hope of a late turnaround but the time-keeper’s watch offered none: at 8.29pm proceedings had to be halted due to the curfew and frustratingly the home side were denied the very real shot they’d have had in heat 15 to grab a draw or even (bearing in mind some of the crazy scoring of earlier) an unlikely win.
The premature end also meant Simon Lambert could not defend his Bronze Helmet and that match race title is poised now next to be contested in a fortnight vs. Leicester.
Before that, the next action at Central Park is of the individual kind, with the 40th. staging (the second at Kent) of the Laurels Championship for the WJ Cearns Trophy.
KENT 37: Simon Lambert 12, Benji Compton 10+1, Aaron Baseby 6+1, Ben Morley 6+1, Danny Ayres 2+2, Jason Garrad 1+1, David Mason R/R.
CRADLEY 41: Ben Hopwood 12, Steve Worrall 11+1, Paul Starke 8, Nathan Greaves 4, Dan Greenwood 3+1, Danny Phillips 3+1, Matt Williamson R/R.