Kent SYLDE Kings gave the holiday crowd what they wanted on Whitsun Monday (25 May) with a convincing win over the King’s Lynn Young Stars – a first City Gearboxes National League win of the 2015 campaign for the Sittingbourne-based Speedway side.
With their skipper and talisman Ben Morley missing, the SLYDE-backed Kings drafted in as a ‘Guest’, Australian-born Robert Branford and the 2013 GB Under 21 champion proved to be a worthy replacement in the all-important number one race jacket, dovetailing the performance with heat wins in the opening and final races and scoring 14 points. But the headlines were to belong to the Kings’ own men with James Shanes – celebrating the news that he’s now a full asset of the Kent club – with three straight heat wins on the way to an impressive paid 13 points tally and crowd favourite Danny Ayres marking the occasion of being skipper for the day by taking the prestigious Bronze Helmet title.
For the others in the Kent side there were plenty of positives to take from the match too. Aaron Baseby was involved in one of the races of the season in heat nine going wheel to wheel with the tenacious visiting rider Tom Stokes before executing a spectacular ‘round the boards’ pass on the outside at the end of the first lap. That his partner Ayres was to follow his lead and tuck in behind the Sevenoaks speedster just added to the delight of the enthusiastic crowd: the captain getting past the young Stars rider on the home straight on lap three.
For Danno Verge it was another tale of so near yet so far, as again he saw his dreams of a truly significant CGNL scalp denied him at the death. The Shorne-based teenager gated magnificently in heat one and though allowing his partner Branford past to speed on, Danno was holding off the very experienced James Cockle all the way until the very final bend, when the away skipper got extra drive from the dirt on the outside and swept by to break Verge’s heart. Undeterred though, Verge persevered and will be pleased in particular with his battling performance to hold off Shane Hazelden in heat 10.
For the two reserves, Adam Sheppard and Jamie Couzins there were further signs of a continuing improvement. Sheppard was harshly excluded in his first ride in heat two when the Norfolk side’s Central Park debutant Ryan Kinsley went very wide on the first bend leaving Sheppard nowhere to go; but he too fought back from that disappointment to gain a battling second place in heat eight. Meanwhile, Couzins was involved in a great race in heat 11 – with Cockle riding for double points as stand-in KL team boss Mark Styles’ last throw of the dice, the pressure was on Shanes and Couzins to keep the one time youth Tottenham Hotspur footballing trainee at bay. Shanes gated superbly but Couzins certainly earned his spurs actually overtaking Cockle before being re-passed but giving the King’s Lynn man a tremendous battle.
Then to cap a great afternoon, Danny Ayres took the honour of representing the Kent SLYDE Kings in the Bronze Helmet against surprise pick for the Young stars Scott Campos; and Ayres (who barely a year ago was a complete rookie at this level) ensured the match race championship title remains in Kings’ hands by sweeping to a victory greeted rapturously by the whistle-blowing crowd!
Team boss Chris Hunt was happy with another outstanding home performance, “It was another excellent all-round team performance. We certainly chose the right ‘Guest’ in Branford and I thank Rob for such a great effort. The rest of the lads are just showing so much confidence in their riding around Central Park. And we are blessed with some outstanding entertainers too – it’s racing like this which will bring the crowds in and keep them coming back for more. The team spirit in our side is second to none too and that’s great to see.
Next up for the Kent SLYDE Kings at Central Park is next Monday 1st. June when the visitors are Birmingham. The side from the Second City have never taken on Kent before and the meeting is certainly one of the most attractive one on the fixture list - with the Brummies including in their ranks, top CGNL rider and Young GB international, Adam Ellis, former GB Under 21 rostrum man Tom Perry and making his Central Park bow, the twice World Junior Champion, Zach Wajtknecht.
Hunt is looking forward to the visit of the West Midlands outfit, “It’s great to have a club as prestigious as Birmingham alongside us in the City Gearboxes National League. There’s no doubt they’ve got an impressive line up especially in their top three riders but I feel we have the firepower to match them. Our captain Ben Morley against Adam Ellis is a classic match up of top riders at this level; and I feel both James (Shanes) and Danny (Ayres) can more than hold their own against Perry. Certainly I know Perry and James have met many times on the grass as has young James with Zach in major junior championships – it’ll be fascinating to see them fighting it out on the Central Park track!”
Match details:
Kent SLYDE Kings 55 Robert Branford 3 3 2 3 3 14 Danno Verge 1 0 1' 1' 3+2 Aaron Baseby 2' 1' 3 3 9+2 Danny Ayres 3 2 2' 3 10+1 James Shanes 3 3 3 2' 1 12+1 Jamie Couzins 2 1 1 0 4 Adam Sheppard X 0 2 1 3
Kings Lynn Young Stars 37 James Cockle 2 3 4^ 1 2 12 Josh Bailey 0 0 3 0 3 Scott Campos F 2 3 2 R 7 Shane Hazelden 1 Fx 0 2 3 Tom Stokes 2 2 1 0 5 Layne Cuppitt 1 1' 0 F 2+1 Ryan Kinsley 3 1' 0 1' 5+2