The Kent SLYDE Kings became the first visiting side to take a league point away from Perry Barr on Wednesday (15/7) – coming so close to inflicting a first defeat of the 2015 campaign on clear City Gearboxes National League [CGNL] leaders, the Birmingham Brummies.
With the Second City club boasting a 100% record and the Siittingbourne-based Kent side without a win on their travels so far this campaign, few predicted what was to transpire at Perry Barr with Chris Hunt’s inspired charges taking the League pacesetters to a last heat decider. Indeed, having taken the lead in heat seven and not being headed again until a fateful heat 15 there was cause in the SLYDE Kings camp not just for satisfaction at a marvellous fighting display but also ultimately disappointment that they just came up just a fraction short in the end.
With work commitments keeping the previously ever-present Jamie Couzins out , the Kent management were hit by another blow on the morning of the match with Aaron Baseby withdrawing through illness. There turned out to be a silver lining to that news, as team boss Chris Hunt was able to secure the ‘Guest’ services of Mildenhall’s Tom Bacon who had a superb meeting for the Kings – ending up topping the scorecard!
The youngster from Coventry who first came to the attention of Kent management when he finished runner up in the Buckmore Park Futurama meeting back in April (though unfortunately already snapped up by the Fen Tigers by then) was in crackling form and his contribution was a significant factor in the visitors very nearly bringing home the bacon!
But with Ben Morley taking two heat wins, Danny Ayres likewise (including the notable scalp of the homesters' prodigious teen Zach Wajtknecht), James Shanes in full pelt thrill-mode and a career best paid six points return from Ben Basford it was very much a case of ‘Gammon You Kings’ for the ever-loyal travelling supporters!
The match saw two early heavy falls for the Brummies’ number one, GB Under 21 World Cup squad member Adam Ellis: crashing out when he got entangled with the fence in heat one and falling again when he reared up leading heat six. That second exclusion saw the visitors take a second 4-2 in the opening salvoes, levelling matters at 18-18 and in fact the Brummies were not to lead again until the very denouncement.
It got still better in heat seven with Danny Ayres inflicting an extremely rare defeat on the Bristol-born Wajtknecht – and with Bacon in third suddenly the Kings had the lead. Surprisingly an unscheduled interval was allowed to be taken at this very early juncture – seemingly in order to allow a shaken Adam Kirby time to recover body and machine from his heat 7 tumble.
The delay did not take the wind out of the visiting Kent side’s sails though and a Bacon and Basford combo in the often tricky heat 8 had the travelling supporters in raptures as now the lead was four points.
Next up was a much anticipated match-up between Wajtknecht and his long time rival on the Grasstracks and Longtracks of Europe in junior competition, Kent’s James Shanes. The ‘Boy Wizard of Balance’ did everything he could to get past the fast-gating Wajtknecht but just fell short.
A trio of shared heats in races 10 through to 12 meant the two point gap was retained going into heat 13 – with it clear now that the destiny of this oh-so close encounter was to hinge on how the Kent big hitters could react when Ellis and Wajtknecht were paired together – in both heats 13 and 15.
The first of these pivotal occasions saw a now more composed Ellis gate, with Morley holding off Wajtknecht. However behind the scenes there were problems as the Kent SLYDE Kings skipper and number one re-entered the pits: his clutch was gone and running repairs were not going to do a trick on it.
Meanwhile there was immense pressure on Danny Ayres in heat 14 – in order to ensure the visitors kept at least parity going into heat 15 (now guaranteed to be a last heat decider) the Newmarket-based Ayres needed to beat the Brummies’ stand-in captain Sam Chapman. Chapman trapped and lead as they entered the final bend of the opening lap but a super confident Ayres was not to be denied – sweeping past to take the chequered flag and meaning, going into the ‘nominated riders’ heat 15 it was tied up at 42-42.
Morley’s machine was in no condition to allow the Southend Speedster to be one of Hunt’s two picks, so it was to Ayres and Shanes he turned. No such difficulties for the home side who were always going to be using in their ‘big two’, Ellis and Wajtknecht. It was clearly a huge ask to grab at least a 3-3 in this one and more so when Ellis stormed from the tapes with his teenaged partner in second. Ayres at first lead in the chase of Wajtknecht but then his youthful partner took over the pursuit. For three remaining pulsating laps the Dorset-based teen did everything in his considerable powers to rein in the three times World Youth Champ but with Ellis out front not putting a wheel out of place the outcome was guaranteed – just a third heat advantage for the normally rampant CGNL leaders saw them snatch victory leaving Kings’ management, riders and fans all feeling proud; disappointed but unbowed.
The skipper Morley summed it up, “We’d have been more than pleased if we’d been offered the bonus point [awarded for away performances which restrict the home win to under seven points] before the meeting. It was a brilliant all-round team performance. I was disappointed I couldn’t get out on track in heat 15 but I have of course full confidence in James & Danny and the effort they put in to try and secure that last race victory was immense. This performance stands us in good stead for our remaining League fixtures”.
Next up in the CGNL for the SLYDE Kings is a visit to the Potteries to take on Stoke on Saturday week (25/7) – with the home meeting on this coming Monday (20/7) seeing individual championship action returning to Central Park with The Laurels for the WJ Cearns Trophy.
Birmingham Brummies 47 1. Adam Ellis FX, FX, 3, 3, 3 9 2. Alex Wilson 2, 1*, 2, FX 5+1 3. Sam Chapman 3, 2, 1, 2, 2 10 4. Rider Replacement – Josh Bates 5.. Zach Wajtknecht 3, 2, 3, 3, 1, 2* 14+1 6. Robert Parker 2*, 0, 0 2+1 7. Adam Kirby 3, 0, FX, 2, R, 1*, 1* 7+2