Kent SLYDE Kings went down to a 20 point defeat up in the Potteries on Saturday night (25/7) against Stoke in the City Gearboxes National League.
The Sittingbourne’s based Speedway side’s last sortie on the road had seen the team go within a whisker of winning at runaway CGNL leaders Birmingham, but this trip just a bit further north into Staffordshire carried none of the optimism generated that previous evening - and with 30 out of the total of 36 points recorded coming courtesy of the side’s heat leader trio, it was clear, not for the first time this term, that the problems lay in too few points being contributed from the lower order.
Indeed in Ben Morley, Kent had a captain who led from the front scoring a hugely creditable 16 points including three heat wins – one of which was for double points as the SLYDE Kings attempted to come back via the Tactical Ride facility from a deficit incurred early in proceedings: four maximum 5-1s conceded to the home side in the opening seven heats.
Of the other ‘big three’ in the visitors’ line up, both Danny Ayres and James Shanes took a little while to dial into proceedings. Ayres was adjudged to be at fault when both Potters fell in a re-started run heat three and then was twice a faller in his second ride but bounced back to beat the home rider Chris Widman and record a second heat win in heat 12. Shanes battled gamely for his paid eight points tally with some spectacular passes from the back and topped off with a win in his third ride.
Further down the order it was a learning curve for full debutant Rob Watts, whilst Ben Basford (expected to be declared as a fully fledged member of the side next week) scored paid three from six rides on a busy evening for the north-easterner. The improving Jamie Couzins worked hard for his four points.