It was a night of maximum pleasure for Kent SLYDE Kings’ followers, as the club’s unbeaten start to the season continued and a place in the National Trophy Final was secured in a drubbing of a depleted Mildenhall side.
And no doubt who wrote the headlines, as the long wait for Danny Ayres and James Shanes to record their first maximums in a Kent Kings’ race-jacket ended for them both: Ayres recording a perfect nap hand of five victories from his five rides and the teenaged Shanes thrilling the crowd also with a paid maximum, unbeaten by an opponent also from his five outings.
Ayres has never looked this assured or as dominant but more than that as quick as he recorded two super-fast times of 57.9 seconds, the fastest times of the season and just two-fifths of a second off the long-standing Central Park track record. The only danger to his relentless pursuit of that long awaited first-ever maximum came in his final ride, when clearly last into the first bend from off the outside gate – but the way he swept around no less an opponent than 2014 National League Riders Champion Dan Halsey to storm to the front and then team-ride home with Shanes was clear evidence that his destiny was always to be recording that debut full house on this balmy evening. And balmy turned barmy as the ebullient Danny jumped off his bike as he came around to the home straight on his lap of honour (after receiving the traditional ‘bumps’ from the rest of the team and the pit crew) and dashed Andre Agassi-style headlong into the packed main grandstand to celebrate with his adoring public! Even his team mate Shanes looked somewhat bemused!!
It was a night to remember for the SLYDE-backed Kings but far less so for the hapless visitors whose injury problems were then exacerbated by losing the experienced Jon Armstrong to illness and late replacement Connor King to a vehicle breakdown en route to Sittingbourne.
If there was an award for Bravest Man of the Match then it surely would go to Luke Clifton, who followed his excellent paid nine points' performance last week against the Isle of Wight, with another hugely plucky showing here. The meeting started as uncomfortably as possible for a rider already suffering with a broken rib, when after a racing incident saw him fall on the very first bend of the opening heat the closely-following Fen Tiger, Alfie Bowtell was unable to stop his machine riding straight into Clifton’s chest. Amazingly the Canterbury-born racer rose from the track to take his place in the rerun, where he was unfortunately to fall on the last lap and miss out on a point. To recover from this to then claim the scalp of the highly rated Connor Mountain for a paid win in his next ride and then his now customary heat 8 victory made it another hugely satisfying if painful evening for the popular Clifton.
Jack Thomas again reached paid double figures – combining with Danno Verge to complete their third heat 2 5-1 in three National Trophy matches and David Mason rolled back the years with a superb win in heat 14. Skipper Luke Bowen was silky smooth and inspirational as ever – being denied a maximum himself only by a piece of late resistance from Mountain.
A National Trophy final against Birmingham now awaits, whilst next up for the SLYDE Kings at Central Park is the visit next Monday (16/5) of another team from the West Midlands, the Coventry Storm.
Kent SLYDE Kings 64 Luke Bowen 3 3 2 3 11 Luke Clifton X 2* 3 1* 6+2 Danny Ayres 3 3 3 3 3 15 [Max] David Mason 2* 0 1 3 6+1 James Shanes 3 3 3 2* 2* 13+2 [Paid Max] Danno Verge 2* 0 1 2* 5+2 Jack Thomas 3 2* 2* 1 8+2
Mildenhall Fen Tigers 23 Dan Halsey 2 2 2 2 1 1 10 Alfie Bowtell F 1 1* X X 2+1 Connor Mountain 1 1 1*♢ 3 2 8+1 Connor Coles 0 2 0 0 1 0 3 Rider replacement - Jon Armstrong William O'Keefe X 0 0 0 0 0 Connor King DNS DNS DNS 0
