The Kent CTA Fire Kings face one final massive challenge before they can enjoy their winter break, when a quartet from the Sittingbourne Central Park-based club compete on Sunday in this year’s Speedway National League Fours at Coventry.

Having missed out so narrowly losing in a last heat decider last year in their first attempt to win this prestigious championship, the challenge of trying to go one better from that runners-up position of 2014 is made all the more difficult by a semi-final draw which pitches the CTA Fire Kings in with the holders Cradley Heathens and the hosts, Coventry Storm.

The format of this competition (involving eight of the NL’s nine clubs – only wooden spoonists Scunthorpe missing out) sees two groups of four teams lining up in two eight heat semis. The top two from each group graduate to a Grand Final similarly contested over eight races.

As each race sees one rider from each team, this is in some ways more akin to individual racing rather than the pairs who line up in regulation league action where team riding is a vital factor: here it’s about each team member making their contribution count in the races they’re carrying the sole responsibility for gaining points for their side.

With that in mind Kent team boss, the experienced John Sampford has looked at those in the best current form and will have had in mind the fact that his charges’ last away fixture was actually up at Brandon in Coventry, the venue for Sunday’s gala event.

Skipper Simon Lambert and the only survivor from last season’s second placed side in this annual competition, Ben Morley were always going to be certain picks.  Lambert scored 12 points in that Play Off semi earlier this month whilst Morley will prefer to remember his excellent paid 15 score at Brandon back in May rather than the much more difficult match he endured (when injury prevented him from his normal scoring return) in the play-off encounter. 

With David Mason injured, the selection process for Sampford become effectively a ‘perm any two from three’ and it is Benji Compton who misses out with Aaron Baseby and newly-crowned Kent CTA Fire Kings’ Rider of the Year Danny Ayres completing the foursome.

The Play Off semi was Ayres’ first visit to Coventry and his impressive paid 11 total included a win over the homesters’ Dan Greenwood, a factor which must have swayed selection his way.  Baseby also recorded a heat win that evening but there’s no doubt a lot of pressure is on the two of them to replicate that kind of points scoring on Sunday.

Sampford said: “I feel that when it comes to current form this is our best quartet and for that reason on this occasion Benji does miss out.  His recent injuries have taken a toll.  Danny in particular is in many ways our form rider at the moment.  It’s a tough ask to get out of this group when the draw has been so unkind as to place us in a semi with both of the only two sides to finish above us in the league, but I know the lads will give it their all”.

For the holders, Cradley (known last year as Dudley) retaining the Fours is part of a three-pronged attack of defences so-to-speak: in the final week of the season the side from the Black Country hope to claim successive victories in the championship and knock-out cup with second legs of both those Finals.  The quartet entrusted with the first part of this attempted hat-trick of glory shows really little nothing in the way of weakness: with the rider top of the averages, Steve Worrall joined by Tom Perry, Paul Starke and teenager Max Clegg.

Coventry Storm enjoy home advantage which gives Cradley’s Play-Off Final opponents a definite edge in their mission to somehow halt the Heathens.

Though they are missing Ollie Greenwood (the rider well known to Kent fans from his heroics around the Central Park circuit this term, including clinching the GB u-19 crown there last month), they do have his namesake Dan Greenwood (who is himself a one-time junior national champ) and Luke Priest, who has tasted victory in this competition before, with former club Stoke.  But it’s their big two who surely carry the hopes of the Storm: skipper James Sarjeant who was imperious when scoring a maximum against the CTA Fire Kings at Brandon three weeks ago; and – having had a successful test out at Central Park when appearing for Arena Essex last Friday at Central Park – the West Midlanders have twice GB Under 19 champ, Stefan Nielsen ready to go.

Completing Group ‘A’ is Buxton – the Hitmen from Derbyshire determined not just to make up the numbers are Welshman, former GB Ice Racing champ Tony Atkin, the twice GB junior Short Track champ, Tom Woolley plus the fast-improving Adam Extance and Ryan Blacklock.

Group ‘B’ who will provide the other two finalists contains the two East Anglian sides, Mildenhall and King’s Lynn plus Stoke and Devon.

Mildenhall were the Fours champs in 2012 and have a formidable look to their quartet which includes the two main individual champions at this level of 2014: the GB under 21 champ Josh Bates and the National League Riders Champ (triumphing at Rye House last month), Dan Halsey. They are joined by former GB under 18 champ, Brendan Johnson and the former Kent rider, who since finishing third in the U-19s at his former home track has been in the best form of his career, Jack Kingston.  Another favourite of the Central Park crowd leads up the challenge from the Young Stars of King’s Lynn, Marc Owen.

The Eastbourne-born youngster is joined by Diss-based James Cockle, the Anglo-American Scott Campos and rising star Tom Stokes.

Stoke, the team that is, have had a much better 2014 than last year and have already claimed one of Dudley’s crowns when they annexed the Pairs title – one half of that winning Potters duo seeking to add another Fours title to his own impressive racing CV is the Mighty Midget, veteran Jon Armstrong. Joining Armstrong are Chris Widman, Rob Shuttleworth and a regular visitor to Central Park this term, Ben Hopwood.

Group ‘B’ will certainly hold interest for the many Kent fans expected to travel to Brandon to cheer on their favourites in the other group of course – because in addition to favourites like Kingston and Owen, there’s James Shanes making a relatively rare appearance these days for the equally elusive Devon Demons completing the line-up.

Joining the hugely exciting Shanes who thrilled the Kent faithful with his visits earlier this campaign, will be yet another favourite of many Kings’ followers, the rider who began the season as a Kent rider: Luke Chessell. Richard Andrews and Tyler Govier are the other riders for the quartet from the Plymouth-based side.

The action gets underway at 2.30pm on Sunday.

GROUP A:
BUXTON: Tony Atkin, Tom Woolley, Adam Extance, Ryan Blacklock.
CRADLEY: Max Clegg, Steve Worrall, Tom Perry, Paul Starke.
COVENTRY: Luke Priest, James Sarjeant, Stefan Nielsen, Dan Greenwood.
KENT: Ben Morley, Aaron Baseby, Danny Ayres, Simon Lambert.

GROUP B:
MILDENHALL: Dan Halsey, Jack Kingston, Brendan Johnson, Josh Bates.
DEVON: James Shanes, Richard Andrews, Luke Chessell, Tyler Govier.
KING’S LYNN: James Cockle, Tom Stokes, Marc Owen, Scott Campos.
STOKE: Jon Armstrong, Ben Hopwood, Chris Widman, Rob Shuttleworth.