It was certainly a case of all Wight on the Night for the rampant Kent SLYDE Kings as they stormed to a club record fourth away win in a row and maintained their 100% record for 2016 at a dusty Smallbrook in Ryde last Thursday.
Their opponents the Isle of Wight Warriors have an impressive home record over the years, thanks at least in part to their large circuit (the biggest in the division) which visiting riders can often struggle with – but none of it from the hugely impressive Sittingbourne-based Kings, who swept to a 20 points winning score: with skipper Luke Bowen going through the card; James Shanes thrilling the crowd with a virtuoso performance and also ending undefeated by an opponent; and first timer on the Island, Jack Thomas also hitting double figures!
With David Mason taken ill on the way to the circuit and having been delayed by sickness unable to make the necessary ferry connection, Chris Hunt’s charges utilised Rider Replacement to cover for their experienced no. 4 – but this did nothing to lessen the side’s impact as they won this National Trophy match in impressive style.
For a fifth time in five matches the lead was forged by a 5-1 from the SLYDE Kings’ reserve pairing of Thomas and Danno Verge in heat 2 – amazing how this heat (such an Achilles Heel last term, with not a single 5-1 gained all season) has become the absolute opposite this campaign! Dust was affecting visibility at this point but nothing could obscure the excellence of this race with Verge & fellow Man of Kent, Matt Saul (making his National Trophy debut for the Warriors) swapping places before the Kent no 6 emerged triumphant.
Heat 3 was really the only set back of an otherwise perfect evening when through Lee Smart and other Kent-born rider in the opposition ranks Mark Baseby, the Warriors bit back with a maximum of their own – this was though to be the only time Danny Ayres’ colours were to be lowered by an opponent and with Ayres, Shanes (a storming winner of heat 4) and the imperious Bowen leading the way a steady and then convincing lead was built up.
It was the style of the victory as much as the efficiency which caught the eye: Shanes’ pass of first Kelsey Dugard and then the IoW’s ‘guest’ Liam Carr in his second ride was hugely memorable and then in the next race (heat 7) Ayres passed the homesters’ top man James Cockle to show the mastery the visitors were displaying. Out in front in that one was Thomas – the teenager heading home the vastly experienced Cockle around this track is a truly remarkable feat. Luke Clifton got in the passing mode in heat 10 going past Dugard – meaning all of the side had shown their ability to pass an opponent: on an away track and one as fast as this one this is an amazing tribute to the confidence of the side this season.
And the icing on the cake came with three successive 5-1 maximums in the final three heats to take the lead out to a truly awesome 20 points!
With both away matches in their National Trophy group now won, it just leaves getting the job done at home for the SLYDE Kings to qualify for their first ever Cup Final.
Chris Hunt was ebullient at the success, he said: “What a great all round team performance! The passing was brilliant with everyone joining in. I have to single out Jack Thomas for special praise though. He’d never even seen this track before and to go out and beat James Cockle who is nigh on unbeatable around the Island is an amazing achievement. We’ve won five matches in a row now, four of them away from home, so I’m sure the rest of the League are now going to have to sit up and take notice”.
Next team action for the Kent SLYDE Kings is at home on May Day Bank Holiday (2nd. May) when the Isle of Wight are the visitors this time – that’s in the first round of the National Knock Out Cup, a first leg tie. Start time of Holiday Monday is the earlier 3pm.