It was a disappointing end to the weekend for the Kent Eagles in the Kenny Smith Memorial Fours on Sunday.

Following a night of triumph in their winning the NORA Pairs at Mildenhall the previous evening, they came down to earth with a bit of a bump in the Kenny Smith Memorial Fours, bringing up the rear of the field with 18-points, with hosts Scunthorpe Scorpions topping the pile on 34-points with both Cradley Heathens and King’s Lynn Young Stars sharing the runners up slot, 4-points adrift on thirty.

The meeting was destined to end prematurely with track conditions deteriorating, swirling dust caused by a combination of sun and wind limiting rider’s vision.

Heat nineteen was awarded after King’s Lynn’s Sam Woods and Cradley’s Max Broadhurst suffered separate falls, and it was at that point with the Scorpions out of reach of their nearest challengers, it was decided that the final race would not be staged.

The scorpions overcame a sluggish start producing three straight wins to go level with the Young Stars following heat five and for the most part it was those two teams who appeared to  be vying with each other to take the top prize. Cradley were seldom far from the action however and they continued to exert pressure on the lead two, so much so that with three heats remaining only a single point separated the leading trio. The impressive Mickie Simpson gave the hosts the edge inflicting Young Stars Harry Fletcher’s sole defeat in heat eighteen and with Woods and Broadhurst then being ruled out of the penultimate heat, Joe Crewe’s second place behind Eagles Jack Kingston place was sufficient to give the home side the win.  

Indeed, Kingston was the Kent team’s stand out performer, three wins in his final three rides saw him accrue ten of their 18-points. Each rider, Jack Crewe, Laylan Richardson and Tayla Street gave of their best however, the Eagles having to utilise rider replacement for the absent Patryk Daniszewski. Tayla Street suffered misfortune, unable to avoid the fallen Kyran Lyden in heat seventeen, she unfortunately suffered some facial injuries, though thankfully later she reported herself to be okay.

SCUNTHORPE 34 : Mick Skinner12 (3-1-3-2-3), Kean Dicken 7 (0-3-3-2), Harry Sadler 7 (0-3-F-2-2), Joe Crewe 7 (3-1-1-0-2), Rider Replacement for Reid Battye.

Team manager: Alister Darroch

KINGS LYNN YOUNG STARS 30 : Harry Fletcher11 (3-3-3-2), Kyran Lyden 6 (2-1-3-X), Sam Woods 5 (1-2-2-X), Stene Pijper 5 (1-2-1-1), Liam Greens 3 (2-0-1).

Team manager: Jason Pipe

CRADLEY ARH HEATHENS 30 : Alex Spooner10 (2-3-2-3), Connor King 8 (3-2-0-3), Harrison Rogers 6 (2-2-1-1), Grant Fletcher 5 (1-1-3), Max Broadhurst 1 (0-R-1-F).

Team manager: Andy Hawthorne

KENT EAGLES 18 : Jack Kingston11 (1-1-3-3-3), Jack Crewe 4 (2-F-2-R-0), Tayla Street 3 (1-0-0-2), Laylan Richardson 0 (F-0-R-0-0), Rider Replacement for Patryk Daniszewski.

Team manager: David Graveling

Team Manager David Graveling summed up the club’s busy weekend on the road ‘What an amazing weekend with Kent Eagles winning the pairs at Mildenhall, our first silverware on the road and an amazing effort from both Ben (Morley) and Jack (Kingston). Then a tough day at Scunthorpe but we are proud to have entered a team in the meeting.