Kent Eagles were victorious in their challenge match against Cradley ARH Heathens in baking conditions on Sunday afternoon.

Eastenders actress and Strictly Come Dancing Star Balvinder Sopal was the Guest of Honour as Speedway action resumed at Iwade’s Old Gun site. 

Sopal spent the afternoon chatting eagerly and happily with riders and supporters alike labelled the sport ‘exciting and incredible’ though nothing like dancing in a trackside interview, claimed to already be an absolute fan of the Kent Eagles when asked what she thought about the action, expressed a desire to have a go and was already anticipating a return visit to the sport declaring to have had an amazing time and an absolute ball.

On track it was the Eagles who ran out 51-39 winners against the Cradley ARH Heathens. For the home side, Ryan Ingram led the charge with a superb 15-point maximum with Ben Morley, also unbeaten by an opponent being paid for the full house. Edward Kennett seemed set to join them but a superb effort by Ben Whalley, the pick of the visitors saw him brought to account in the penultimate race.

The Heathens should be commended, however, for keeping things close, especially following a spate of injuries that robbed them of Darryl Ritchings, Charlie Wood and Ben Phillips in the lead up to the contest.

Ashton Vale and increasingly popular Australian, Tayla Street, who recently claimed fourth place in the recent Women’s World Championship stepped into the breach while the visitors utilised the Rider Replacement facility at number one in the absence of Ritchings.

The visitors should be commended, and in spite of dominant displays by each of the Eagles top trio, they refused to buckle and continued to keep both the racing and scoreline close throughout the meeting.

As the match progressed, Kent gradually built up a ten-point lead, one that stood at 38-28 with just four heats remaining and when Harry Sadler provided their first heat winner in race twelve sharing a 5-1 with Alex Spooner this reduced the margin to just 6-points, 39-33 and with that a comeback couldn’t be ruled out.

It wasn’t to be, however, in spite of Whalley’s defeat of Kennett in heat fourteen. Nevertheless, the match closed with unquestionably the race of the day as Ingram, Morley and Whalley played out an absorbing three-man duel in heat fifteen, the home side eventually claiming the maximum to run out 12-point winners, but the Heathens New Zealander had certainly made his presence felt.

Earlier, Kennett had made it a winning start for Kent, taking heat one at a canter but a first bend fall for Alex Chadd who was set to suffer an afternoon of misfortune saw both Sadler and Street fill the minor places to bank a share of the spoils.

A similar scenario in race two saw Ingram commence his unbeaten run ahead of Vale. In the early part it appeared that the hosts would take the lead as Nathan Hargrave dueled gamely with Whalley, however the Heathens rider would secure the odd point in the final reckoning, parity being maintained at 6-points apiece.

Daylight appeared following the next as Morley bagged his first win of the afternoon at the expense of Sadler while Connor King secured the all-important third place point ahead of Spooner.

This offered the hosts a 10-8 advantage and 2-points rapidly became six (15-9) as Ingram and Kennett combined for maximum points against Whalley.

Still the Heathens refused to be steam rollered however and conspired to keep things close. Morley and Kennett in turn would prove the first man home in each of the next two races but Whalley and Vale, then Sadler and Spooner fill the minor places on each occasion to maintain the half dozen difference, one that now stood at 21-15.

Ingram continued his winning ways in race seven with Spooner on this occasion his unwitting victim and with Hargrave getting the better of Street for the 4-2, the Eagles moved further clear of their opponents, the disparity now standing at 8-points, 25-17 progressively.

Morley and Ingram were winners of heats eight and nine respectively but falls for Chadd and Hargrave in turn worked against them and in each instance, Whalley and Vale then Spooner secured a share of the spoils.

A further 4-2 with Morley and King being separated by Vale set the difference at double figures, 35-25 now the scores on the doors.

Kennett and Whalley played out an absorbing duel in the next, effectively a dress rehearsal for what would follow in the penultimate race but with the unfortunate Chadd suffering a further fall the margin remained at 10 points (38-28) with four races left on the card.

It might have seemed that the Eagles would run down the clock, but a threatened revival emerged as Sadler and Spooner combined for the 5-1 in heat twelve, a result that the team’s industry thus far most certainly deserved. With that the home lead was slashed to just six-points, 39-33 and who knew a Heathens comeback could not yet be ruled out.

Indeed, Street looked set to continue the fightback as she led the first of the nominated races, mechanical gremlins were set to deny her what was starting to appear a bolt on win however, Hargrave proving the beneficiary as he swooped through to secure the victory ahead of Spooner and with Chadd following in third the 4-2 saw the Eagles advantage at eight-points, 43-35 and at the threshold of victory.

With Cradley only able to field one rider in heat fourteen, that victory was then assured but Whalley sugar coated the pill with a fine ride to dash Kennett’s maximum hopes.

The final race was truly a classic and once again Whalley was in the thick of it.

There was very little to separate Ingram, Morley and the New Zealander throughout the four laps and the result could have gone any one of three ways but in the final reckoning the Eagles 5-1 sealed what proved an entertaining and enjoyable 51-39 victory in favour of the home side.        

Scorers:

Eagles: Ryan Ingram 15(5), Ben Morley 14+1(5), Edward Kennett 13+1(5), Connor King 4+1(5), Nathan Hargrave 4(5), Alex Chadd 1(5). – 51

ARH Heathens: Ben Whalley 12+1(5), Harry Sadler 11(6), Alex Spooner 8+3(6), Ashton Vale 7+3(5), Tayla Street 1+1(5), Rider Replacement for Darry Ritchings – 39

Image courtesy of Tiffani Graveling