Hammers pipped in last heat decider

The Thurrock AsMATT Hammers lost 45-44 in a controversial last heat decider in the Ken-Ex Cup against The Kent Eagles, in an afternoon of fantastic racing at Iwade’s Old Gun Site.

The Hammers had led from the opening heat, with skipper Jason Edwards taking the chequered flag and an early 4-2 lead after Edward Kennett for the Kent Eagles suffered mechanical failure while leading.

Mickie Simpson and Ben Whalley secured a 3-3 for the Hammers in heat two, before Jordan Jenkins delivered over Ben Morley after Nathan Hargrave and Harrison Rogers were both excluded. 

Edwards continued the Hammers’ momentum in heat four with a stunning ride, against Kennett and Mulford to maintain the Hammers three-point advantage at 13-10.

Simpson and Whalley again delivered vital support taking second and third behind Morley in Heat five, before the hosts reduced the gap in heat six as Kennett headed Jenkins, with Connor King taking third.

A point up, Edwards then restored the cushion in heat seven, continuing his unbeaten run with another impressive victory ahead of Mulford. With Alex Spooner taking third after Jack Kingston suffered machinery issues, the Hammers moved 22-19 ahead.

Another fantastic ride came from Mickie Simpson in heat eight, defeating Morley, while Whalley followed home in third. The resulting 4-2 gave Thurrock their biggest lead of the meeting at 26-21.

Kent hit back in heat nine, with Mulford taking the win ahead of Jenkins and Kingston beating Rogers to third, reducing the Hammers’ lead to three points at 28-25.

Home skipper Ben Morley threatened to end Edwards’ unbeaten run in heat 10, but the Thurrock skipper responded with a superb swoop on lap two to take victory. With Spooner claiming third, the Hammers secured another 4-2 and stretched their lead to 32-27.

Kennett won heat eleven for the Kent Eagles, but Simpson and Whalley again combined effectively to take the minor places, keeping Thurrock five up at 35-30.

Heat twelve proved another key turning point. Jordan Jenkins was comfortably leading for the Hammers when he hit a rut on the fourth bend and suffered a heavy fall, resulting in his exclusion.The hosts took advantage, with Kingston and Hargrave claiming a 4-2 over Rogers to trim the Hammers’ lead to 37-34.

The first of the nominated races, heat 13, saw Spooner deliver an important win ahead of King, with Hargrave third, whilst Rogers hit with the air fence on turn two and dropped out of contention. The shared heat kept Thurrock three points clear.

Kent reduced the gap again in heat fourteen, as Kennett beat Whalley and Kingston got the better of Rogers, who was replacing the injured Jenkins. The Eagles’ 4-2 brought the score to 42-41 in favour of the Hammers heading into a last heat decider, with Edwards and Simpson lining up against Mulford and Morley. 

After seeing off Morley, Jason Edwards stalked Jake Mulford for much of the race, before making the decisive pass to take the chequered flag. Unfortunately this occurred on the 5th lap, and so the result was declared based on the position of the riders at the end of lap 4, which in a 4-2 scoring position handed victory to the Kent Eagles.

The Hammers would like to thank The Kent Eagles promotion, all of the riders who pulled on the Hammers bib and our Team and campaign sponsors on an afternoon where Speedway was the winner.

Scores:

Kent Eagles: 45

Jake Mulford 12+1 (5), Edward Kennett 11 (5), Ben Morley 10 (5), Jack Kingston 5 (5), Connor King 5 (5), Nathan Hargrave 2+1 (5).

Thurrock AsMATT Hammers: 44

Jason Edwards 14 (5), Mickie Simpson 9 (5), Jordon Jenkins 7 (4), Ben Whalley 6+3 (5), Alex Spooner 6 (5), Harrison Rogers 2 (6)