1 week Ago
Newly-formed Kent Eagles overcame the challenge of the Leicester Fox Cubs to record a 47-41 victory in their opening National Development Trophy fixture at Iwade’s Old Gun site on Sunday. For the Fox Cubs, top trio William Cairns, Sonny Springer and, in particular, guest Cooper Rushen combined to keep the Eagles septet honest throughout the 15 heats. But a superb top-scoring performance from Jamie Etherington, a double-figure return from Vinnie Foord and solid support throughout the order won the day for the home side.
There were, though, a couple of unfortunate drawbacks. For the Eagles Charlie Wood was forced to withdraw following an awkward-looking tumble in heat two, a badly-broken collarbone set to sideline him for six to eight weeks. For the Fox Cubs Max Broadhurst fell in race nine, seeing him sit out the remainder of the meeting.
Rushen marked his debut ride with a flying win and a new Iwade track record ahead of Nathan Ablitt and Nathan Hargrave in heat one, but hopes of a greater return for the visitors were dashed as No.1 Cairns’ machine failed coming out of the start. The Eagles opened up a five-point lead following race three, but this was reduced to a single digit as Cairns and Rushen combined to good effect, leading home Foord in the fifth.
A trio of 4-2s secured in heats six, seven and nine saw the Eagles six points, 29-23, to the good but Leicester responded, bagging a brace of 4-2s of their own to reduce the difference to 33-31. The latter of these realised a second race win for Cairns but also spelled a first defeat for the impressive Rushen at the hands of home captain Ben Morley. Foord and Etherington paired up for maximum points to spread the margin to half a dozen (38-32) in the 12th but this drew an immediate response, Springer rounding both Morley and Ablitt on the run in to lap two to join Cairns for a 5-1, the score of 39-37 keeping the Fox Cubs in the hunt.
The match looked to be moving towards a last-heat decider, but Etherington rounded off a superb performance combining with Jacob Clouting for a 5-1 ahead of Stene Pijper in the penultimate race, one that proved decisive and drew them six points clear of the visitors. Heat 15 proved another cracker as Rushen set the seal on a powerhouse paid 13-point display but behind him it was all going on with both Foord and Morley coming from the back to defeat the highly-rated Cairns. “They’ve got a good team with some really good youngsters, so to pull off the win like that is really quite good,” said Morley.
Reflecting on the all-round team performance he remarked on Etherington’s input in particular as “a massive positive for the team and a great way to start the year”. The final words came from Eagles’ man-of-the-meeting, Etherington. Commenting on the all-important heat 14, he said: “We needed that to win, I think, so I got out of the start and won it.
” Eagles are back in action on June 1 at home to Thurrock Hammers..
