The Kart Raceway Cobras missed out on their first League away win, as the Crusaders won a last heat thriller and so gained their very first win of the campaign at the final opportunity.

Despite the absence of Danny Halsey, the Cobras opened the match with a bang, as Rob Smith and Lee Strudwick secured a first race 4-2 over Dean Felton, and Dan Blake and Richard Franklin – from the back – followed up with a 5-1 in Heat 2. The home side was quickly level and then moved ahead 17-13, only for the Cobras to fight back with a 4-2 in Heat 6 as Franklin took the win over Felton despite an early collision with the safety fence.

Four laps later, the Cobras were in front again, at 22-20, thanks to a maximum from Andrew Aldridge and Terry Day, only for the pendulum to swing back in favour of the home side, who pushed clear at 33-27 after Heat 10. Successive wins by Rob Smith sparked Rye 4-2s in Heats 11 and 13, to bring the score back to 40-38, with only Dean Felton’s last gasp hold-out against Terry Day preventing a Cobras’ 5-1 in the latter.

Alas for the visitors, former Rye man Mark Baseby captured Heat 14, and then repeated that success in the finale with a second lap pass of Smith, to complete a fine five ride maximum for himself and ensure the Crusaders the narrowest of wins.   

Rye House scorers:
Rob Smith   11 (5 rides)
Lee Strudwick   5 (4)
Gary Cottham   5+1 (4)
Andrew Aldridge  8+1 (5)
Terry Day   5 (4)
Dan Blake   4+1 (3)
Richard Franklin  6+2 (5)

Sittingbourne scorers:
Dean Felton   7 (4 rides)
Aaron Baseby   6 (4)
Harland Cook   9+3 (5)
Mark Baseby   15 (5 rides, maximum)
Ricky Scarboro  6 (4)
Niall Strudwick   0 (3)
Daniel Berwick   3 (5)