THERE was more contentment for all involved with Sittingbourne Speedway at the continuing success of the club’s youth development and training programme with the success of two "old boys" at the Brighton Bonanza meeting at the weekend.

The indoor spectacular, held on a unique shale track laid inside the town’s Conference Centre, comprised a Best Pairs and an Individual Championship.

Emerging triumphant in the Pairs Trophy - an event attracting top names in the sport from the USA, Russia, Poland and the Czech Republic - was the home-grown teenage pairing of Edward Kennett and Lewis Bridger.

The two youngsters took their first rides on the Old Gun Site’s mini-track as 10-year-olds and used this valuable experience on a circuit remarkably similar in size and shape to sweep all before them to clinch the championship in their home county.

Sittingbourne track record holder Kennett - whose father Dave was one of the three famous Kennett brothers who rode between them for Eastbourne, Canterbury and a number of London clubs in the 1970s and 80s - then went on to win the prestigious Bonanza Individual title, becoming the first rider in the competition’s nine-year history to retain the crown.

It was announced that Bridger is to join the Eastbourne Eagles club, thus becoming the youngest rider to sign up as a full-time Elite Leaguer. The last two Britons to claim regular Elite team positions as teenagers are Kennett himself and Maidstone-based Daniel King.

Another good friend of the Iwade-based club, Canterbury-born Paul Hurry (himself also a twice Bonanza individual champion) had a far less successful afternoon.

The reigning European Grasstrack champ and a regular visitor to training sessions at the Old Ferry Road circuit had a torrid time being involved in several crashes – the last of which on the tiny circuit leading to the speedster having to go to hospital with a recurrence of his troublesome shoulder injury.

Third place in the individual championship behind Kennett and another Sussex-based rider, Martin Dugard was the American Chris Kerr, who had impressed Kentish speedway fans earlier this year when recording a maximum for the USA Under 21 tourists.

Yet another rider who has featured on the Sittingbourne mini-track and who also starred in the second half of the AC Associates Crusaders’ last home match of the season, Poole-based Brendan Johnson had a trophy winning afternoon in Brighton.

Thirteen-year-old Johnson, riding alongside Bridger, led his Buffalo outfit to the inaugural Academy League championship in the Grand Final held as a further attraction in the Brighton Centre.

Such positive news about Sittingbourne trainees past and present has come at an opportune time with a potentially crucial Committee Meeting considering the Club’s immediate future in terms of competing in Speedway’s national Conference League again in 2006. The meeting is scheduled for this Saturday.