Kent Kings suffered a heavy defeat in the first leg of their Knockout Cup tie at Eastbourne Eagles.

Kings lost 58-32 at Arlington on Sunday and have it all to do in the return leg.

Captain Scott Nicholls (12) and fellow heat leader Paul Starke (10) accounted for 22 of those points on an afternoon to forget for the visitors.

It was a disastrous start for Kent as they went down to four successive 5-1s in the opening races.

There was a brief respite in the fifth when Kings captain Nicholls pulled away from Lewis Kerr but by the end of the seventh race, they were 22 points behind.

After re-runs in heats eight and nine maintained Eastbourne’s lead, there was a three-race salvo for the Kings where Starke, twice, and Nicholls took heat wins, but there was no back-up and so the gap remained.

The Eagles pulled a further six clear before the final race saw Nicholls and Starke combine for Kent’s first heat advantage in the shape of a 4-2.

Kent rider Dan Gilkes helped Great Britain win bronze at the European Under-19 Pairs Championship in Gdansk on Saturday.

Gilkes was joined by ex-Kent duo Anders Rowe and Drew Kemp, with Team GB taking third place behind winners Latvia and hosts Poland after a run-off.

The Kings youngster collected two points in his two outings, partnering Kemp to a 5-1 maximum but falling in his second race.

“It was an absolutely amazing weekend,” said Gilkes.

“I gained so much experience and learnt loads during the whole weekend.

“It was tough to come in mid-meeting but was awesome to get some racing.”

Next up for Kent Kings is the visit of Glasgow Tigers to Central Park on Tuesday night.

It’s a chance for revenge as Glasgow defeated them in the opening match of the season.

It’s set to be the first Championship action at the stadium following early-season postponements.

Read more: The latest sports news in Kent