It’s the biggest day so far in the six years of Kent Speedway on Monday (3/6) with the National Trophy [NT] (a first ever major team title for the Sittingbourne-based club) tantalisingly within their grasp, after securing a bonus point against 2013 winners, Isle of Wight on Thursday. That took the TouchTec Kings to the top of the table, knowing that they need now only to avoid defeat at home against the same opponents by seven or more points otherwise the title is theirs.
The visit of the Isle of Wight Warriors promises to be a hugely dramatic evening on Monday with a big crowd expected to witness the denouncement of a competition which has lived up to its billing and beyond. National League Coordinator in his first year in the role, Jason Pipe is there on ceremonial duties, custodian of the iconic trophy (contested since 2000) and recognises the importance of the occasion. “I’m really looking forward to travelling down to Central Park stadium from my North East base this coming Monday to present the NT to the winners of this hugely competitive league. I have to say that as a neutral, I’m hoping it goes down to the very last race on the night! Regardless, I’m so pleased to see that is being decided in the very last meeting of the competition.”
Pipe went on, “Kent haven’t had it easy by far to get to this stage. They’ve battled through the competition having lost both Dan Gilkes and Alex Spooner to Injury recently (best wishes to them both) and they have dug deep and rode as a team and fully deserved their away win at Mildenhall and the bonus point after a plucky comeback at the remaining contenders, Isle of Wight. It’s results like that that give any team a good chance of winning any competition”.
The TouchTec Kings cover Spooner’s absence (still nursing that troublesome shoulder injury) with Rider Replacement again – putting pressure on taking additional rides on reserves Nathan Ablitt and Gilkes’ replacement, Jacob Clouting plus skipper Rob Ledwith. Ledwith really led from the front at the Isle of Wight on Thursday and finds himself with another replacement team mate on Monday with Jordan Jenkins missing. Jenkins is on college exam leave and coming in as ‘Guest’ is Plymouth’s Richard Andrews. Andrews has been unquestionably the top visiting rider to Central Park this term after his heroics in the NT with his side Plymouth, so is an excellent choice of emergency stand-in in and sure to be well received by the home fans.
The visitors are at full strength with Ben Morley, the in-form Danno Verge, Georgie Wood and Chris Widman all very experienced practitioners around the Central Park circuit and so representing a real and present threat to the Kings’ pursuit of glory.
We’ll leave it to Jason Pipe to explain the ramifications in place for this exciting climax to the event, “The way in which this National Trophy has gone down to the very last meeting of the competition with both teams having a chance of winning it, some could even say this is effectively a one off final! We could even yet see the Isle of Wight win at Kent and still not win the competition! The Warriors have to win by a clear seven points at least to claim the four points that they would need to finish top of the table – so if the Warriors were to collect three points by, say, repeating their winning score of last Thursday 42-48, then we’d see Kent top the group on race points difference! Currently Kent are on +23 and the Isle of Wight on -3. This could well be an exciting finish to this competition. Best of luck to both clubs and let’s hope whoever wins, Speedway is the winner at the end of the night!”
The gates open at 5pm with the official parade events commencing at 6.10pm and tapes up on the most important Speedway match of the season so far at 6.30pm on Monday 3rd. June at Central Park Stadium, Stadium Way, Eurolink Industrial Estate, Sittingbourne, Kent ME10 3SB