It is take two to get this Championship Knock-Out Cup tie underway this Sunday (6/6) as the Kent TouchTec Kings head to Sussex to take on the Eastbourne Eagles at Arlington (3:30pm start). This match now becomes the first leg after last week’s postponed fixture at Central Park.
The main team news for the Kings is that Dan Gilkes will be missing again due to GB international duties. Dan is representing Team Great Britain this weekend in Gdansk in the inaugural European Under 19 Pairs Final. There is a very familiar look to the Team GB side as all three riders the nation were Kent riders in 2019 – as Dan is joined by Eastbourne’s Drew Kemp (so also missing on Sunday) and Redcar’s Anders Rowe. A proud moment for the club with its noted development policy and filling the missing slot in the TouchTec Kings’ line up as ‘Guest’ is another product of that policy, huge Kings’ fans favourite Jack Thomas. The Kent discovery signed for Leicester after moving on from the Kings in 2019 but then took a break from sport. 2021 see’s Jack back with new found enthusiasm and takes the rising star spot with Birmingham. Further to this, Jack is part of Polish First Division squad Lodz.
For Kings’ Captain Scott Nicholls it is a return to one for his former teams. Scott was an Eastbourne rider in 2008, when the Sussex side were racing in the top-flight then known as Elite League, winning the Knock-Out Cup that season. Captain Scott and Co. will be buoyed after getting their first league points on the board in the draw at Plymouth on Tuesday night, and a similar performance would certainly put the Kings in pole position in the tie with the second leg all but exactly a month later on 7th. July.
Also returning to his former club is the Kings’ record point scorer, Ben Morley. Ben rode for the Eagles in 2019 before being let go midway through the season -so fair to surmise that Ben will be hoping to prove a point against his previous employers with a big score from the reserve berth.
The hosts are a significant challenge for Chris Hunt’s charges though, led as they are by former Team GB star and winner of the big Grasstrack meeting at Frittenden last weekend, Edward Kennett, Lewis Kerr and former Lakeside Hammers’ hero, Richard Lawson. A guest will need to be announced to cover for Kemp.
Admission is via online tickets only via the Eastbourne Speedway website, and programmes are priced at £3 – it is advised to have the correct amount of money as it is believe no changewill be given.