It's National Trophy [NT] action which kicks off the competitive season at Central Park Stadium on Monday (13/5) with the visit of the newly re-branded Plymouth Gladiators.
The NT is different this year - gone are the two Groups with the winner of each, meeting in the Final; instead there's one Group comprising Kent & Plymouth, holders Mildenhall and the Isle of Wight. The top two in this qualifying stage will then meet in a two-legged Final to decide the destiny of the first piece of silverware of the 2019 Speedway season.
This format leaves no margin for error certainly not in home matches and so far all matches held have indeed resulted in home wins. So though there was obvious frustration that in this corresponding fixture held at Plymouth on Good Friday that the TouchTec Kings went down to a two-points defeat (and on an evening when the fates really conspired against Chris Hunt's men) - the bonus point achieved that day in Kent's only NT encounter so far, could yet prove to be absolutely vital in the battle to reach the Final.
That defeat down in Devon still smarts thoiugh and so they'll be revenge in the air too on Monday when Mattie Bates brings his Gladiators to do battle.
There are (as seems to be the case most weeks now) two very familiar faces in the visitors ranks: ex-Kings' men Nathan Stoneman & Adam Sheppard. Nathan spent the last two seasons at Central Partk of course where his swashbuckling style won him a huge number of fans. His move way out west to Plymouth has paid dividends as the full five ride 15 points maximum which always eluded him during his tenure at Kent he's achieved twice already - both times in the NT, away at another of his former clubs, the IOW and on that Good Friday when he was the match winner against the TouchTec Kings.
Adam Sheppard meanwhile finds himself named in a National League squad for the first time since the season he spent with Kent in 2015. There's a second Adam on the comenack trail with the Devon club: that's Adam Extance, last seen at Central Park a couple of years back now in the colours of the Buxton Hitmen. A visitor who goes all the way back to the very first Speedway meeting held at Central Park (in 2013) is Scott Campos - the Suffolk born rider who holds a USA passport (hence his appearance to the American side who were the very first opposition for the Kings six years ago) is back now in the colours of the Gladiators.With Jamie Bursill an early season victim of injury misfortune, Plymouth have drafted in Sheldon Davies who scored paid seven on his Central Park debut riding for Thurrock Hammers last Monday.
A rider with a reputation as something of a Central Park track specialist from some eye catching performances for both Plymouth (his home county club with whom he's spent most of his career) and Eastbourne is the Gladiators' captain, Richard Andrews - in a late season team appearance last year also for the Hammers, as it turns out, he scored paid 13 and is certainly a rider to look out for. Ben Wilson completes the visiting septet - still a big name in the third tier a full 18 seasons ago about winning the division title with his home city club, the Sheffield-based Owlerton Prowlers.
For the Kings, Alex Spooner remains an injury absentee and Rider Replacement will cover his rides.
The action will get underway at Central Park Stadium on Monday 13th. May baxck to the normal 6.30pm start time slot - with gates open at 5pm.