The penultimate match of Kent TouchTec Kings’ regular National League [NL] fixtures sends them to the home of the side currently one place below them in the table (with Kent topping the lot at the moment), Leicester Lion Cubs on Saturday 31st. August.
The East Midlands outfit, in their first season in the NL, are also the only team to have beaten Kent in the league at Central Park this season and so revenge as well as taking another vital step forward towards Play Off qualification is the order of the day.
And the day sees the debut as a fully-fledged King of new signing David Wallinger – actually, unusually, appearing at the Beaumont Park circuit for his third different NL club of the season. The transfer deadline day business which secured the services of the 35 year old Yorkshireman, Wallinger was an anxious time to some extent too for the Kent management after the extraordinary news (seen as inexplicable to most in the Speedway world) that Sheffield had replaced Drew Kemp in their SGB Championship [SGBC] side – as Kent co-promoter, Len Silver explains.
“With the news that Sheffield had dropped Drew from their Championship League side, bringing in an American to replace him there was an immediate chance that other clubs would want Drew with them, and two clubs did make noises. However, to my personal relief as at Thursday (29/8) no club have applied to include him at SGBC or Premiership level. Since the deadline date for transfers has now passed, it means that our popular heat leader will be available for every single Kings meeting for the rest of this year.”
With the good news came some disappointing news too – the Speedway authorities not agreeing to lift the racing ban imposed on Jordan Jenkins. The Kent rider had reconsidered his, he now feels, hasty decision to sit out the rest of the season and the club had applied to the BSPA for permission to use him with immediate effect. Instead it seems Jordan will need to sit out until after the regular fixtures are complete but will be available come the Play Offs and plans to have a new engine in place then. Rider Replacement will be used to cover for Jenkins’ absence at Leicester on Saturday.
At reserve Jake Mulford is unavailable due to Grasstrack commitments and coming in to partner Jacob Clouting for a first-ever Kings ‘appearance is Midlands-based rider, James Chattin. Chattin rides in the Southern & Midland Development League for Exeter Falcons and has racked up some experience of NL racing this term with a number of short-handed clubs as an unallocated two pointer.
The hosts have one of the strongest heat leader pairings in the division in Ellis Perks and Danyon Hume. Perks was unbeaten at last weekend’s NL Pairs though of course ultimately, he and partner Hume had to play second fiddle to the triumphant Kings duo of Kemp and Anders Rowe. British-born but Aussie-raised in terms of his Speedway credentials, Perks uniquely rides in all three divisions of British Speedway: Swindon in the top tier and for the senior Lions as well as the Lion Cubs at Leicester.
Hume has been a very familiar face to Kent fans this term with a number of challenge match appearances against the Kings – and indeed will be back at Central Park this coming Monday riding for the GB Young Lions U23 side. In truth it’s only been injuries which have held Hume back from reaching the heights his ability deserves but that looks like being behind him now. The combination of Hume & Perks has been a huge factor in the Lion Cubs’ rise to the top two in the division. And that’s all the more vital as the third heat leader in their line-up, Luke Ruddick has been himself a long while now on the side-lines after suffering a troublesome bout of concussive injury symptoms.
There’s a familiar look about the Lion Cubs’ two second strings: indeed they look identical (to each other!): the Thompson Twins, Dan & Joe. At reserve, there’s another rider who though born on these shores learnt the Speedway game down under: Kiwi protégé who’s got Kent appearances on his racing CV, Ryan Terry Daley.
The action gets underway with a 7.30pm start time on Saturday 31st.August at the Paul Chapman & Sons Arena, Leicester Speedway Track & Pavilion, Beaumont Sports Complex, Beaumont Park, 1 The Lions, Beaumont Leys, Leicester, Leics, LE4 1DZ.