It's to Wolverhampton for a second time of asking on Monday (16/9) to complete the Kent TouchTec Kings regular National League [NL] 2019 season fixtures with the away match against Cradley Heathens - a fixture re-arranged after last weeks' rain off.
For the visitors it's a red letter day indeed, as club captain Rob Ledwith finally returns to the team after the broken collar-bone and shoulder injury sustained in the NL Fours back in the second week of July. The Maidstone-based racer had a final fitness try out at the county's training track k at Iwade on Saturday and watching-on co-promoter Len Silver was more than content with what he saw, "Must say that I was pleased with what I saw - Rob tried a couple of bikes and one of those had come from his predecessor as skipper, Luke Bowen. The bike was fast and smooth and Rob seemed much better on it...so that is the one he will ride on Monday at Monmore Green".
Stepping aside to allow Ledwith back in, with many thanks and the best wishes of all at the Kent club is injury-cover replacement, David Wallinger; and so moving down to the reserve berth where he could be an ace card in the forthcoming Play Offs is Alex Spooner. With Jake Mulford on continental Grasstracking duties over the weekend, Spooner will instead be partnered in the reserve berths by Sam Woolley - the likeable lad from Burton making his second appearance of the season for the TouchTec Kings.
The hosts have everything riding on this meeting on Monday - needing at least a point (but really three points) to keep their own Play Offs alive;and then go straight into a first leg Knock-out Cup semi-final tie with Belle Vue Colts in what is a 'double header'. They'll do so without two injury victims: former NL Riders' Champion Dan Halsey and concussion-victim Tom Spencer - it's Rider Replacement being utilised for Spencer and a Guest for Halsey, who'll be very familiar to travelling Kent fans, 'original' Kings' man from 2013, Connor Coles.
It will be a poignant occasion for Coles, who was the hero this season of his 2019 club Stoke Potters as the club from Staffs find themselves in the position no club ever wants to be in: seeing their Loomer Rd. Stadium home from since 1973 sold for a fate as yet unknown from under their wheels and as things stand lost to Speedway after so many years. It will bring back bad memories for Cradley fans who suffered the loss of their own track in the mid-1990s and ironically then track shared at Stoke in the first of many years of keeping their famous club name alive.
One of their most famous sons of the modern era Max Clegg (also a former NLRC winner) leads the Heathens and with the NLRC on again at the end of this week it will be fascinating to see how Kent's two young pretenders aiming for that title, Drew Kemp & Anders Rowe fare against Clegg.
Teams [in alphabetical order]:
Cradley Heathens: James Chattin; Max Clegg; Connor Coles [G]; Luke Harris; Harry McGurk; Jack Smith; Rider Replacement for Tom Spencer; no. 8 tbc
Kent TouchTec Kings: Dan Gilkes; Jordan Jenkins; Drew Kemp; Rob Ledwith; Anders Rowe; Alex Spooner; Sam Woolley
The venue is Wolverhampton Speedway, Ladbroke Stadium, Monmore Green, Wolverhampton, WV2 2JJ and start time is 7.30pm