TROY SIGNS UP TO JOIN THE KINGS' BATTLE FOR SUCCESS
Saturday 31 July 2021
Kent TouchTec Kings have moved decisively to make a big name signing to bolster their 2021 SGB Championship campaign.
With Paul Hurry having announced his retirement earlier in the week, the Kings’ management have wasted no time in making a team re-declaration (which applies from 1st. August) and the move will send shockwaves of tempest proportions across the Speedway world by the marquee signing the ambitious club have made.
The new man coming is Australian international, Troy Batchelor – and the former Grand Prix rider will assume the number one position in the side from this Tuesday’s home match vs. local rivals Eastbourne.
33-year-old Batchelor hails from Queensland and he has a prodigious tally of State Championships in his homeland: six in South Australia, one each in Victoria and his home State of Queensland.
Troy won the prestigious Australian national title itself in in 2013 and has been a member of his nation’s World Cup side, finishing on the rostrum four times.
He has ridden in the sport’s World Championship series, the Speedway Grand Prix (SGP) for two seasons with a top ten position in 2013 and a best ever SGP finish of second in Denmark in 2014.
That same year saw Troy’s biggest individual win here in the UK (where he’s been riding league Speedway since 2005) when he won the Elite League (top division) Riders’ Championship title.
The versatile Batchelor has also been his nation’s top performer at Speedway’s sister sport of Long Track – twice national champion and representing Australia in the World Championship.
Kent co-promoter Len Silver is delighted with his latest bit of sensational business, “ Following the news of Paul's retirement comes the flip side of the coin. The event has enabled us to conclude a deal, approved by the BSPL, which brings Australian International star, Troy Batchelor, to the TouchTec Kings. His race average (converted from his Premiership figure gained with Sheffield Tigers) is 11.09 which will place him at Number One in the team”
With the side being depleted in terms of numbers for a number of weeks now since the earlier loss of Tom Bacon (also to retirement) the TouchTec Kings get back up to a full complement of seven with the elevation from within the club’s own ranks of the Iwade Garage Royals teenaged prodigy, Jake Mulford. The 17 year old will come into the reserve berth to partner fellow terrific teen Dan Gilkes with the fast improving Ben Morley moving up into the main body of the Kings’ side.
It’s a remarkable rise for the youngster from Norfolk in what is only his second season riding league Speedway and Mr. Silver explained that this is seen as a move for the future as well as an improvement here in the present, “Alongside Troy we round off the team with the inclusion of teenager, Jake Mulford. This is a big step up for the young man and myself and Chris (Hunt, team manager) see this elevation of our very talented teenager to the Championship is to allow him to learn "at the deep end” – we believe it will accelerate his already burgeoning development into a top rider. I’m really delighted to hear that our retired team man, Paul Hurry has announced to me that he was to help his Grasstrack friend in the pits to aid his elevation.”
Silver sums up the new looking side and expresses in words the great sense of renewed optimism the changes brought upon the club this week are going to make to the rest of this season, “We believe that with two of Britain's best youngsters in Dan and Jake at the bottom end of the team and Troy and Scott (Nicholls) at the top, both pushed all the way by the very in-form Paul (Starke) and Troy’s fellow Aussie Cameron (Heeps) and with Ben now really finding his feet at this level, our team suddenly moves into the tougher section of the league and able to give anyone a good a good match.”
The first change to test this hypothesis will be this Tuesday (2/8) when the TouchTec Kings go for SGB Championship points at home to Eastbourne – 6.30pm start time.