Double Divisional Riders Champion Steve Boxall is back at Central Park Stadium on Monday 24th. July heading up an impressive line-up of riders competing for the Wimbledon Dons in the annual John Cearns Cup challenge. 
Canterbury born Boxall is a legend of Kent Speedway having ridden as the inspirational captain and number one in the Kings’ debut season in 2013 – a year which culminated in Boxall taking the National League Riders Championship (a unique second title for the now recently turned 30- year- old having previously scooped the individual championship crown back in 2005).
Boxall is also the current holder of the Laurels/WJ Cearns Trophy having taken that prestigious title on his last visit to Central Park last year and now seeks to lead his troops for the day to the second of the two events on the Kent Speedway racing calendar which acknowledge the Cearns’ family’s contribution to the history of Speedway in the UK.
Boxall is also the current holder of the Laurels/WJ Cearns Trophy having taken that prestigious title on his last visit to Central Park last year and now seeks to lead his troops for the day to the second of the two events on the Kent Speedway racing calendar which acknowledge the Cearns’ family’s contribution to the history of Speedway in the UK.
Central Park Stadium owner and Kent club chairman Roger Cearns is the grand-son of one of the men who back in 1928 brought the sport of Speedway which originated in Australia to these shores, WJ Cearns – who also built the then hugely impressive Wimbledon Stadium that same year in London SW17 to stage the new sport. The Wimbledon Dons ran from then up to the early 1990s and then again in the opening years of this century before the stadium on Plough Lane sadly fell to the clutches of redevelopment finally closing as a Greyhound Racing and Stock Cars venue in March of this year.
That this then is the first appearance on track of a Wimbledon Dons’ side since the complete closure of their long-time iconic home makes the meeting on Monday an especially poignant occasion and a large number of devotees of the famous London club are sure to make the journey to Sittingbourne. Joining Boxall in the side is another former Conference League Riders Champion and ex-Kent Kings skipper in David Mason.
That this then is the first appearance on track of a Wimbledon Dons’ side since the complete closure of their long-time iconic home makes the meeting on Monday an especially poignant occasion and a large number of devotees of the famous London club are sure to make the journey to Sittingbourne. Joining Boxall in the side is another former Conference League Riders Champion and ex-Kent Kings skipper in David Mason.
The all-time record points scorer in the third tier known throughout the sport as ‘Magic’ Mason is in excellent form this season and rides for the reigning champions Birmingham. A third member of the Kings’ 2013 side is also donning the London club’s red and yellow body colours on Monday – it’s Connor Coles, who is joined in the side by his club captain from the Isle of Wight Warriors, James Cockle. Cockle is that rare breed in modern Speedway: a London-born rider hailing initially from Edmonton. At reserve, the Dons feature the teenager from Eastry near Sandwich, James Laker (who turns out regularly for Kent’s Southern Development League side, the Code Kestrels) and the recent winner of the Futurama junior event held at Central Park Stadium, Adam Portwood.
For the hosts, the 2013 ‘reunion’ continues with Ben Morley (National League Riders Champion himself as a Kent King two seasons ago) back ‘guesting’ at number one. With Nathan Stoneman joining his skipper Luke Bowen on the sidelines (a broken leg in the case of Stoneman), the home side will utilise Rider Replacement to cover, with Ben Hopwood back on duty. Jack Thomas continues to deputise in the role of captain. Anders Rowe is unavailable and coming in for a first appearance this season in Kent colours is Kelsey Dugard.
There will be a special souvenir programme priced as £2.00. Gates open at 5.00pm with the usual parade followed by tapes up for heat on me of the John Cearns Cup event at 6.30pm.
For the hosts, the 2013 ‘reunion’ continues with Ben Morley (National League Riders Champion himself as a Kent King two seasons ago) back ‘guesting’ at number one. With Nathan Stoneman joining his skipper Luke Bowen on the sidelines (a broken leg in the case of Stoneman), the home side will utilise Rider Replacement to cover, with Ben Hopwood back on duty. Jack Thomas continues to deputise in the role of captain. Anders Rowe is unavailable and coming in for a first appearance this season in Kent colours is Kelsey Dugard.
There will be a special souvenir programme priced as £2.00. Gates open at 5.00pm with the usual parade followed by tapes up for heat on me of the John Cearns Cup event at 6.30pm.
TAGS: Kent Kings