Kent Kings’ bid for glory in the 2015 Speedway National League couldn’t be getting off to a more challenging start.

Champions of the past two seasons, the Cradley Heathens will be the first visitors to Central Park in a league match on April 27th.

Winners of the divisional play offs in both of the Sittingbourne-based side’s two seasons in Speedway’s third tier, the Heathens from the West Midlands were named as the first league visitors when the National League and Trophy fixtures for the forthcoming season were announced today (Tuesday 3rd. February).

The Kings visit Cradley, now based at Birmingham’s Perry Barr home on June 10th. with a return trip to the Second City to take on the eponymous Brummies themselves the following month. With no play offs to decide the championship this time, the destiny of the title could well rest on how well sides perform on their away day trips around the country, in what is poised to be the most competitive season ever at this level of the shale-based oval-racing motorcycle sport.

Kent’s first pair of matches in the League’s sister competition, the National Trophy straddle the Easter weekend earlier in April, with a first-ever visit to Arlington on Good Friday to take on league newcomers, Eastbourne (who like Birmingham have moved from the Elite League to compete in the thriving National League); with the Sussex side known as the Eagles landing at Central Park for the season opener at the circuit in Murston three days later.

That Easter Monday spectacular is a 3pm start as are the meetings on the two Bank Holidays in May when Mildenhall and King’s Lynn bring respectively their East Anglian challenges to the Kings’ home.
As previously announced the first evening meeting on April 13th. sees the visit of the always entertaining USA Dream Team tourists from over the Atlantic.

Mildenhall Fen Tigers who won the National Trophy last term are Kent’s first league opponents on the road on April 19th.

An obvious highlight in May is the two-legged scrap in the Knock Out Cup quarter-final against the Coventry Storm. The first leg on May 11th is at Central Park – mirroring the situation against these same opponents in last season’s play offs when the Kings narrowly went down to an aggregate reverse. Chris Hunt’s charges will be hoping for revenge when they complete the tie up at the historic Brandon circuit on Friday May 15th.

Coventry is also the venue for the National Fours – that’s on Sunday June 14th. and is the first held of the ‘big three’ championship shared events in this division. The Pairs has moved this term to the Norfolk Arena in King’s Lynn on September 5th. and also in September but reverting to its more traditional Saturday night slot is the National League Riders Championship on the 26th. at Rye House in Hertfordshire.

A first visit for the Kings’ team to the Rye House track located in a picturesque location on the banks of the River Lea is during the May Day Bank Holiday weekend on the Saturday evening the 2nd.

The full set of fixtures is on the Kent Kings’ website: www.kentkings.co

Picture supplied by Elizabeth Leslie.