A big week ahead for the Kent Kings Speedway team with both legs of the NORA League Cup Final against Isle of Wight Warriors – travelling across the Solent on Thursday for the first leg and looking to finish the job when staging the decider at the Old Gun Site on Sunday.

With regulars Jack Kingston and skipper Rhys Naylor unavailable on Thursday for the away leg, the Kings draft in two hugely promising youngsters from opposite sides of the Speedway world to cover. 

Making it a pair of Aussies in the team (joining up with recent signing Dayle Wood, who’s also  making his Kent debut on the Island) is Patrick Harrison.

Hailing from that famous Speedway city of Mildura in Victoria, ‘Paddy’ as he’s known, is a recent arrival on these shores coming after an eye-opening 2023/4 season down under with third place in the Victorian State Championship and eighth in the national U21 champs among the stand-out results. These came on the back of the major achievement of reaching the semi-final of the FIM Oceania Championship earlier in 2023 and there’s no question Hamilton is very much one to look out for.

The same can certainly be said of the third debutant in the Kings’ line up on Thursday – as taking a ticket to Ryde is 15-year-old sensation William Cairns.  

The youngster who only turned to 500cc bikes after reaching the necessary landmark age just over a fortnight ago, made his senior, competitive British Speedway debut on Sunday, recording an extraordinary 19 points in a meeting at Oxford. 

Though a prodigious effort it wasn’t the first time Speedway fans will have heard of his huge talent as, in addition to being the current GB 250cc title holder, William’s exploits on the Continent in European & World Youth competition have made everyone sit up and pay attention – culminating last month by finishing third in the World Under 16 Championship.

The Kings will be captained on Thursday by Ben Morley.  Essex-based Ben is a former IOW Warriors rider and few if any ride the 385 metres Smallbrook track any better – confirmed as recently as just a fortnight also when he won the prestigious USA Handicap Style individual meeting there.

After Thursday, it’s back to Kent’s home track in Iwade for the second leg – a 2pm start time on Sunday 21st. July. Naylor & Kingston will be back in the saddle for that one with the first chance for the Old Gun Site faithful to see new signing Dayle Wood, the man from Wagga Wagga, in action in a Kings’ race jacket – though they got some taster from his spectacular performance riding for Rye House in the last home meeting.  Wood joins Sam Woods in the team ensuring a solid plank in the middle order.

Team boss Ben Clifton commented on the challenges awaiting his charges this week, “It’s going to be a very big week for the club – with the major silverware that we’ve had our sights set on since reforming up for grabs.  The Isle of Wight track is very different to our home circuit and we know the Warriors have some riders who go very fast around there – including their skipper Arran Butcher and they have our good friend and former Kings man Danno Verge back in to bolster them.

“However Ben [Morley] is also very accomplished around Smallbrook and we have the two Aussies [Wood & Hamilton] who won’t be phased by the wide open spaces on the IOW circuit.

“Our job is to come back to Iwade with as good a result as possible from the first leg and then get our crowd behind us on Sunday to, as the expression goes, ensure it’s coming home!”

Sunday 21st. sees the parade at 1.45pm with tapes up at 2pm at Sittingbourne Speedway Track, The Old Gun Site, Raspberry Hill Lane (off Old Ferry Road) Iwade, Kent ME9 8SP