A packed fixtures list sees the Kent SLYDE Kings go into action on three fronts when the 2017 Speedway season gets underway in April.
Following the opening Easter weekend [with a two legged challenge against Mildenhall in the Easter Chase; and a battle also in two parts for the Tunnel Trophy, with Kent’s other new local rivals, Lakeside Hammers (a first ever trip to the Arena Essex Raceway in Thurrock happening on the Sunday following Easter)], it’s a trio of sides from the north-west who visit first in the National League [NL]. Buxton Hitmen are May Day Bank Holiday visitors – with the date to go in the diary for the visit of the side from the Dales being the afternoon of 1st. May. And they’re quickly followed by the Belle Vue/Coventry combined side and then the Stoke Potters.
There is still a level of mystery about the Belle Vue/Coventry side as both tracks have had a winter full of questions about their future. The plan had been for the National Speedway Stadium in Manchester (the nation’s newest track & home to the famous Belle Vue club) and Britain’s longest running Speedway venue, Brandon Stadium in Coventry, to ‘share’ home fixtures as they host a NL side. But with Coventry’s home for nearly 90 years ruled out from starting the campaign and Belle Vue under new management and no announcements yet about their NL side, Kent Kings’ followers can only speculate on what riders are likely to don the ‘Colts’’ race jacket when they visit in May and when or indeed where, the return fixture is likely to be held.
The first trip on the road in the NL is in May though and sees the SLYDE-sponsored Kings go to King’s Lynn in Norfolk where they lost narrowly in a last heat decider last term.
May closes with the home leg of the First Round Knock Out Cup tie with cup holders, Eastbourne – with the first of a minimum of three visits across the county boundary into Sussex to take on the ‘traditional’ enemy over at the Arlington Raceway opening up the month of June.
June 12 will be a much anticipated NL fixture at Central Park, when champions of the past two seasons, Birmingham are the visitors – the two sides met last year in the National Trophy Final, the KOC semi-final and in the League; and the rivalry between the two clubs developed an intensity which will doubtless continue unabated into 2017.
June finishes with an intense period on the road with visits to Cradley, Isle of Wight and the NL away day trip to Mildenhall (another track where Chris Hunt’s charges lost in a dramatic last heat decider on the way to second place in the NL standings last campaign).
Cradley are a team without a home track and this season with their rented home at Wolverhampton not available for sufficient ‘home’ meetings they are poised to track share also at Birmingham – Kent’s visit to take on the Heathens at the back end of June is, though, earmarked for Monmore Green in Wolverhampton.
July will see the National Trophy [NT] qualifiers completed with home & away legs against Eastbourne – the Eagles won the NT the last time they competed in the event in 2015 so represent a significant challenge, as do the other side in the ‘South-east’ group, Mildenhall.
August sees Cradley visiting Central Park – whether Danny Ayres, who left Kent to hook up with the homeless Black Country side will be available for what would be a dramatic return to the track where he made his name, will depend though on other fixtures – as Ayres has also signed up with top division (now known as the Speedway GB Premiership), Leicester Lions.
And September (with all sides needing to complete their fixtures in the NL before the cut off for qualification into the championship-deciding ‘play offs’) is another exceptionally busy month on the road – with trips up to the champions Birmingham in the Second City and then on consecutive days to Stoke and Buxton. The last home NL match is against divisional newcomers Plymouth; with the long Friday night trip down into Devon being in mid-August.
There is still a level of mystery about the Belle Vue/Coventry side as both tracks have had a winter full of questions about their future. The plan had been for the National Speedway Stadium in Manchester (the nation’s newest track & home to the famous Belle Vue club) and Britain’s longest running Speedway venue, Brandon Stadium in Coventry, to ‘share’ home fixtures as they host a NL side. But with Coventry’s home for nearly 90 years ruled out from starting the campaign and Belle Vue under new management and no announcements yet about their NL side, Kent Kings’ followers can only speculate on what riders are likely to don the ‘Colts’’ race jacket when they visit in May and when or indeed where, the return fixture is likely to be held.
The first trip on the road in the NL is in May though and sees the SLYDE-sponsored Kings go to King’s Lynn in Norfolk where they lost narrowly in a last heat decider last term.
May closes with the home leg of the First Round Knock Out Cup tie with cup holders, Eastbourne – with the first of a minimum of three visits across the county boundary into Sussex to take on the ‘traditional’ enemy over at the Arlington Raceway opening up the month of June.
June 12 will be a much anticipated NL fixture at Central Park, when champions of the past two seasons, Birmingham are the visitors – the two sides met last year in the National Trophy Final, the KOC semi-final and in the League; and the rivalry between the two clubs developed an intensity which will doubtless continue unabated into 2017.
June finishes with an intense period on the road with visits to Cradley, Isle of Wight and the NL away day trip to Mildenhall (another track where Chris Hunt’s charges lost in a dramatic last heat decider on the way to second place in the NL standings last campaign).
Cradley are a team without a home track and this season with their rented home at Wolverhampton not available for sufficient ‘home’ meetings they are poised to track share also at Birmingham – Kent’s visit to take on the Heathens at the back end of June is, though, earmarked for Monmore Green in Wolverhampton.
July will see the National Trophy [NT] qualifiers completed with home & away legs against Eastbourne – the Eagles won the NT the last time they competed in the event in 2015 so represent a significant challenge, as do the other side in the ‘South-east’ group, Mildenhall.
August sees Cradley visiting Central Park – whether Danny Ayres, who left Kent to hook up with the homeless Black Country side will be available for what would be a dramatic return to the track where he made his name, will depend though on other fixtures – as Ayres has also signed up with top division (now known as the Speedway GB Premiership), Leicester Lions.
And September (with all sides needing to complete their fixtures in the NL before the cut off for qualification into the championship-deciding ‘play offs’) is another exceptionally busy month on the road – with trips up to the champions Birmingham in the Second City and then on consecutive days to Stoke and Buxton. The last home NL match is against divisional newcomers Plymouth; with the long Friday night trip down into Devon being in mid-August.
As well as the League, Trophy & KOC commitments there’s an exciting menu of other events for the Central Park faithful to enjoy. The Invicta Treble Chance on 8 May is a unique event with trophies up for grabs for top team (in a four team tournament), Best Pair and top individual – so literally a ‘treble chance’ for glory. The famous name of Wimbledon Dons (the original stadium where the Cearns family ran Speedway) is resurrected again in the John Cearns Cup – particularly poignant in a year when it seems sadly likely that the famous stadium in London SW17 is to be bull-dozed away. And also reviving memories of those times there’s the Laurels for the WJ Cearns Trophy – now well established as one of the most prestigious individual titles up for grabs in Speedway’s NL. Before those two events there’s a mouth-watering date in the fixtures calendar at the end of June, when Central Park hopes to open its doors to trans-Atlantic visitors with the long anticipated return of the USA Dream Team – a touring side of top young talent coming over from Stateside.
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DATE
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OPPONENTS
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COMP.
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H/A
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APRIL
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|
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Fri 14
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Mildenhall Fen Tigers
|
Easter Chase
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HOME
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|
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Sun 16
|
Mildenhall Fen Tigers
|
Easter Chase
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Away
|
|
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Mon 17
|
Lakeside Hammers [3pm]
|
Tunnel Trophy
|
HOME
|
|
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Sun 23
|
Lakeside Hammers
|
Tunnel Trophy
|
Away
|
|
|
Mon 24
|
Amateur Meeting
|
.
|
HOME
|
|
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MAY
|
|
|
|
|
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Mon 01
|
Buxton Hitmen [3pm]
|
NL
|
HOME
|
|
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Mon 08
|
Invicta Treble Chance
|
.
|
HOME
|
|
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Sun 14
|
Mildenhall Fen Tigers
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NT
|
Away
|
|
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Mon 15
|
Belle Vue-Coventry
|
NL
|
HOME
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|
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Wed 17
|
King’s Lynn Young Stars
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NL
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Away
|
|
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Mon 22
|
Stoke Potters
|
NL
|
HOME
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|
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Mon 29
|
Eastbourne Eagles [3pm]
|
KOC
|
HOME
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|
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JUNE
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|
|
|
|
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Sat 03
|
Eastbourne Eagles
|
KOC
|
Away
|
|
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Mon 05
|
Mildenhall Fen Tigers
|
NT
|
HOME
|
|
|
Mon 12
|
Birmingham Brummies
|
NL
|
HOME
|
|
|
Mon 19
|
Junior Meeting
|
.
|
HOME
|
|
|
Mon 19
|
Cradley Heathens
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NL
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Away
|
|
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Thu 22
|
Isle of Wight Warriors
|
NL
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Away
|
|
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Sun 25
|
Mildenhall Fen Tigers
|
NL
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Away
|
|
|
Mon 26
|
American Dream Team (tbc)
|
International Ch
|
HOME
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|
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JULY
|
|
|
|
|
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Sat 01
|
Eastbourne Eagles
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NT
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Away
|
|
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on 03
|
Isle of Wight Warriors
|
NL
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HOME
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|
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Mon 10
|
Mildenhall Fen Tigers
|
NL
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HOME
|
|
|
Mon 17
|
Eastbourne Eagles
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NT
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HOME
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|
|
Mon 24
|
Wimbledon Dons
|
J. Cearns Cup
|
HOME
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|
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Mon 31
|
Reserved
|
.
|
HOME
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|
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AUGUST
|
|
|
||
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Mon 07
|
The Laurels
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Ind
|
HOME
|
|
|
Mon 14
|
Lakeside Hammers
|
NL
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HOME
|
|
|
Fri 18
|
Plymouth Devils
|
NL
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Away
|
|
|
Mon 21
|
Cradley Heathens
|
NL
|
HOME
|
|
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Fri 25
|
Lakeside Hammers
|
NL
|
Away
|
|
|
Sat 26
|
Eastbourne Eagles
|
NL
|
Away
|
|
|
Mon 28
|
Eastbourne Eagles [3pm]
|
NL
|
HOME
|
|
|
SEPTEMBER
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|
|
||
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Mon 04
|
King’s Lynn Young Stars
|
NL
|
HOME
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|
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Wed 06
|
Birmingham Brummies
|
NL
|
Away
|
|
|
Sat 09
|
Stoke Potters
|
NL
|
Away
|
|
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Sun 10
|
Buxton Hitmen
|
NL
|
Away
|
|
|
Mon 11
|
Plymouth Devils
|
NL
|
HOME
|
|
TBC Belle Vue/Coventry NL (AWAY)
TAGS: Kent Kings