Kent Kings 2020?

[AndyO]

6 minutes ago, phillipsr said:

Definitely retired and i believe sold his equipment, had some corrective surgery fairly recently, just become a father and has a decent job outside of Speedway so not sure theres much to tempt him back  

Thanks didn't know the background but that makes sense, shame though as a fully functioning 747 would have made a good replacement!

 

[East End Fan]

1 hour ago, AndyO said:

Thanks didn't know the background but that makes sense, shame though as a fully functioning 747 would have made a good replacement!

 

From my Arena Essex days I have been a great fan of Paul and I am very surprised at his poor form.  He is a much better rider than we have seen

so far this yea.r

[HGould]

10 minutes ago, East End Fan said:

From my Arena Essex days I have been a great fan of Paul and I am very surprised at his poor form.  He is a much better rider than we have seen

so far this yea.r

Age has caught up with him. 

[phillipsr]

47 minutes ago, HGould said:

Age has caught up with him. 

And doughnuts by the look  

[ruckerroo]

59 minutes ago, East End Fan said:

From my Arena Essex days I have been a great fan of Paul and I am very surprised at his poor form.  He is a much better rider than we have seen

so far this yea.r

Hes 50 +ffs, he was getting mullered in the nl 2-3 yrs ago. The worst signing of all time on a 5+ average. Not the only problem tho, heeps a major concern. Ive no idea how len will attract riders down there to fill the void, he wont pay over the odds. 

[Steve Shovlar]

There must be a few juniors who would snap up the chance if a team berth. Let’s be honest they can’t do any worse that Paul H. And the experience would help them improve.

[szkocjasid]

3 hours ago, Steve Shovlar said:

There must be a few juniors who would snap up the chance if a team berth. Let’s be honest they can’t do any worse that Paul H. And the experience would help them improve.

If going down that route, I'd certainly go for Ryan Kinsley & keep Jake Milford as a 1* rider for next year!

[Racin Jason 72]

You desperately need top end strength. Someone like Claus vissing to come in would help enormously.  
or if you could get Troy batchelor to double up then that could be a game changer.  

[waco]

What ever happens something must be done just to make KENT a proper team ,We can not continue to turn up with only half a team,,We are not expecting a lot this season just a side that is capable off putting up a fight............

[Dandelion]

Nico Covatti seems to be doing well in Europe this year and was in the original line up... I'd LOVE to see him back in British speedway, such an entertaining rider, wonder what the chances are? Kent are in need of a serious facelift... Just like my team.

	Kent Kings	Avg.
1	Scott Nicholls ©	8.34
2	Ryan Kinsley	3.09
3	Paul Starke	5.93
4	Cameron Heeps	7.23
5	Nico Covatti	7.82
6	Dan Gilkes	2.00
7	Jake Mulford	1*
		34.41
		4.59

Or tbh if Josh Bates can be tempted, I'd sign him up... I know he's injured a lot and not the most reliable, but R/R for him, where Paul Starke, Cameron Heeps and the two reserves can take a ride, is a better option at number 2 than Paul Hurry

	Kent Kings	Avg.
1	Scott Nicholls ©	8.34
2	Josh Bates	6.05
3	Paul Starke	5.93
4	Cameron Heeps	7.23
5	Nico Covatti	7.82
6	Ryan Kinsley	3.09
7	Dan Gilkes	1*
		38.46
		0.54

I'm aware neither of these teams are really possible, but it's still interesting to see what COULD happen in an ideal world for Kent. I do hope yous can find something to do as Kent is a club I respect greatly.

 

[Fromafar]

13 minutes ago, Dandelion said:

Nico Covatti seems to be doing well in Europe this year and was in the original line up... I'd LOVE to see him back in British speedway, such an entertaining rider, wonder what the chances are? Kent are in need of a serious facelift... Just like my team.

	Kent Kings	Avg.
1	Scott Nicholls ©	8.34
2	Ryan Kinsley	3.09
3	Paul Starke	5.93
4	Cameron Heeps	7.23
5	Nico Covatti	7.82
6	Dan Gilkes	2.00
7	Jake Mulford	1*
		34.41
		4.59

Or tbh if Josh Bates can be tempted, I'd sign him up... I know he's injured a lot and not the most reliable, but R/R for him, where Paul Starke, Cameron Heeps and the two reserves can take a ride, is a better option at number 2 than Paul Hurry

	Kent Kings	Avg.
1	Scott Nicholls ©	8.34
2	Josh Bates	6.05
3	Paul Starke	5.93
4	Cameron Heeps	7.23
5	Nico Covatti	7.82
6	Ryan Kinsley	3.09
7	Dan Gilkes	1*
		38.46
		0.54

I'm aware neither of these teams are really possible, but it's still interesting to see what COULD happen in an ideal world for Kent. I do hope yous can find something to do as Kent is a club I respect greatly.

 

That’s a good  shrewd one, signing Josh Bates for good r/r team.

[blueherb777]

5 hours ago, waco said:

What ever happens something must be done just to make KENT a proper team ,We can not continue to turn up with only half a team,,We are not expecting a lot this season just a side that is capable off putting up a fight............

Exactly!

[East End Fan]

2 hours ago, Richard Weston said:

Rising stars in 2022. Probably not so I would not  worry. Let Mulford rip

I agree with Richard Weston.  Mulford should be given every opportunity.  I was told that at Scunthorpe he went in one race from last

to first only to make a big error in the last bend and they all came back by him. I did not see it personally, can anyone confirm that ? 

[flipper11]

7 hours ago, East End Fan said:

I agree with Richard Weston.  Mulford should be given every opportunity.  I was told that at Scunthorpe he went in one race from last

to first only to make a big error in the last bend and they all came back by him. I did not see it personally, can anyone confirm that ? 

That is not correct, he was on the pace and challenging 3/4th in all his races but didn't lead a race.  

[HGould]

Len laid his stall out a few weeks ago in the Speedway Star when he made an impassioned plea for a stronger NDL.

Through no fault of his own the move up to Championship Speedway has been impacted by Covid ; Brexit and injuries and he hasn't been able to build a proper Team.

Not hard to calculate that with the possible exception of Craig Cook that Scotty is the highest paid rider in the CL and his performances carrying a weakened team certainly justify whatever he is earning, but with the side looking weak and dispirited it's not going to ensure big enough crowds to cover the extra cost of Championship Racing and as even the most loyal locals will admit, his NDL admission pricing is unrealistic and overpriced.

If Len gets what he wants then we could see an 8 Team Premier and a 8-10 team second tier (lower CL / upper NDL) sooner than we think  so to give maximum opportunity to Gilkes; Mulford and a few others now may not be a bad thing. 

What happened though to Sam Hagon there too, he was in NDL Team for 2020 but allowed to move to KIngs Lynn and be loaned to Mildenhall. Same with Nathan Ablitt, another excellent young prospect in their 2019 team allowed to drift away? 

[Curly]

Unfortunately, we definately need 1, but probably need 2 experienced riders that can score well.

We won't win the league, but we need to win at home, or at least have a chance of winning at home

[Sings4Speedway]

2 hours ago, HGould said:

Len laid his stall out a few weeks ago in the Speedway Star when he made an impassioned plea for a stronger NDL.

Through no fault of his own the move up to Championship Speedway has been impacted by Covid ; Brexit and injuries and he hasn't been able to build a proper Team.

Not hard to calculate that with the possible exception of Craig Cook that Scotty is the highest paid rider in the CL and his performances carrying a weakened team certainly justify whatever he is earning, but with the side looking weak and dispirited it's not going to ensure big enough crowds to cover the extra cost of Championship Racing and as even the most loyal locals will admit, his NDL admission pricing is unrealistic and overpriced.

If Len gets what he wants then we could see an 8 Team Premier and a 8-10 team second tier (lower CL / upper NDL) sooner than we think  so to give maximum opportunity to Gilkes; Mulford and a few others now may not be a bad thing. 

What happened though to Sam Hagon there too, he was in NDL Team for 2020 but allowed to move to KIngs Lynn and be loaned to Mildenhall. Same with Nathan Ablitt, another excellent young prospect in their 2019 team allowed to drift away? 

I think the disjointed season and fixture list of the NDL has given weekend tracks the extra lure so Hagon choosing Mildenhall and Ablitt Eastbourne are wise choices for themselves (given they could have picked any track of their choosing). Kent is not the easiest circuit to ride and Ablitt didn't enjoy his season with the Kent side all that much either. 

I like the sound of a stronger NDL/lower CL but its going to be a harder sell at Kent as right now Nicholls apart it already resembles the lower level CL and doesn't sound all that entertaining. 

[East End Fan]

On 7/12/2021 at 10:10 AM, Curly said:

Unfortunately, we definately need 1, but probably need 2 experienced riders that can score well.

We won't win the league, but we need to win at home, or at least have a chance of winning at home

In the match programme v Redcar, Len had a column and said that there was some hope of signing a rider.  So clearly it is what the club are

trying to do. All of us know that European riders need work permits and we also know that they are not issued easily.  Brexit has done Speedway

no good at all. Still enjoyed the racing though....Top Quality.

[East End Fan]

On 7/12/2021 at 10:16 AM, Sings4Speedway said:

I think the disjointed season and fixture list of the NDL has given weekend tracks the extra lure so Hagon choosing Mildenhall and Ablitt Eastbourne are wise choices for themselves (given they could have picked any track of their choosing). Kent is not the easiest circuit to ride and Ablitt didn't enjoy his season with the Kent side all that much either. 

I like the sound of a stronger NDL/lower CL but its going to be a harder sell at Kent as right now Nicholls apart it already resembles the lower level CL and doesn't sound all that entertaining. 

You obviously have not been watching Paul Starke lately.  A magnificent show from him on Tuesday and I believe Kent have obtained his full contract

recently. The purchase price has not been made public, but for sure , his contract wasn't free

[old bob at herne bay]

East End Fan clearly enjoys his speedway at Central Park

Sadly nothing I read on the Speedway Updates site about the meeting remotely tempts me back to watch a speedway meeting.  6 heats all restarted,  delay after delay with the new rule of "anticipating the start". Referee changing thier mind about exclusion decisions.

Capped off by 2 mismatched sides , with the home side never looking like snatching an unlikely victory.

Thats "Top Quality" racing  ?  Not for me.