Friday is a big evening for the Kent CTA Fire Kings as they travel to Essex for some inter-county rivalry with a Grand Challenge match against the Arena Essex Hammers at Lakeside Speedway.
The trip on Friday just through the Dartford Tunnel (traffic permitting) to take on a select side riding under the traditional name, the Arena Essex Hammers represents a major challenge for the Central Park-based CTA Fire Kings – who are able, for this one match only, to recall into action their no. 1 from last season, the ever-popular Steve Boxall.
Boxall who also rode in the Laurels on Monday is the reigning National League Riders Champion (a title he uniquely has captured twice in his glittering career) and his inclusion for this challenge match is sure to attract a record-sized following for an away match as a local ‘Essex vs Kent’ Speedway ‘derby’ is staged for the first time since Canterbury closed back in 1987.
Boxall is able to come in as number one because the current recipient of that race jacket in the CTA Fire-backed Kings, Ben Morley is also riding this term in the Elite League for the Lakeside Hammers; and so Kent followers will for the first-time ever have to get used to see the hugely popular Morley in action against the Kings – representing this time his home county side, Arena Essex.
In addition to Morley, the Hammers septet is led by their Young GB international, Adam Ellis: who is Ben’s partner in the reserve berths under the Fast Track scheme for the Lakeside team in the Elite League. Ellis has had a meteoric rise within the sport in this country since first coming over from his South of France home midway through the 2012 season to appear for the Young Hammers in the Anglian Junior League.
Quickly snapped up by the Isle of Wight, Ellis was one of the big stars of the 2013 National League and it was inevitable when the Fast Track scheme was conceived, that the South of France born (his parents from Dagenham run British pubs in the area) was going to hook up with his parent club Lakeside.
Another Lakeside-asset in action on Friday for the Hammers is Jack Kingston a face obviously very familiar to Kent fans as Jack was a King throughout last season Essex born and bred, Kingston will want to impress his erstwhile employers in this competitive foray around the Arena Essex Raceway.
A rider who knows the circuit well from his own previous spell as a Young Hammer racing in junior matches is Mark Baseby. The former Sittingbourne Crusader is the elder brother, of course, of the Kings’ own Aaron Baseby. This will be a first Speedway outing in 2014 for Baseby senior (who hails from Sevenoaks and won the National League & Cup double alongside his sibling Aaron back in 2009); Mark currently concentrates his racing efforts very successfully at Grasstrack.
The familiar look to the opposition continues as far as the Kent faithful are concerned, with Connor Coles and Luke Chessell CTA Fire Kings’ riders in 2013 and earlier this year respectively. Finally the side is completed by Arron Mogridge the son of former Arena Essex Hammer (and indeed a star for both the Crayford Kestrels and Canterbury Crusaders back in the ‘80s), Alan Mogridge.
The action gets underway at 8pm, Friday 25th. July.