Kent Eagles face a date with destiny at Iwade’s Old Gun site this coming Sunday afternoon as they are set to welcome National Development Trophy Champions elect, the King’s Lynn Young Stars.
In essence the scenario could not be any simpler, if the visitors prove triumphant on Sunday, then they will top the league and become the inaugural National Development Trophy winners. Should the Eagles defeat them and, in the process, claim the aggregate bonus point then they will remain within a shout of claiming the title for themselves.
So, the fact remains, this weekend’s fixture between the two teams, the match is pivotal, and the stakes could not be higher.
Indeed, the Young Stars have confirmed themselves as the team to beat so far in 2025, their only defeat in six matches proving a 47-40 reverse at the Coliseum home of the Plymouth Centurions.
Elsewhere they have enjoyed three healthy home victories against Birmingham (52-38), Leicester (54-36) and the Iwade outfit by a 53-35 margin, a night that the Eagles would far sooner forget as it ended with injuries to both skipper Ben Morley and young hot shot Jamie Etherington.
Away from the Adrian Flux Arena they secured impressive wins both against the Bulls, 48-41 and at the home of the Fox Cubs, 53-31, all results that have put them on course and at the brink of tasting success in the competition.
The King’s Lynn management should be applauded for assembling a team of winners, most of whom have made rapid strides throughout the course of the season and have now become regulars on the Championship stage and even beyond.
In Jody Scott, Cooper Rushen and Luke Harrison they have a powerful heat leader trio, Scott in addition to his duties with the Young Stars is now a fully paid-up member of the Redcar Bears with whom he is already piling up the points. A more painful memory perhaps for the Eagles contingent is that he also romped to a flawless 12-point maximum against them on their recent trip to Norfolk.
So far as Rushen is concerned, he will need no introduction to the Kent fans who are already well aware of his unquestioned talents. Though Will Cairns has tended to hoover up the headlines so far as bright young hopefuls are regarded lately, 15-year-old Rushen has maybe ridden in cloaked by his shadow but undoubtedly, he remains set for stardom potentially at the highest level. He has featured twice at Iwade in Eagles four home matches so far in 2025. In the opener against Leicester Fox Cubs, he seemingly came from nowhere rattling up a paid 13-point return, recording a new track record in a memorable display, his only defeat by a home rider being administered by Morley.
More recently he went through the card to win the 500cc class at the Iwade hosted British Youth Championship so undoubtedly the Kent faithful will relish the opportunity of seeing this exciting young rider showcase his talents once more, even if maybe it is to the detriment of their own team.
It speaks volumes that Luke Harrison, effectively considered third in their rankings rode, and scored in both legs of the Premiership Knockout Final for King’s Lynn’s senior team a mere couple of weeks ago in addition to recording a number of race wins for Scunthorpe at Championship level.
In Max Perry who features alongside Ashton Vale in the Young Stars middle order, the Norfolk side have another rider currently present in the Development trophies top ten averages. Perry also recorded a paid 15-point maximum against the Eagles in Norfolk recently and as well as that he has become a regular in the Glasgow Tigers reserve berth.
Completing the Young Stars line up, down the order with both of the visitors regular reserves being unavailable, team manager Jason Pipe has moved swiftly, making the best of the options available to him, engaging the services of Kenzie Cossey who can count numerous laps experience around Iwade and Jordy Loftus, a recent arrival from Australia who has already raised eyebrows with double figure scores in the National Development League for Edinburgh Monarchs Academy as well as featuring in the Scottish clubs Championship septet.
So, there you have it, a simple scan down the visitor’s team sheet outlines in no small way the mammoth task that the Kent Eagles face if they are to prevent the Young Stars from securing the NDT title.
This remains their mission nonetheless and you can be sure that they will be striving with every fibre of their being to do just that, not just to deny their visitors on Sunday but also to leave them within a shout of their own to grab the prize with travelling engagements to both Plymouth and Leicester still pending and a final home encounter with the Birmingham Bulls yet to surmount.
The task, already a tall one, has been made all the more difficult by injuries that have afflicted them in recent weeks. The loss of Nathan Ablitt and also Jamie Etherington, who has played a starring role with match winning rides in each of the Eagles three home fixtures thus far, have proved a bitter pill to swallow with neither being available for Sunday’s clash.
The Iwade outfit’s side will at least be bolstered by the inclusion of Birmingham’s Darryl Ritchings. He comes in as a guest in place of Ablitt and whereas the Rider Replacement facility looked to be the only option this will undoubtedly prove a welcome addition.
Morley makes his return to the line up following a horror spill during Kent’s match at the Norfolk Arena. Though battered and bruised Morley has eased himself back into action with run outs both on the Isle of Wight and as a guest replacement, ironically for team mate Vinnie Foord, for the Workington Comets at Plymouth recently.
Foord completes the home heat leader trio alongside Morley and Ritchings and hopes remain prevalent that their combined scoring power will be sufficient to quell the threat posed by their opposite numbers within the Young Stars complement.
Jacob Clouting also makes his return to the Eagles order following a spell on the injury sidelines as indeed does Charlie Wood who despite suffering a fall on the Isle of Wight in mid-week is expected to be fit and able to take his place.
They, along with Luke Harris and Nathan Hargrave will no doubt be all out to play their respective parts in vanquishing their heavy hitting opponents.
Eagles Team Manager David Graveling retained a cautious though optimistic approach in the lead up to the weekends big clash ‘With a late change to bring in Darryl (Ritchings) and a scare with Charlie (Wood) on the IOW last Tuesday, it’s been something of a stressful build up, but we are 100% focused on beating the Young Stars on Sunday and continuing our path to hopefully win this League. It is all shaping up to be a great contest and an epic match, one in which we hope our supporters will turn up in their numbers and prove to be our eighth rider’.
Teams: (in alphabetical order)
Kent Eagles: 1. Vinnie Foord, 2. Jacob Clouting, 3. Darryl Ritchings (Guest for Nathan Ablitt), 4. Luke Harris, 5. Ben Morley, 6. Nathan Hargrave, 7. Charlie Wood.
King’s Lynn Young Stars: 1. Jody Scott, 2. Max Perry, 3. Cooper Rushen, 4. Ashton Vale, 5. Luke Harrison, 6. Kenzie Cossey (Guest for Callum Mitchell), 7. Jordy Loftus (Guest for Harrison Rogers).
Admission Prices:
Adults £13,
Concessions £10 (60-years plus and blue badge with car – disabled parking, keep to the right and follow directions)
Children free with a paying adult, up to the age of 16-years old
Gates open at 10 am, Start Time 12 noon