Kent Eagles complete their 2025 National Development Trophy campaign this coming Sunday evening as they travel to Leicester’s Beaumont Park Arena where they are set to face the local Fox Cubs with a 7.30p.m. start time.

Effectively they finish in many ways just as they started as it was the Leicester Fox Cubs who provided the opposition at Iwade’s opening NDT fixture back in mid-April.

That occasion witnessed a 47-41 win for the hosts in a wholly entertaining meeting and bearing in mind that disparity and fast forward to Sunday, a 43-point tally for the visitors or to finish within 5-points of their hosts would secure them the runners up spot, for Leicester if they were to win by more than 6-points then the two league points plus the accompanying aggregate bonus would see then leap from the sections cellar position above fourth place Birmingham, above the Plymouth Centurions and indeed above the Eagles into second place themselves.

Therefore, far from the encounter being an end of season fixture filler the meeting has true meaning for both sides, right to the last.

It should be noted that the clash, previously scheduled to take place earlier in the day has now been moved to a 7.30 p.m. start time to enable virtually the entirety of the Leicester team to travel back from Middlesborough where they will be fulfilling a National Development League fixture, the local Tigers taking on the Belle Vue Colts at mid-day.

This conundrum has been borne has arisen due to Redcar’s second leg BSN final at Poole having fallen victim to the weather, that being postponed until Friday, meaning the Tigers meeting against the Colts being moved by proxy, Sunday becoming the proposed re-staging date.

With both Ace and Stene Pijper being Middlesborough riders and no fewer than four members of the Fox Cubs, William Cairns, Freddy Hodder, Mason Watson and Harry Fletcher being resident in the Colts side, this will now means a gruelling 160 mile, three and a half hour dash from Teesside for them to contest both meetings.   

This may well play into the Eagles’ favour, but they know only too well that they will be in for a tough time as they bid to claim the runners up slot. The pedigree of the Leicester heat leader trio alone, Cairns, seemingly set to taste Championship triple winning success with the Poole Pirates, Ace Pijper enjoying increasing accolades as a reserve with the Redcar Bears and Hodder proving an effective member of the Glasgow Tigers as they remained in the hunt for major honours to the latter stages of the campaign, those three alone form a powerful looking spearhead, one augmented by an impressive looking back up cast.

The Eagles contingent will remain undaunted however and with recently returned Vinnie Foord and the vastly experienced Ben Morley leading their offensive they will most certainly be up for the challenge.

Kent re-introduce Jamie Etherington to the side replacing Nathan Ablitt and with Jacob Clouting, Nathan Hargrave and Charlie Wood all featuring it will almost be the same side who stepped onto the Iwade shale to face the Fox Cubs back in April, Luke Harris who has served them well in recent months being the only addition to those saw action on that occasion.

Those making the journey on Sunday should also be aware that the National Development trophy fixture will be preceded by the final round of the British Youth 250 c.c. Championship, that being due to get underway at 6.00p.m. with the Fox Cubs versus the Eagles following swiftly on at 7.30p.m.

Ahead of the clash Eagles Team Manager David Graveling commented ‘So our last meeting of the 2025 season, we welcome back Jamie Etherington to the team. 43-points is the target to obtain the bonus point which would secure second place, however it would be no disgrace if we were to finish third in our first season’. 

Teams:

Leicester Fox Cubs: 1. William Cairns, 2. Stene Pijper, 3. Ace Pijper, 4. Mason Watson, 5. Freddie Hodder, 6. Harry Fletcher (Guest for Max Broadhurst), 7. Seth Norman.

Kent Eagles: 1. Vinnie Foord, 2. Luke Harris, 3. Jamie Etherington (Guest for Nathan Ablitt), 4. Jacob Clouting, 5. Ben Morley, 6. Nathan Hargrave, 7. Charlie Wood.

Picture supplied by Tiffani Graveling.