Bryn shares this latest update from Island Speedway. Ed
It’s our first home 2016 National Trophy action on Thursday of this week at Smallbrook and the Wightlink Warriors face a tough looking test so far as they bid for victory.
For it’s the hitherto unbeaten Kent Kent Slyde Kings who are our opponents and, to add extra spice to the occasion, their team manager is Chris Hunt who’s not only an ex-rider but in the past team managed the Islanders.
He’ll be keen for his side to win the match, and maintain their unbeaten record in the process, whilst the Wightlink Warriors are even more determined to dethrone Chris’s seven Kings of Kent in the fifteen heat clash so that he’ll be sipping a consolation drink in The Premier Lounge afterwards rather than gulping down a celebratory one.
Our opponents are led by a trio of very experienced speedway riders, Luke Bowen, David Mason and Luke Clifton and looking at them briefly, Bowen has followed in his ex-rider father Kevin footsteps and has spent most of his career that started back in 2002 riding for promoter Len Silver at Rye House before switching during the winter to join him at Kent.
At 39 years of age, David ‘Magic’ Mason is still racing as well as he did as a teenager when he started his speedway career, the highlight so far being when he won the Conference League’s Riders Championship in 2001 whilst Clifton’s return to the sport this year after retiring fully twelve years ago will serve as a warning to all wives out there to be careful what they buy their husbands as a birthday present!
To explain Luke’s other half bought him a birthday present comprising of a day at a Powers of what is basically a ‘Have a go’ speedway training day, the like of which is set to be provided here in due course at the My First Skid Speedway School, and well, 34 year old Luke caught the speedway bug again hence his comeback this year!
Those three plus the spectacular riding style of ex-motorcrosser Danny Ayres, aged 29 who only switched to riding speedway two years ago and this year is racing for the Glasgow Tigers in the Premier League thus commuting the length and breadth of the country to ride for them and Kent from his Suffolk base, and they are backed up by 17 years old teenager Jack Thomas who, after watching the sport from the terraces at King’s Lynn, decided two years ago he wanted to be a future World Champion as is the ambition of 19 years old James Shanes who won the British Under 21 grasstrack racing championship and Danno Verge, 20 year old son of former Hackney junior Steve who met his mum Kay there, got married and became mechanic to Swedish racer Roland Danno hence their son having a unique christian name.
They’re going to be tough to defeat most certainly but there’s a steely determination within our camp to do that and our fans are being urged by co-promoters Barry Bishop and Martin Widman to turn out in force on Thursday to roar the Wightlink Warriors onto victory!
Team manager Neil left ruing injuries and stock cars
Manager Neil Vatcher and his depleted Wightlink Warriors side, missing Lee Smart and Matt Saul, travelled to Mildenhall on Sunday for the first National Trophy fixture and on a somewhat difficult West Row track surface already operating rider replacement for the injured Smart and George Piper deputising for Saul, their cause wasn’t helped by Benji Compton falling in heat 11 picking up an injury that ruled him out of the meeting at that point and out of this Thursday’s clash at Smallbrook against Kent where Coventry Storm’s 20 years old Liam Carr * (See Below) will deputise for him and don the Warriors No.1 racejacket.
It was no surprise then when Neil’s side finished on the wrong end of a 57-33 scoreline but Neil, whilst being disappointed at the result said afterwards,
“I’m not making excuses as track conditions were the same for both sides, but it is fair to say that those conditions were not ideal and it was difficult for the lads to ride after a Stock Car event had been staged there on the Saturday evening. By the time our boys got tuned in, Mildenhall were already well on their way to victory.
“I am always one to take the positives from a defeat, and what can you say about Kelsey’s great start to the season but having said that, all our riders have done the club proud with their efforts so far, and remember its early doors as far as results going against us and that there’s no need to worry right now.”
Final Score: 17th April
Mildenhall 57 Wightlink Warriors 33 (National Trophy)
Warriors scorers: Mark Baseby 11, James Cockle 8, Kelsey Dugard 7+1, Tyler Govier 5+1 George Piper 1+1 Benji Compton 1 (withdrawn through injury).
* Liam Carr:
Dob: 11th February, 1996, Ashington, Northumbria. Aged 20, Liam is currently riding for Coventry Storm in this year’s National League, having ridden for Buxton Hitmen in 2014/15 and also riding at reserve for the Berwick Bandits in the 2016 Premier League
Image: Lee Jordan under CC BY 2.0
