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Post by Administrator on Sept 14, 2012 14:24:37 GMT
Garrity Good to Go At a private practice session this morning (Friday, September 14th), Jason Garrity was able to demonstrate that his right hand, although not 100%, was strong enough to grip his throttle and he will therefore take his place in the Raiders’ side to meet Scunthorpe at Rye House tomorrow (Saturday, September 15th @ 7pm). That outcome is positive news for the Raiders, who still harbour an outside hope of making the National League Championship Play-offs, although the news for the senior Rockets is equally important. As Rye House promoter Len Silver observed, “I am delighted that Jason has come through this test with flying colours and it means , in my opinion, that we have a very good chance of beating Edinburgh at home next Saturday (September 22nd) to avoid the wooden spoon'.
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Post by Administrator on Sept 16, 2012 6:21:59 GMT
Raiders Shut Out Saints Rye House 52 Scunthorpe 39 (National League; Saturday, September 15th 2012) The Rye House Raiders kept their slim hopes of a play-off place alive by claiming all three match points against spirited Final Four rivals Scunthorpe. The Raiders must now clinch all four available points at Stoke tomorrow (Sunday) and hope that the Isle of Wight return pointless from their trip to King’s Lynn on Wednesday in order to progress. It’s a big ask, but it is equally a great achievement that they are still in contention at this late stage, especially when it is realised that their two other remaining fixtures – at home to the Potters and away at King’s Lynn – will fall after the cut-off date, leaving the Raiders to be judged on just their first twelve matches. The Saints, meanwhile, are left to sweat it out on that Lynn-Islanders result. If the Ryde team collect a match point on Wednesday, they will be eliminated from further progress. Two quick maximums – a 5-1 and a 5-0 after both Scunthorpe riders had been excluded – put Rye firmly in the driving seat at 10-1, although it took another maximum result in the last race to finally wrap up the third match point. James Sarjeant and Ben Morley were the riders delivering that last 5-1 and it was fitting that Sarjeant should feature in that determining race. Fresh from his excellent paid 5 Premier League score the previous night for the Silver Ski Rockets, the 18 year old delivered an explosive 14 point tally that was topped off by a superb last bend burst past Tom Young for victory in Heat 7. Sarjeant unfortunately finished the night out of pocket, however, as his engine blew as he crossed the finishing line in that particular race. Elsewhere, Connor Coles demonstrated his rapid progress with a paid 13 haul that was matched by Ben Morley, while Shane Hazelden contributed a solid paid 8. Those scores balanced out a mixed night for Jason Garrity whose return to action from a hand injury was marked by two excellent wins…. but also expensive stoppages when leading his other two races. As Garrity himself said afterwards, “What a night, eh? My hand felt alright, but I’ve now got bigger problems. I tested my two bikes out yesterday – and one had just had the engine serviced – and they felt perfect, but then they both blew tonight. “I’ve spent an absolute fortune on machinery this year – you have to in order to be competitive in the Premier League – but now it looks as though I’m going to have to borrow an engine to get me through tomorrow’s match at Stoke and next Saturday’s big double header.” Rye House scorers: Jason Garrity 6 (4 rides) Luke Chessell 3 (4) Ben Morley 12+1 (5) Shane Hazelden 5+3 (4) James Sarjeant 14 (5) Danno Verge 2+1 (3) Connor Coles 10+3 (6) Scunthorpe scorers: Lewis Kerr (guest) 6+1 (4 rides) Tommy Fenwick 1 (4) Tom Young 7 (4 rides, inc 4 as a TR) Max Clegg 7+1 (5) Gary Irving 10 (5) Danny Phillips 2 (4) Oliver Greenwood 6+2 (4) Match Points: Rye House 3 Scunthorpe 0
Next Saturday, September 22, the Raiders will complete their home National League fixtures against a Stoke side that is set for post-season play in the championship play-offs and which includes the likes of British U-21 and NLRC Finalist Ashley Birks, former World Long-Track Finalist Tony Atkin and ex-Rye House man James Cockle. As a final appetiser, Rye House Raider Ben Morley will challenge holder Ashley Birks for the Bronze Helmet match-race championship in a winner-takes-all single head-to-head. Don’t forget that normal Premier league admission pricing will apply to this meeting – there is no additional entry charge for the National League racing – although there will be a £1 increase in the price of the match programme in order to help offset the additional costs involved. Finally, to accommodate the massive 31 race programme, the meeting will start one hour earlier than normal, at 6pm.
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Post by Administrator on Sept 16, 2012 17:44:09 GMT
Raiders Win at Stoke and Into Top Four Spot! Stoke 41 Rye House 48 (National League; Sunday, September 16th 2012) The Rye House Raiders’ late, late push for the play-offs took an amazing and huge step forward when they raced to their first away victory of the season… and picked up all four match points in the process. With Dudley (42) and Mildenhall (38) already long certain of post-season play, four other teams are now on 17 points as Wednesday’s cut-off date looms large. Despite this result, Stoke have qualified due to their superior race points difference, but the Raiders have now moved into the fourth and final qualification place, eliminating defending titlists Scunthorpe and also leap-frogging the Isle of Wight. The Final Four spot will be Rye’s if the Islanders fail to take a match point away from King’s Lynn on Wednesday. Having built momentum with an away point at Scunthorpe and last night’s return victory over the Saints, the Raiders made the best possible start at Loomer Road, with Jason Garrity and Luke Chessell the only finishers in Heat 1 after both Ashley Birks and Liam Carr had fallen. Although the Potters struck back with a 5-1 in Heat 3, the visitors held their nerve and still led, 33-32, heading into the real business end of the match. Ben Morley won Heat 12, with Connor Coles nipping inside Carr on the very last bend to help the Raiders to a 4-2. Their overall advantage moved to 42-35 when ex-Potter James Sarjeant and Garrity steamed to a 5-1 in the next race, only for the home side to respond with a maximum of their own in the penultimate heat. That set up a last heat decider with the Raiders ahead 43-40 and needing not only to protect that advantage but to gain a 5-1 in order to cinch the extra match point. That is exactly what they achieved as Sarjeant and Garrity were never troubled by Ben Reade and Birks, with Garrity completing an undefeated afternoon in the process. An absolutely delighted team manager John Sampford said afterwards, “It is a wonderful, wonderful result. We knew what the score was beforehand in terms of knowing exactly was required, and everyone – simply everyone – played their part and chipped in. Even young Danno (Verge), who didn’t score, leant his bike out when it was needed. They were all heroes. “Yes, we were fortunate to get the 5-0 in the opening race, but everyone rode tenaciously to make sure we stayed in front. “That approach was really summed up by three of the final four races. Firstly, Connor Coles was stalking Liam Carr for third place in Heat 12, and when he made a mistake on the last bend Connor was up inside him as quick as a flash. “Then Jason (Garrity) and James (Sarjeant) beat Ashley Birks and James Cockle emphatically in the next one. After Stoke did the same to us in Heat 14, I said to the same pair before the nominated race, “If you want to have any chance of making the play-offs, you’ve got to do the same again in this final heat”. And that’s exactly what they did.” Rye House scorers: Jason Garrity 13+2 (5 rides, maximum) Luke Chessell 5+1 (4) Ben Morley 8 (4) Shane Hazelden 2+2 (4) James Sarjeant 14 (4) Danno Verge 0 (3) Connor Coles 6 (5) Stoke scorers: Ashley Birks 6 (5) Richard Andrews R/R Tony Atkin 8+1 (4) Ben Reade 9+2 (5) James Cockle 7+1 (5) Liam Rumsey 2+1 (4) Liam Carr 9+2 (7) Match Points: Stoke 0 Rye House 4
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Post by Administrator on Sept 20, 2012 9:19:14 GMT
Rye House Raiders were finally eliminated from the National League play-off hunt last night (Wednesday September 19 2012) when the Isle of Wight won at King’s Lynn in the last match before the cut-off date for qualification. The Islanders will now join Dudley, Mildenhall and Stoke in the Semi-Finals. The Raiders will be determined to show what could have been when they entertain Stoke in the second part of this Saturday’s double header – with Ben Morley’s challenge for the Bronze Helmet thrown in for good measure – and then head to their final match at King’s Lynn on October 10th.
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Post by Administrator on Sept 23, 2012 7:52:22 GMT
(Saturday, September 22nd 2012) Heartbreak For Morley in Bronze Helmet There was heartbreak for Ben Morley in the Bronze Helmet match-race that followed Saturday’s Premier League action at Rye House. The 18 year old challenger look set to become the new holder of the Helmet when he comfortably led defending champion Ashley Birks for the first lap and a half, only to grind to a halt and leave Birks to complete an uninterrupted win. The fortunate “get out of jail” card gave Birks his fourth successful defence of the title, after previously seeing off challenges from Tom Perry (Dudley), Cameron Heeps (Mildenhall) and Charles Wright (Buxton). Raiders See Off Potters in Home Finale Rye House 49 Stoke 41 (National League; Saturday, September 22nd) The Raiders made it a double win for Rye House when they wrapped up their home National League programme with a come-from-behind victory over Stoke, their second over the Potters in the space of six days. The Raiders made hard work for themselves in the early stages with a host of dropped points. To catalogue them here: James Sarjeant fell on the first bend of Heat 4, Shane Hazelden suffered mechanical problems when third in Heat 5, and Luke Chessell fell while third in Heat 6 and then again when holding second spot in Heat 8. Those combined misfortunes left the Raiders trailing 21-27, but they rallied to level the score within two races as Morley and Hazelden finished either side of Tony Atkin in Heat 9, and then Jason Garrity and Connor Coles maxed out in the next race. It was Stoke’s turn to suffer bad luck when Ashley Birks fell while second in Heat 11, with the Raiders taking advantage to secure the first of three 4-2s in the space of four races to build an unassailable 45-39 advantage. That still left the final match point at stake in the nominated heat, but visiting hopes soon ended when former Rye man James Cockle ploughed through the third bend safety fence. Garrity won the re-run to complete another strong match; his only dropped point came back in Heat 1, when he paid the penalty for an over-pumped rear tyre that gave him too little traction. The biggest cheer was for Morley, however. Having experience heartbreak in his Bronze Helmet challenge, the 18 year old suffered a further bike stoppage at the end of the third lap and pushed his machine a full circuit to gain a third place point before being sportingly given a lift back to the pits by the second placed Tony Atkin. The Raiders have one remaining National League fixture, at King’s Lynn on October 10th. Rye House scorers: Jason Garrity 14 (5 rides) Luke Chessell 1+1 (3) Ben Morley 9 (5) Shane Hazelden 6 (4) James Sarjeant 7 (4) Danno Verge 2 (3) Connor Coles 10+1 (5) Stoke scorers: Ashley Birks 6 (4 rides) Richard Andrews R/R James Cockle 11 (6) Ben Reade 4+1 (4) Tony Atkin 11 (5) Liam Rumsey 2+1 (5) Liam Carr 7+1 (7) Match Points: Rye House 3 Stoke 0 Bring It On: National League Riders’ Championship (Saturday, September 29th @ 7pm) We are now less than seven days from the staging at Rye House of the 2012 National League Riders’ Championship. Defending Champion Jason Garrity and Ben Morley will be the two Raiders competing in the field. The pair can expect tough competition from the likes of former Rocket and 2006 Riders’ Championship winner Adam Roynon, who is still hoping to return from a recent vertebrae injury in order to represent Dudley. The Heathens will certainly be out in force, with World U-21 Semi-Finalist Tom Perry and British U-19 runner-up and former British U-15 Champion Ashley Morris also named to compete. Not to be outdone, there is also a strong Mildenhall feel to the event. Exciting league No.1 and doubling-up Ipswich Witch Cameron Heeps will hopefully be back from August’s broken wrist, while newly crowned U-19 Champion Stefan Nielsen and third placed teenager Joe Jacobs are already inked in for the Big Night. With the likes of Gary Irving (Scunthorpe), Charles Wright (Buxton) and Ashley Birks (Stoke) enjoying doubling-up Premier League exposure this year, there are plenty of additional contenders for rostrum places, while the event often throws up unexpected movers and shakers, as well as sudden twists and turns. All will be revealed on Saturday night! The full draw is: 1. Charles Wright (Buxton), 2. Gary Irving (Scunthorpe), 3. Adam Roynon (Dudley), 4. Jason Garrity (Rye House), 5. Danny Warwick (Isle of Wight), 6. Stefan Nielsen (Mildenhall), 7. Ben Hopwood (Isle of Wight), 8. Ben Morley (Rye House), 9. Tom Perry (Dudley), 10. Ashley Morris (Dudley) 11. Ashley Birks (Stoke), 12. Ben Reade (Stoke), 13. Joe Jacobs (Mildenhall), 14. Lewis Kerr (King’s Lynn), 15. Cameron Heeps (Mildenhall), 16. Adam McKinna (Buxton) Reserves: Tom Stokes (King’s Lynn) and Connor Coles (Rye House) Admission prices are: Adults £16, Seniors £14, Children (12-16) £5 and Children U-12 FREE.
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Post by Administrator on Sept 24, 2012 13:22:12 GMT
NLRC Parking Update Please note that in addition to the main stadium car parks, the overflow facility opposite the Rye House pub will be open and available for supporters to use this Saturday for the National League Riders’ Championship at Rye House.
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Post by Administrator on Sept 25, 2012 10:22:12 GMT
NLRC Update With Both Cameron Heeps (wrist) and Adam Roynon (vertebrae) being forced to admit defeat in their bids to return from injury for Saturday night’s National League Riders’ Championship at Rye House, Lewis Blackbird (Mildenhall) and James Sarjeant (Raiders) have been drafted into the field as replacements. The amended line-up, in draw order, is therefore:
1. Charles Wright (Buxton), 2. Gary Irving (Scunthorpe), 3. James Sarjeant (Rye House), 4. Jason Garrity (Rye House), 5. Danny Warwick (Isle of Wight), 6. Stefan Nielsen (Mildenhall), 7. Ben Hopwood (Isle of Wight), 8. Ben Morley (Rye House), 9. Tom Perry (Dudley), 10. Ashley Morris (Dudley) 11. Ashley Birks (Stoke), 12. Ben Reade (Stoke), 13. Joe Jacobs (Mildenhall), 14. Lewis Kerr (King’s Lynn), 15. Lewis Blackbird (Mildenhall), 16. Adam McKinna (Buxton)
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Post by Administrator on Sept 30, 2012 7:42:26 GMT
Garrity Falls to Second as Birks Claims NLRC Title National League Riders’ Championship (Rye House; Saturday, September 29th 2012) 1st. Ashley Birks (Stoke) 2nd. Jason Garrity (Rye House) 3rd. Gary Irving (Scunthorpe) Emerging Rye House star Jason Garrity just missed out on the chance to become the first ever rider to win back-to-back NLRC crowns when he fell in a championship run-off against Ashley Birks to hand the title to his Stoke rival. Garrity had outpaced Birks when the pair had met in Heat 20 to set up the extra race, and chose his favoured outside gate in the decider only for Birks to make the start this time around. Attempting another big blast around the outside on the second two bends, the 18 year old went for “two much, two soon” when he would perhaps have been better to bide his time a little longer, and slid off, causing the race to be stopped and the championship awarded to his opponent. It was an unfortunate end to Garrity’s night, which had begun with a defeat by Scunthorpe’s Gary Irving in Heat 1 but otherwise seen him ride unbeaten through the main programme. With Irving being headed home by Birks in Heat 14, and then again by Tom Perry in his final race, Garrity knew that a win over the previously unbeaten Birks in Heat 20 would force a run-off, and that he achieved with his trademark surge around the outside. It was all to come to grief in the run-off with a similar manoeuvre, however. Garrity, though, was highly gracious in defeat. Speaking only minutes after his misfortune, he said, “Fair play to Ashley. It is his time to celebrate his title like it was mine to do last year.” For Birks, meanwhile, the NLRC gold continues a rapid ascent that began just 2 ½ seasons ago with a switch of disciplines from moto-cross. He has averaged out at a shade under 11 (including bonus points) for the Potters this year, while also posting a more than healthy 6 ½ average for Premier League Scunthorpe. The newly crowned Champion said afterwards, “The last heat was a hard one, but I rode a technical race and it helped force Jason to make a mistake. “You can’t judge how things are going to go at the start of the night; you can’t take anything for granted and you need to stay with both feet on the ground. I looked in the programme beforehand and thought that Heat 20 looked like the decider. “This was probably my last season at this level, and therefore also my last chance at this title. It’s good to be moving on in my career, along with others in the League.” Gary Irving finished third on the night, admitting afterwards that “I didn’t expect anything (from tonight). I haven’t had a spectacular season, just a solid one. It probably helped that I was here with Scunthorpe two weeks ago.” While Jason Garrity grabbed the main headlines from a Rye House perspective, the two other Raiders in the field also had their moments. James Sarjeant would have finished higher than 9th but for race stoppages when he was well placed, while Ben Morley started like a freight train when coasting home in Heat 2 and quickly took his tally to 5 out of 6 next time out, only for his evening to unravel with a fall and engine problems from his next two rides. He finished a place behind Sarjeant, in 10th spot. Unluckiest riders of the night? That was probably a call between Mildenhall’s Lewis Blackbird, who dropped just one point from completed races but fell in his other two, and King’s Lynn’s Lewis Kerr, who would have bagged more than his solid 8 point tally but for a bike stoppage while leading Heat 6. Overall, it was a night of excitement and drama, with a final sting in the tail. Rye House promoter Len Silver felt afterwards that “This was the best NLRC that we have staged at Rye House in terms of exciting racing. That is a credit to all the riders, who tigered and tussled for every single point that was available, and always went looking for any gap that was there ahead of them.” Scorers (all from 5 rides): Ashley Birks 11 (after run-off), Jason Garrity 14, Gary Irving 13, Tom Perry 11, Lewis Blackbird 8, Lewis Kerr 8, Charles Wright 8, Stefan Nielsen 7, James Sarjeant 6, Ben Morley 5, Ashley Morris 5, Ben Hopwood 5, Ben Reade 5, Adam McKinna 4, Danny Warwick 3, Joe Jacobs 3 Reserves: Tom Stokes 0 (1 ride); Connor Coles dnr
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Post by Administrator on Oct 8, 2012 8:25:24 GMT
Rye House Home Fixtures Update The meeting at Rye House on Saturday, October 20th (7pm start), will see the club give a final outing for 2012 to their National League Raiders team who will face a challenge match featuring the "Rising Stars" of the National League. Invitations have been extended to new sensation Adam Ellis of the Isle of Wight – who recently posted a monster 20 point haul at King’s Lynn (!) - together with Lewis Kerr and Jake Knight of Kings Lynn, plus Darryl Ritchings and Dan Greenwood of Dudley, to form the backbone of a team capable of stretching the Raiders to the full. Confirmation of the final acceptances will follow in the next few days. The Raiders’ final National League fixture of the season is away at King’s Lynn this Wednesday. A match point from this meeting will lift Rye into third place in the final League table, and they will be favoured to achieve this against a Young Stars team that has tasted victory only once in the League this season.
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Post by Administrator on Oct 10, 2012 22:30:22 GMT
Raiders End on low Note at Lynn King’s Lynn 52 Rye House 44 (National League; Wednesday, October 10th 2012) The Rye House Raiders endured a disappointing end to their National League programme as they slipped to a ten point defeat against the competition’s bottom side. The result means that the Raiders have finished fifth out of eight teams in the final table, but also just a tantalising single match point off the third-placed spot. On a more positive note, Jason Garrity dropped his only points in an opening race tumble, while Ben Morley was also into double figures. James Sarjeant would likely have joined them at that status but for a puncture while leading Heat 6. Rye House promoter Len Silver was quick to admit afterwards that “King’s Lynn were worthy winners tonight. They were generally out-trapping us, and with Darren Mallett now in their side, they were a more all-round team and had a bit more strength in depth than we managed. “We did have a couple of bad luck, though, that cost us points. Jason (Garrity) fell on the very first bend of Heat 1 in a race we were expecting him to win, and then James (Sarjeant) suffered his puncture just over a lap away from winning Heat 6. That cost us two winning races early on, and left us 23-13 down and chasing the match.” Rye House scorers: Jason Garrity 15 (5 rides, inc 6 as a TR) Shane Hazelden R/R Ben Morley 10 (4 rides, inc 4 as a TR) Luke Chessell 3+1 (5) James Sarjeant 7 (5) Danno Verge 1+1 94) Connor Coles 6 (7) King’s Lynn scorers: Darren Mallett 11 (4 rides) Tom Stokes 7+3 (5) Jake Knight 6+1 (4) Scott Campos 0 (1) Lewis Kerr 9 (5) Lewis Rose 4+1 (5) Brendan Johnson 15+1 (6) Match Points: King’s Lynn 3 Rye House 0
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Post by Administrator on Oct 11, 2012 13:16:08 GMT
Errata: King’s Lynn-Raiders Score Apologies for the typo in last night’s match report. The final score should read: King’s Lynn 52 Rye House 42.
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Post by Administrator on Nov 1, 2012 12:10:06 GMT
Morley Suffers Halloween Break It proved an unfortunate end to the 2012 season for Rye House Raider Ben Morley, who was injured while guesting for Mildenhall at West Row last night (October 31st). Riding in what was the final meeting to be staged in Britain this year, the teenager got into difficulty exiting the second bend in his opening race and went down, with his bike landing awkwardly on his left ankle and causing a fracture to that area. Morley is expected to undergo an operation in his home town of Southend today. The injury has an added sting in the tail given it will prevent him from engaging in off-season employment, possibly for the next two months. We wish “Little Ben” the speediest of full recoveries.
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Post by Administrator on Nov 29, 2012 15:57:28 GMT
Raiders on Hold as Sport Gets Lift-Off in Kent Rye House has announced that there will not be a Raiders team entered in the National League for 2013. Instead, the whole operation will move to Central Park Stadium, Sittingbourne, where the team of Rye House contracted riders will operate as "Kent". As Rye promoter Len Silver explains, "This is a better opportunity for far more meetings for our riders, who will make better progress as a result. We will still stage a few meetings with them at Hoddesdon during the season on dates when our senior team are racing away from home at Workington and Berwick. “It was always difficult to fit in all the league commitments, and this plan provides the best of both worlds, with our riders getting better training and not quite such a hectic programme at Hoddesdon." As previously announced, the opening meeting at Rye House in 2013 will be slightly later than in previous years, with Easter Monday (April 1st @ 2pm) named as the scheduled date. Ipswich will provide the Rockets’ opposition in an official Premier Trophy match. Please also find below additional information on the new Kent venture, which is contained in this separate release: Roger Cearns, who is the Chief Executive Officer at Central Park Stadium in Sittingbourne, Kent, and already responsible for the very successful Greyhound Racing operation there, has applied to the BSPA for a licence to run Speedway in his stadium. Although Roger has some personal history in the sport having been involved at Hackney during its latter years, he is being assisted in this new venture by Len Silver of Rye House. It is planned to run a team in the National League for 2013 operating on Monday evenings, with Bank Holiday Monday , May 6th, penciled in as the opening date. Apart from Bank Holidays (when meetings will start at 3pm), normal Mondays will see a 6.30pm start with a Council imposed curfew of 8.30. 20 meetings are scheduled for 2013. If the venture is reasonably successful, as expected, the probability is that the team, known as "Kent" will race two seasons at National League level and then apply to move into the Premier league. The track, currently under construction, will measure 264 meters, with wide corners to encourage plenty of passing manoeuvres. The stadium itself will be one of, if not the, finest in the sport with over 2000 seats plus a fine restaurant and corporate entertainment suites, and licenced bars and fast food outlets in addition. All spectators will have a superb view of the racing from high level accommodation. Initially the riders for the team will come from those at Rye House and the Raiders will not be league members for 2013. However, a number of National League standard matches will remain part of the Rye House programme, albeit less than in the past. Roger is delighted to be back involved in the sport and commented, "My family has a long tradition in Speedway and was very much involved with stadium building in the early days, particularly in London. This project at Sittingbourne has taken many years to get off the ground and it is very gratifying that we are at last under way. I am pleased to have Len (Silver) alongside to help me and I am very confident that together we can make it a success." The team name "Kent" will dictates that the team logo will be a red rampant horse which is the Kent County emblem. No nickname has been decided and the public will be asked to submit their ideas with a prize for the person selecting the name chosen. Some of the names suggested so far have been Spitfires, Hurricanes, Invicta, Crusaders (the old Canterbury title), Bishops and Pilgrims. All have Kent connections and persons wishing to enter the competition should send their entries to "Speedway", Central Park Stadium, Church Rd., Sittingbourne, ME10 3SB. This is also the address for those interested in becoming track staff.
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Post by Administrator on Jun 17, 2013 20:30:06 GMT
Monday, June 17, 2013::: :::::: Raiders Return Against Kings KENT KINGS 58 RYE HOUSE RAIDERS 35 Two 2013 Rockets were the clear stand-outs for the re-born Rye House Raiders in tonight’s (Monday’s) challenge match at Kent. Simon Lambert was beaten only by former Rye star Steve Boxall and 2008 National League Riders Champion Benji Compton in his three completed rides, before being forced to retire from his final race on the second lap. That left James Sarjeant – technically a guest for the Rockets earlier this season – to finish as the top scorer for the Raiders with 12. Despite the pair’s efforts, a further 8 from Shane Hazelden, it was the Kings who took the win – their first as a new club – by a comfortable 58-35 margin, with former Rocket Steve Boxall going through the card. Rye House scorers: Simon Lambert 9 (4 rides, inc 4 as a TR) Nick Laurence 0 (4) Danny Halsey 3 (4) Shane Hazelden 8 (5) James Sarjeant 12 (5 rides, inc 4 as a TR) Niall Strudwick 1 (4) Danno Verge 2 (4) Kent scorers: Steve Boxall 12 (4 rides, max) Liam Rumsey 6 (4) Ben Morley 13 (5) Connor Coles 3+1 (4) Benji Compton 11+2 (5) Sam Woods 6+1 (5) Adam Kirby 7+3 (4)
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Post by Administrator on Dec 2, 2013 19:36:03 GMT
Rye House Look to Bring on the Brits
The drive to nurture and develop the next wave of young British talent is starting to gather momentum, and Rye House is hoping to play an important part in it with the possible return of the Raiders to the National League in 2014.
Recent seasons have already seen the advent of a three-tier British Youth Championship for the under-16 age group, plus an upsurge in young riders transitioning to the shale from moto-cross and grass-track disciplines.
Even closer to home, last month saw the launch of a new Fast-Track scheme which will offer top-flight exposure to young talent in a doubling-up role. 2014 Rockets Jason Garrity and Simon Lambert, plus Rye asset Ben Morley, have been included in the short-list for tomorrow’s Elite League draft.
It is also clear that the crowning of Rocket Tai Woffinden – himself a former Rocket - as World Champion offers both major PR potential for the sport and immediate inspiration for the next generation of talent.
Rye House team manager, John Sampford, is very keen that the Hertforshire club should play its part in giving British youngsters the opportunity they need to climb the first important rungs on the ladder. The club’s regular Training Days have already helped there. “We now have some very interesting trainees at Hoddesdon", he says, “but we need to extend the possibilities for them".
Sampford believes that the National League is the ideal means to “extend those possibilities”, and therefore hopes that the Raiders can be resurrected for 2014. As he points out, “There are riders now coming through the Youth Championship conveyor belt who are ready for the next step forward, but there aren’t enough National League places available to them at the moment because there aren’t enough teams.”
Sampford himself can bear witness to the Raiders’ nurturing role in the past, with the likes of World Cup star Edward Kennett, National League Riders’ Champion Steve Boxall and 2014 Testimonial man Luke Bowen included in a healthy list of previous “graduates”. “Edward, Steve and Luke all started out at Rye House, and will be part of next year’s Rockets team. So too will Jason Garrity, who has also ridden for the Raiders in the National League.”
There is, of course, a major investment cost involved in bringing the Raiders back to the track. The project needs sponsorship support to help get the venture off the ground, and Sampford has therefore called on local businesses to join the Hertfordshire pocket of the Young Brits crusade. “As I mentioned before, there is only limited access at the moment for new riders in the National League. If we can bring the Raiders back, we would be creating an opening for four or five more youngsters to come in alongside some more experienced riders.”
Those interested in discussing any level of sponsorship opportunity should in the first instance contact club promoter Len Silver by e-mail at len@silverski.co.uk.
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