Kent Kings set to begin quest for silverware this season with NORA League Cup final first leg at home to Isle of Wight Warriors

Kent Kings’ season gets serious this weekend with the first leg of a new competition.

The Kings host Isle of Wight Warriors in the NORA League Cup final at the Old Gun Site in Iwade on Sunday (2pm).

With the return taking place on July 18, It’s a chance for Ben Clifton’s charges to build as big a lead as possible.

Kent and Warriors are the only clubs riding under the NORA banner this season, so with no league possible all eyes are on the two-legged cup clash.

Promoter Steve Ribbons said: “We had hoped when the season was in the planning stage that another club were going to share Iwade and also enter a side in what could then have been a multi-team division.

“And though that’s not happened, we do still hope that more teams will be encouraged to join the NORA revolution, as the speedway served up by our guys - all of whom, remember, were not wanted this year in any of the British Speedway league teams - has been second to none.

“Now obviously there can't be an actual league this season, so this League Cup final over the two legs, contested between the two NORA sides with their own tracks, is the most important competition from our club's perspective that we're in this season.”

There’s a change in the Kent line-up with Australian Dayle Wood - one of the sport’s biggest characters - on board for the final.

Ribbons added: “We are delighted that Dayle has agreed to sign up for us and will be riding in both legs of the NORA League Cup final.

“Coming from a place delightfully called Wagga Wagga and sporting the most impressive moustache I think any of us have seen, he’s going to be a real crowd-pleaser.

“There’s a great back story too involving three-times world champion Tai Woffinden remarkably auctioning off his Phil Crump Classic Trophy minutes after winning it in a meeting in the winter before last Down Under, donating all $1,500 proceeds to Dayle so he could travel to the UK to further his speedway career.”

The Warriors are led by former British beach racing champion Arran Butcher, seen previously at Iwade in the colours of Mildenhall, and have a former Kings rider in the form of Jacob Clouting.

Most attention is likely, though, to be concentrated on Chatham-based Sonny Springer after the 15-year-old on his Isle of Wight debut last week recorded a paid 15-point maximum.