Eagles begin KO Cup quest

FREE Easter egg for first 100 children through the gates on Good Friday. Kindly sponsored by our Merchandise Partner, Corporate-Connection, and Media Partner, SP2A Speedway. For all your 2019 Eastbourne Fineprint Eagles clothing visit our ONLINE Store here

Start time: 3pm, gates open 1pm.

Weather forecast: Warm and sunny

Fineprint Eagles v Birmingham in the KO Cup

Card payments: see important notice at the end of this story

Eastbourne Speedway aims to continue an incredible winning streak in cup matches when they race at Arlington Stadium on Good Friday.

They face the Birmingham Brummies in a first round, first leg tie with racing starting at 3pm.

Gates open at 1pm with the first 100 children coming into the stadium receiving a free Easter egg.

Edward Kennett

Co-promoter and joint team manager, Trevor Geer, has resisted the temptation to change the team’s riding order and named an unchanged line-up, with his Hailsham-based captain, Edward Kennett, leading the team from the No 1 slot.

All eyes will be on the Eagles’ No 5, Richard Lawson, who has ridden his first nine races as an Eagle at Arlington unbeaten by an opponent.

Lawson said: “I thought it might be a bit tricky early on but I seem to have settled in quite nicely.”

Richard Lawson

The Fineprint Eagles have made a great return to professional speedway this season with two convincing home wins in the Championship Shield.

Now they are aiming to continue that form in the KO Cup, where the club has enjoyed huge success over the years.

Director of Speedway, Jon Cook, said he was targeting a double figure points lead to take to second leg at Birmingham’s Perry Bar stadium on May 15.

Cook said: “Good Friday will just be day three back into this incredible fan-inspired renaissance at Arlington and we are already in KO cup action.

“In many ways, this is the competition deepest to all our hearts. 

“Birmingham’s strength in depth will be tough to overcome in two-leg action, so I’ll be hoping to take at least a ten points advantage to the West Midlands.”

Tom Brennan

Geer added: “I live locally and everyone I speak to is enjoying the fast, tough racing we are seeing in this league. 

“The riders are gelling and we ready for Friday’s battle.”

The new era Eagles are in many ways modelled on the hugely successful Eastbourne teams of the 1970s and 1980s when the club won six KO Cups at this level, which remains the all-time record.

In the last four years, competing in the sport’s third division – the National League – the Eagles won the cup four times in a row.

In fact, you have to look back to 2011 for the last time Eastbourne were defeated in a KO Cup tie (over two legs), although they did not compete in the competition in 2012 and the league they were in for the 2013 and 2014 seasons did not run the competition.

Teams:

Eagles: Edward Kennett, Ben Morley, Alfie Bowtell, Lewi Kerr, Richard Lawson, Georgie Wood, Tom Brennan.

Brummies: Ulrich Ostergaard, Tobias Thomsen, Kyle Newman, Ashley Morris, Zach Wajtknecht, Paco Castagna, James Shanes.

Referee: Paul Carrington.

Image credits: Tiffani Graveling Photography

Please be advised that we encountered problems with our Card Reader machines at the last meeting linked to 4G problems in the area that are completely outside of our control. 

We are waiting for a hard-wire solution, but would advise all supporters that it may be prudent to have a cash payment option in case of further problems. 

Our equipment works perfectly and is state-of-the-art, but when 3G/4G signals drop out due to transmitter issues, and  are exacerbated by our remote location, we have absolutely no control or ability to fix, and do not wish to upset anyone who only has a card payment option in that eventuality.