PREMIERSHIP PREVIEW: KING’S LYNN
THE first half of last season saw hardly anything go according to plan for King’s Lynn, but their form in the latter stages gave hope for much better to come in 2025.
By that stage, any chances of a play-off push were realistically out of the equation and club bosses were frequently kept busy with the need to book guests for absent riders.
However, those efforts largely proved successful with the Stars proving to be a strong force on their own track, and several of their incoming riders for this year did make appearances in their colours last summer.
Three members of the ’24 line-up return, and in the case of captain NICOLAI KLINDT it’s a comeback from long-term injury after he was ruled out last June following a crash in Poland. Klindt had made a good start to his latest stint with the Stars after starting last season with Oxford, and it was no surprise to see him back with the Norfolk side.
Two riders who did complete the season for the Stars were NIELS-KRISTIAN IVERSEN and JAN KVECH, who are at opposite ends of the experience spectrum but both hugely popular at the Adrian Flux Arena with Iversen celebrating a Testimonial this year, whilst Kvech breathed fresh life into the 2024 campaign when he joined the club in June.
Coming into the side is the highly consistent RICHARD LAWSON, back with the Stars after two seasons with Leicester and returning to a track where he has a terrific record, and treble British Champion CHRIS HARRIS makes the move from Oxford – with the significant factor of their team declaration being that he will start the season at reserve!
At the top of a super-solid top six is new signing BEN COOK who links up with team manager Rob Lyon once more after they worked together at Peterborough in 2023, prior to his switch to Manchester last year where he won the league title with Belle Vue. Cook is set to start the season at No.1, although all of the top six have averages of within one point of each other!
Lynn were always going to need a new Rising Star irrespective of Anders Rowe’s move to Sheffield as he had already exceeded the criteria for that position, and that spot goes to youngster ASHTON BOUGHEN who has a year’s experience from Oxford behind him and now moves to his local Premiership club with high hopes that he can keep up his progression and pull off some big scalps during the season ahead.
2025 STARTING LINE-UP:
Ben Cook 6.99
Richard Lawson 6.91
Niels-Kristian Iversen 6.83
Nicolai Klindt 6.59
Jan Kvech 6.58
Chris Harris 6.06
Ashton Boughen (RS)
*Line-up subject to approval
