Positive times after Stars reveal 2025 team

Gavin Caney gives his thoughts on the new-look King’s Lynn Stars side in his weekly Caney’s Corner column in Your Local Paper.The response said it all.King’s Lynn Stars supporters flooded social media to praise the club’s 2025 line-up.The comments were universally positive, coming from fans who have endured some miserable times over the last six seasons.But the feel-good factor from an upturn in form at the end of an injury-hit campaign has gathered further momentum after Buster Chapman, Rob Lyon and Dale Allitt announced the septet who will come to the tapes when the Premiership returns in the spring.All those on the terraces want is some belief—now they have it. They also want to know that they’re going to enjoy their racing, regardless of the result. With this set of riders, they have that, too.The strength in depth across the board will allow plenty of movement in Lynn’s one-to-seven and leave them with one exceptionally strong reserve to support rising star Ashton Boughen. To begin with that will be Chris Harris. ‘Bomber’ is one of the sport’s favourite sons and is loved up and down the land for his never-say-die attitude and desire to put on a show. He’s a racer and has graced tracks around the country.Now, finally, he can add the Saddlebow Road shale to that lengthy list.His arrival alone would have been enough to raise the spirits of the Lynn faithful. At 41, he will call the Stars his club side for the first time. His performances at the Adrian Flux Arena, as a visiting rider or guest, will whet the appetite. The same goes for Richard Lawson, a likeable trier who chalks up plenty of points and always seems to perform well when he’s plying his trade in Norfolk. The pair provide the sort of action that will put bums on seats.Plenty would have returned anyway because Jan Kvech kept his place in the team. The signing of the season, the Czech ace should be even better than he was in his debut term in Britain.Ben Cook arrives a champion with every opportunity that he can progress his career under more guidance from Lyon. The popular return of Nicolai Klindt and Lynn legend Niels-Kristian Iversen will have further extended those smiles. Winter optimism is off the scale for the first time in a lifetime.The management know these riders because they have worked with them.There’s experience, likeable characters and no reason – other than more bad luck – that the Stars shouldn’t make a serious fist of reaching the play-offs.The terraces will be busy again thanks to a loyal fanbase who never turned their back on Lynn during tough times. Their reward will arrive in 2025.You could hear a pin drop – well, when people weren’t laughing. Jason Doyle, the 2017 world champion, and seven-time British champion Scott Nicholls had speedway fans hanging on their every word at the final Northwold Sports and Social Club chat night of the year on Saturday.The pair spoke openly about their season-ending injuries that cast a dark shadow over a 2024 that had provided so much happiness on and off track.But it wasn’t all emotional insight or heartfelt discussions.There were jokes and games a plenty, as well as some surprise video messages, during an event that showed everything that is so heartwarming about the sport’s tight-knit community. Doyle and Nicholls are two of the biggest names on the British speedway scene but they mixed with fans and spoke with kindness.It was an honour to share the stage with two humble heroes, one of which is a TV star too.As part of my compering duties, it was also a proud moment to announce that £350 had been raised through a raffle for the Ben Fund, a charity that supports injured riders past and present.Here’s hoping Nicholls and Doyle don’t need to lean on it anytime soon. Mike Tyson is 58 and hadn’t boxed since 2005. Jake Paul, 27, is a YouTuber-turned-boxer.It was hardly going to be a classic was it?Both boxers made millions, and so did Netflix, but these fights are disrespectful to the art of boxing and other than people making a shed load of money, the richest experience is to not watch any of the nonsense.Fans poured out of the stadium long before Paul was announced the winner by unanimous decision. The scorecard read 80-72, 79-73 and 79-73 but it was the other stats that told the true story of a drab contest. In the 16 minutes of action, Tyson – in his heyday one of the finest boxers to ever step into the squared circle – landed just 18 punches. That’s little more than two a round. He only attempted 97.Paul threw 278 but still only connected with 78.It was a contest between two big men that only provided heavyweight embarrassment.Tyson’s reputation, already blighted by controversy, took more damage than either man did. Paul’s attempts to pass himself off as a serious competitor look more laughable by the minute.Boxing is an art form. It’s all about respect and discipline and given the dangers involved, should never be the joke that it became, again, on Friday night.