BRITISH CAREER
(2005) King’s Lynn, Eastbourne; (2006) King’s Lynn, Coventry; (2007) Poole.

Troy Matthew Batchelor was born in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia on 29 August 1987.

He initially began learning how to skid a speedway bike in 2000, when aged just thirteen. His progress was such that he won the Australian Under-16 Championship at Bibra Lake (near Perth) in Western Australia on 10 January 2003.

That success prompted the Isle of Wight to seek his services, however, a work permit application was rejected because he hadn’t turned seventeen years-of-age. Despite that, he still journeyed to the UK in 2004 and appeared in two Test matches for the Rest of the World versus Great Britain Under-21, his debut occurring at Weymouth on 9 October.

Batchelor subsequently made his domestic bow in 2005, when he joined King’s Lynn for a season of Premier League activity. The injury bug was to strike, though, as he suffered a broken arm in only his second official match for the Stars; the accident happened during a Premier Trophy encounter against Exeter at Saddlebow Road on 30 March.

The young Aussie resumed racing in mid-June and went on to make eighteen league appearances, scoring 137 points for an impressive 7.11 average. An obvious highlight happened on 10 August, when he romped to a full six-ride 18-point maximum in a home fixture against Newport.

King’s Lynn ended up winning the Knock-Out Cup and Young Shield, defeating Rye House in both finals, with Troy playing his part in the club’s superb double success.

The 2005 campaign also saw him link with Eastbourne in a ‘doubling-up’ capacity, although his appearances for the Eagles were limited to just a couple of league matches.

Remaining with King’s Lynn in 2006, Batchelor enjoyed a terrific campaign to post an 8.79 average, having accrued 210 points from twenty-five league matches. In a wonderful season, the Stars simply swept the board to win the League Championship and Premier Trophy, as well as retaining the Knock-Out Cup.

Troy also filled the role of Coventry’s No. 8 rider, appearing in seven Elite League matches for the Bees and scoring 16 points for a 3.20 average.

After the completion of the British season, Batchelor raced Down Under and took victory in the Queensland State Championship at Pioneer Park in North Queensland on 9 December, making him the title holder for 2007.

A full-time move into the Elite League followed for the 2007 British season, with a move to Poole. And the Brisbane-born racer was to enjoy a very productive term with the South Coast side. His season’s highlight undoubtedly occurred on 15 August, when he romped to a 12-point maximum in a league encounter versus Reading at Wimborne Road. In total for the Pirates, he netted 201 points from thirty-two Elite League matches for a solid 6.49 average.

On 6 December 2007, it was announced that he had agreed terms to ride for Swindon in 2008 and, with the deduction of bonus points, the Aussie was set to begin the new season with a green sheet average of 5.74.

In announcing his acquisition, an upbeat Alun Rossiter said: ‘Troy is a rider who is very much going forward with his career. He upped his Elite League average last season and is very ambitious.

‘Troy possesses that little bit of arrogance that most Aussies and the top riders have; this is a great attribute as it means that he won’t be fazed if the going gets tough. He can ride the small tracks well and is also good on the bigger ones too.

‘He was superb for Leszno in the Polish Extraleague and played a significant role in helping them to win the League Championship this year. Leigh Adams was certainly raving about his input there. The signing of Troy is a fantastic capture for us.’

PROFILE BY ROBERT BAMFORD