It's a right Royal start for the Mildenhall DJS Fen Tigers - proudly sponsored by Manchetts Rescue and Recovery - who begin their 2023 National Development League [NDL] with a quartet of matches in the opening month of April taking on the Kent Royals in League & Cup clashes.

The NDL season itself gets underway at West Row on Sunday April 2nd. with the new look Fen Tigers septet taking on their most local of rivals. There's a return fixture with a difference the following Sunday, with the two teams meeting at Kent's Old Gun Site home in Iwade in what is the first leg of the Knock Out Cup [KOC] on Easter Day - with a midday start.

And the second leg of that KOC last four encounter (reprising last year when Mildenhall got past the Royals in a thriller) is the second home fixture of the season at West Row on 16th. April. And to complete an unprecedented four fixtures in April, it's a quick fire return to the Garden of England for Jason Gardner's men on April 23rd.

In total the NDL comprises eight clubs this term - with the newcomers being Workington; and a name change for the division's Scottish side - Armadale now being branded as the Edinburgh Academy.

Full fixtures can be viewed here: 2023 Fixture List

The NDL this term will again be utilising a Play Off system to decide the ultimate champions, but this season it'll be a straight shoot-out between the teams finishing in first and second places in the division.  Last season the Play Off Final saw Mildenhall taking on Leicester and interestingly it's the East Midlanders who will be the last regular NDL visitors to West Row in August.

The Mildenhall club management commented,

"To add some context to our fixture list, we have worked with the stadium and are grateful for their help in allowing all our home fixtures as they stand to be on non-Stock Car weekends, allowing considerably more time for track preparation.

"Fixture lists are always difficult to sort especially in recent times, and the owners would like to go on record thanking Kent Royals for their help and support with getting the Cup fixtures arranged early.  It'll certainly make for a fascinating first month of the campaign to be taking on our local rivals on four successive April Sundays!"