Mildenhall DJS Fen Tigers – proudly sponsored by Manchetts Resue and Recovery – aim to gain maximum capital from their next home match (on Sunday 9th. July) when the visitors are big city slickers, Edinburgh Monarchs Academy.
The West Lothian-based side (they were previously known as the Armadale Devils) represent a significant challenge to the Fen Tigers’ determined pursuit of a top two position in Speedway’s National Development League [NDL], bearing no resemblance to the wooden spoonists of last term.
That’s not least because after a recent re-jigging of their side, the Scottish side boast a pair of top heat leaders who are right up there as two of the best riders in the history of the third tier: former Fen Tiger, Adam Roynon and Max Clegg. Both are former winners of the Divisional Riders’ Championship, have been league title winners in the NDL and have considerable experience across the sport. Roynon remains a popular figure at West Row where he was, 19 years ago and then aged just 16, a member of that legendary Fen Tigers side which took the League & Cup ‘Double’. Clegg meanwhile has been in record-breaking mode since returning to the division midway through last season – he finished 2022 with an unprecedented 12.00 average (meaning he’d not dropped a single point to an opposition rider) and carried on that run this term: it finally ending after an extraordinary 34 rides.
Though there’s no doubting the experience around the West Row track of Edinburgh’s top two, a sizeable number of the rest of their likely septet will be racing competitively at Mildenhall Stadium for a first time.
There’s an Aussie pairing of former World Youth Cup rider Jacob Hook from Queensland and the older, but GB debutant in 2023, Dayle Wood. 20-year-old Hook came to the UK with a big reputation having finished runner up in the national youth championship in his homeland; Wood on the other hand has left it much later in his career to come to the motherland (literally as his mother is British) and it took a hugely generous gesture by none other than twice World Champion Tai Woffinden to make it possible for the rider from Wagga Wagga to realise his dream.
While wintering Down Under, Brit Woffinden won the prestigious Phil Crump Classic Trophy and then in the bar at the Mildura Olympic Park track in Sydney auctioned off the silverware, getting $1,500 and promptly handing all the cash over to the 28-year-old Dayle to fund his trip to the UK!
Another newcomer to the West Row circuit (should he ride) is recent convertee from Motocross to Speedway, 18-year-old Mark Parker. Parker hails from the rather less exotic Carlisle.
The side is completed by Mickie Simpson - a member of the Leicester Lion Cubs’ NDL winning side of last season, the Boston-born teen scoring a career best paid 10 to contribute to beating Mildenhall in the decesive Play Off Final; and Teessider Kyran Lyden. The 21 year old HAS appeared once before at Mildenhall but failed to make it past two laps – crashing out in his opening ride in last year’s GB U21 semi final at West Row. Lyden took a knock in Edinburgh’s ‘derby’ win over Berwick last weekend and may be a fitness doubt for Sunday.
No such injury concerns for the DJS Fen Tigers’ Team Manager, Jason Gardner who has his full septet of riders at his disposal.
“It’s been an enforced break since our last match – that terrific win at Berwick being a month almost to the day once we take on Edinburgh. That’s not ideal but at least we have Josh Warren back able to ride after he was in the wars in our last two matches. We know that every point is vital as we look to secure the Play Off position of finishing in the top two and with a trip up to Edinburgh also to come and the bonus point for aggregate success being so crucial we know what we need to do on Sunday”.
The meeting is at Mildenhall Stadium on Sunday 9th. July – gates open at 2,30pm, parade at 3.40pm and tapes up on the DJS Fen Tigers vs. Edinburgh Monarchs Academy at 4pm.