It’s the most important match of the 2023 Speedway season so far for the Mildenhall DJS Fen Tigers – proudly sponsored by Manchetts Rescue and Recovery – on Sunday 6th. August (4pm start time) when the reigning champions Leicester Lion Cubs visit in National Development League [NDL] action.
Last year ended with the Fen Tigers locked in mortal battle with the East Midlanders in both the Knock-Out Cup [KOC] and NDL Play Off Finals – with Lions trumping Tigers in both cases, so there’s certainly revenge in mind when the two sides clash again.
This time only the top two finishers in the NDL table will make it to the Play Off title decider and though Mildenhall are currently in first place, a win for Leicester would move them up from third into top spot. Indeed one could throw a proverbial blanket over the current top four, as only two points separate the leaders (Mildenhall) from fourth placed Oxford; with the Manchester club Belle Vue Colts being the side currently in second. Mildenhall have already raced home and away against both Oxford & Belle Vue, but still have to face Leicester twice (there’s currently no date for the visit to the Lion Cubs’ Beaumont Park den), so the importance of a win and as big a one as possible on Sunday cannot be underestimated.
There’s been a period of frustrating inactivity for the hosts though – as a team they’ve not raced since regaining top spot with a win over the fourth city-based side in the NDL, Edinburgh back in early July.
Individually the Fen Tigers riders have been keeping themselves busy. None more so than Arran Butcher who has three times been a rostrum finisher in big individual events: runner up in the big Grasstrack event in Kent, the Battle of Britain; retaining his Island Masters title at Isle of Wight Speedway; and this weekend just gone failing narrowly to regain the British Sand Masters Championship title on the large expanse of Lytham St. Anne’s beach.
Team mate Alfie Bowtell was also on the rostrum in the Battle of Britain event and young Ben Trigger has kept up his reputation as the sport’s best travelled teenager by taking the spoils last week in the prestigious junior event in Poland, the Ekstraliga 500cc Camp Youth Cup.
As for the indomitable club captain Lee Complin? Well he finally met his match this weekend – marrying his partner Laura in a beautiful ceremony in their native Yorkshire. Many congratulations to the happy couple.
The visitors, Leicester have retained six of the riders who steered them to the NDL & KOC ‘Double’ last term. That means the Thompson twins, skipper Joe and brother Dan are back leading the line. Dan qualified this weekend for the European Under 19 Final whilst his brother Joe is expected to make a return from injury (broken collarbone) at West Row on Sunday. Their other injury victim, Tom Spencer (broken arm) is still on the sidelines, so they’ll be utilising the Rider Replacement facility to the max – literally in their case, as they have former Youth World Champion Max Perry and Max James in their ranks. Perry bounced back from a pointless tally on his West Row debut for the Lion Cubs to record two double figure scores in the KOC & Play Off Final legs at Mildenhall late last season; while his namesake James actually made his competitive debut in those encounters. The sixth returnee is teenager Vinnie Foord, very much a protegee of the late Mildenhall legend, Danny Ayres.
The new face in the visitors’ ranks is very much the man of the moment in British Speedway, Norfolk-born Ashton Boughen. Concerting from MotoX where he was a schoolboy British title winner in the youth ranks, Boughen has had a sensational first full season in the NDL so far – winning 25 out of 27 starts to totally dominate the GB Youth Championship and last weekend winning his first senior individual meeting at Workington.
All roads lead to Mildenhall Stadium for this one on Sunday 6th. August (gates open at 2.30pm; parade at 3.40pm; and Tapes Up at 4pm) as this is certain to be an absolute thriller.