High Noon on Sunday and it’s a shoot-out which could have a huge bearing on the rest of the Speedway season for Mildenhall Fen Tigers – proudly sponsored by Manchetts Rescue and Recovery. The fixture (only Mildenhall’s second of the month) takes Jason Gardner’s men on this Sunday (20th. August, 12pm start time) to the eponymous Kent Royals’ Iwade track in the Swale area of the county – a tussle in the Garden of England which the Fen men need to pick themselves three points to get their Play Off qualification hopes back on track.

Those chances of making the top two come the end of the regular season in the National Development League [NDL] took a serious knock earlier this month when going down to a first home defeat of the campaign to reigning champions and bogey side, Leicester Lion Cubs. That saw the East Midlanders leap-frog Mildenhall to take top spot in the table and they’ve since stretched their lead to four points with an away win last weekend at Berwick.

And by the time the Fen Tigers take to track at mid-day on Sunday, they may find themselves out of the top two for the first time all campaign, as Oxford Chargers have a home match against Workington on Wednesday, knowing a win and three points would lift them above the Suffolk side.

By chance, Mildenhall management and travelling fans will have an opportunity on Sunday to see one of their chief rivals for the crucial top two positions, as following the Fen Tigers’ crunch match against their Kentish hosts, the Royals then take on Oxford in the second part of a double header. 

The wish list is clear for the Fen Tigers: get a third away league win of the season by repeating their Knock-Out Cup [KOC] victory at Kent’s Old Gun Site home and then settle back and watch the Royals dash Oxford’s hopes of also taking the spoils.

As team boss Gardner puts it,

“It's an absolutely vital meeting on Sunday and the team will be determined to bounce back from the defeat to Leicester and start a winning run again.

“Having won at Kent in the KOC without our talisman skipper, Lee Complin l can see no reason why we can't get another away win and keep the pressure on Leicester and Oxford.  There’s no question we are still in the mix for a Play-Off spot and Sunday’s our chance to make our rivals know that”.

Complin is available this time as are the rest of the Fen Tigers 1 to 5, but they will be without in-form reserve Josh Warren – top scorer with paid 18 in the corresponding fixture last term, Warren is still suffering the ill effects of the crash he had late on in the home defeat by Leicester and with a diagnosis then of concussion he’s not ready yet to return.

 Over to Gardner to clarify who’s being brought in to cover at reserve,

“It's disappointing that Josh is still feeling the effects of his crash but we are pleased to have Sam Woolley guesting. Sam rode all last season and started this campaign for Kent and we feel his knowledge of the Iwade track will give us an edge at reserve.

“With it being the closest away track the team are looking forward to seeing a good number of supporters to cheer us on, then hopefully see Kent beat Oxford in the second match of the afternoon”.

Kent are skippered by Sam Woolley’s vastly experienced elder brother Tom and are spearheaded by one of the NDL’s most accomplished campaigners and a rider who’s faced the Fen Tigers more than any other in the 50 years of the Mildenhall club, twice League Riders’ individual Champion, Ben Morley. He’s backed up in the heat leader berths by Nathan Ablitt, a member of Mildenhall’s 2021 title-winning side. And there’s another ex-Fen Tiger in action for the hosts as they have Aussie Matt Marson (this year figuring for Belle Vue Colts) in as a ‘Guest’ for the injured Jack Kingston. Also out for the hosts is former GB Youth Champion, Rhys Naylor and the Royals use Rider Replacement to cover the Essex-based rides, with their side completed by NDL debutant Ashton Vale, Suffolk-born Connor King and their no. 8 is local rider James Laker. 

The action gets underway at 12pm on Sunday 20th. August at Iwade Speedway track, The Old Gun Site, Raspberry Hill Lane, Iwade ME9 8SN.