It’s all systems go for the Mildenhall Fen Tigers, proudly sponsored by Manchetts Rescue and Recovery, with the announcement of the National Development League [NDL] fixtures for the forthcoming 2022 British Speedway season, with the Fen Tigers defending their title in an enlarged division this term.



There are three new sides in the NDL this season: Plymouth entering a team at third tier level for the first time since 2019; Kent (Iwade) Royals taking over the role of representing the Garden of England following the closure of the Central Park track in Sittingbourne; and Oxford Speedway reopening after all seemed lost for that club when it closed its doors back in 2007.



The season will begin as previously announced, with the staging for the second year running of the highly prestigious GB Under 21 championship semi final on Sunday 10th. April.  And youth is very much the flavour of the day the following week when the Easter Sunday egg-citement served up at West Row is a special challenge match against a select side of young British racing talent from the Norfolk-based Poultec Speedway Training college.

The first competitive team action for the defending champions comes on April 24th. when that new side from Kent, the Iwade Royals travel to the Fens in the resurrected National League Knock-out Cup competition. Originally this tie was going to be a preliminary round fixture with the winners due to take on Oxford Chargers in the last four, but following Oxford’s decision to forsake the cup this year because of an already packed fixture list at their Cowley home, the clash with the Royals takes on added significance as it is a cup semi final now, with the destiny of who makes it through to the Final to take on the winners of the Leicester vs Berwick tie, being decided in the return fixture (the Fen Tigers’ first away trip of the campaign) on May Day at Iwade’s Old Gun Site track.

T

he first home visitors in the NDL itself are the side from Devon, the Plymouth Centurions on May 15th., with 2019 NDL winners Leicester Lion Cubs the first league visit on the road the following Saturday.
Talking of away days, there’s a ‘Northern Tour’ for Fen Tigers’ fans to get excited about in June – with a trip north of the border (and then just fractionally south again) to take on Edinburgh-based Armadale Devils on Friday  17th’ June, followed by a trip to the 2021 NDL runners up, Berwick Bullets the following evening.
It's The Bullets who will be the final visitors in the regulation league season in September and then there are reserved dates awaiting for a hoped for Cup Final and, should Malcolm Vasey and Jason Gardner’s men finish in the top four, the championship title-deciding Play Offs. 

Mildenhall co-owner Phil Kirk commented
“It’s been a very challenging task organising the fixtures for the 2022 campaign needing to give due regard to the fact that six of the eight teams in the NDL have sides also competing in one of the two other divisions and we would like to put on record to thank all the other clubs who’ve helped to ensure that we’ve been able to put together a nicely balanced and exciting looking fixtures list home and away for the forthcoming campaign
“

Fans will note, I’m sure, that there’s a bit of a gap in the home fixtures listing in August, but with the British Speedway Grand Prix at Cardiff being a two day event now in a weekend in August and two large Stock Car meetings at our Stadium in that month also, it’s really restricted our options for August. There are though a number of away fixtures in that month to occupy our fans including the always exciting visit to the National Speedway Stadium in Manchester to take on Belle Vue and the much-anticipated first away match for over 15 years to the famous Cowley Stadium home of Oxford.
“

It’s also exciting for those who travel to cheer on our boys away from home to have a double trip to Armadale & Berwick in the fixtures in June and, all in all, we do have a well-balanced fixtures list giving our riders regular league racing, something which after the disruptions of the past couple of years will be much appreciated by riders and fans alike.”



With the fixtures now out season ticket details will announced in the next 10 days.