Mildenhall Fen Tigers – proudly sponsored by Manchetts Rescue and Recovery – return to the scene of their glorious 2021 National Development League [NDL] title-clinching victory this Friday (17th. June) when they take on Armadale Devils as part of a two match ‘Northern Tour’ – with Berwick Bullets awaiting on the Saturday evening (18th. June).
The trip north of the border and then just marginally back over it again (Berwick, who use the town’s football stadium as their track, famously being actually in England though Scottish in most respects!) sees all injury concerns now cleared up with Sam Bebee back and reserve pairing of Luke Muff and Josh Warren recovered from the crashes suffered in the Fen Tigers’ only away NDL match to date.
There is an omission though from the side which lost at Leicester in that last match – James Shanes is absent as he competing in the World Long Track Championship, with the first Grand Prix in that series in Rzeszow, Poland this same weekend. The Team Management pairing of Malcolm Vasey and Jason Gardner have picked ‘horses for courses’ in their selection of two ‘Guests’ for the respective matches at Armadale and Berwick.
As Gardner explains,
“We’ve studied closely all the options for the ‘Guest’ facility we have due to James being away representing GB in World Championship duty. At Armadale on Friday, we’ve plumped for the experienced Scotsman Greg Blair who scored paid 12 when he appeared for his 2022 NDL side Berwick up at Armadale earlier this campaign. And at Berwick on Saturday we’ve also gone for experience by choosing Danny Phillips who, in the return fixture for Armadale at Berwick scored eight points and has shown his mettle around the large racing bowl at Shiefield Park several times over the years”.
Armadale have had a difficult start to their season (which, with question marks hanging over the future of their track in West Lothian -home too of the senior side Edinburgh Monarchs - could be the last held at the venue just outside the capital city that’s staged Speedway since 1997) and are on the foot of the current NDL table after four matches - all of which have been defeats, including two at home.
For a second NDL away match in a row, the Fen Tigers find themselves coming up against a pair of brothers in their opponents’ ranks, for the Thompsons of Leicester now read the Millars, Gregor and Lewis, who hail from Falkirk in Stirlingshire and are in their second seasons with their home country side.
Also a home-produced Scot is the Devils’ vastly experienced number one. William Lawson. The GB Under 18 Champion all the way back in 2005. Lawson made a comeback to the sport with Edinburgh Monarchs after nearly a decade away in 2018 and has moved across the Armadale side for 2022. Alongside the elder Millar brother Gregor and Danny Phillips there is a solid top end of the Devils side, who are a man light and using Rider Replacement to cover for George Rothery who was named in their squad for this campaign but has recently walked away from the sport.
Vasey & Gardner’s charges will go into the match on Friday full of confidence knowing that only huge injury misfortune at Leicester, losing Warren (ankle) and Muff (neck) on top of being already without Bebee (back) prevented the Fen Tigers from taking points from their first (and actually only to date) NDL away match of their embryonic 2022 season. And fresh in their memories will of course be the thumping 56-34 win at Armadale last October which clinched the Fen Tigers’ fifth league title. Jason Edwards scored a magnificent paid 17 that day and is in absolutely sparkling form this term – Jason captains the Fen Tigers in the absence of the longer term injury victim Ryan Kinsley who’s recovering from an operation to reset his broken collarbone.
Moving across country from West Lothian into the Borders takes the Fen Tigers to Berwick on Saturday evening for the second leg of their Northern Tour . Last season Mildenhall went closer than anyone else to denting the Bullets’ 100% home record – in a season when the Berwick side led the table all the way up until the final week of the campaign when of course they were overhauled by the Fen Tigers. Without both Jordan Jenkins and number one, Edwards on their visit in July, it was an incredible effort by the visitors on the notoriously difficult large Berwick circuit (as different as it could possibly be in size and shape from their own West Row track), going into the final heat leading by two only to suffer a sickening 5-1 reverse courtesy of the homesters’ Kyle Bickley and Luke Crang and having to settle just for (what proved of course to be a vital) bonus point.
Bickley and Crang remain the lynch pins of a still very strong Bullets team (alongside Greg Blair, who’ll quickly be moving from compatriot to adversary).
Moving in the opposite direction so-to-speak will be Danny Phillips – who was a highly productive ‘Guest’ for the Fen Tigers also last July and is being looked to for a repeat performance.
For comeback man, Jack Kingston both destinations on the Northern Tour will be first time visits. Meanwhile Alex Spooner has very happy memories of his last trip to Armadale – scoring a sensational paid 16 for his 2021 side Kent Royals.
Luke Muff rode in that narrow defeat for the Fen Tigers at Berwick last year and has ridden once at Armadale three years ago – so how did the vivacious Yorkshireman prepare, as part of his rehab from that nasty neck injury, for this latest trip north of the border? By heading to Scotland to ride of course!
“I heard there was an opportunity to ride in a Second Half up at Glasgow Tigers’ track and with no Mildenhall meeting I decided to make the 400 miles round trip to take part and blow the cobwebs away! What an awesome track Ashfield is – like Redcar on steroids with big banked corners!”
The experience will certainly hold Muff in good stead as he and fellow reserve Josh Warren seek to carry on their hugely impressive form as the Fen Tigers themselves aim to get off the mark in this year’s NDL.
The match on Friday (17/6) is at Edinburgh Speedway, Bathgate Road, Armadale, West Lothian EH48 2PD with a 7.30pm start time. Saturday’s (18/6) action starts at 7pm at Berwick Speedway, Shielfield Park, Tweedmouth, Berwick-upon-Tweed TD15 2EF
Teams [in alphabetical order]:
Friday 17th. June
Armadale Devils:
Josh Embleton; William Lawson; Gregor Millar; Lewis Millar; Danny Phillips; Tom Woolley; Rider Replacement for George Rothery
Mildenhall Fen Tigers:
Sam Bebee; Greg Blair [Guest]; Jason Edwards; Jack Kingston; Luke Muff; Alex Spooner; Josh Warren
Saturday 18th. June
Berwick Bullets:
Kyle Bickley; Greg Blair; Luke Crang; Kieran Douglas; Ace Pijper; Ben Rathbone; Mason Watson
Mildenhall Fen Tigers:
Sam Bebee; Jason Edwards; Jack Kingston; Luke Muff; Danny Phillips [Guest]; Alex Spooner; Josh Warren
