Mildenhall Fen Tigers

Bury St Edmunds Town Centre Run

5.40pm 5.4 miles in43 minutes 20 seconds.

Year to date mileage 1134

Month to date 44 miles

Average miles per month 109

Average weekly rate 25.2

Weather: Windy and dry.

I have taken this week easy prior to the race I am doing on Sunday at Stowmarket the Scenic Seven.

I was pleased to hear that Mildenhall Fen Tigers have decided to move into the Speedway Premier League next season. For far too long the Fen Tigers have been stuck in the Conference league which is effectively Speedways 3rd Divison. This is generally made up of Elite league and Premier League Reserve sides. In recent years Mildenhall have tended to win most of the trophies going.

Speedway is a fantastic sport which gives you a real contrast from going to football. Speedway bikes are powered by 500cc single cylinder engines, use fixed gears, have acceleration to match Formula 1 race cars but have no brakes and virtually no suspension! The riders are either brave or lunatic or perhaps both. At Mildenhall you can meet and talk to the riders, you can sit anywhere you like, get in for less than a tenner and have a drink and a meal for less than the cost of going to football. Speedway has generally seen better times when there were big crowds but generally now there is just a small loyal band of fans.

I think I first went to Mildenhall in about 1976. There were decent crowds for a brand new stadium which is situated in the middle of fen land - basically surrounded by carrot fields and the nearby Mildenhall US Air force base.

Rivals in the Premier League will be Kings Lynn and Rye House.