Mildenhall Fen Tigers rewarded with hosting prestigious single British Under-21 Semi-Final to begin speedway season at Mildenhall Stadium

The 2022 speedway season at West Row is set to once again open with Mildenhall Fen Tigers hosting the prestigious British Under-21 semi-final.

This year’s championship is set to see the semi-final take place as a one-off event this year on Sunday, April 10 (3pm).

It will be the second year running Mildenhall Stadium has staged the U21 semi-final as its season opener, with their 2021 captain, Jordan Jenkins, having won it last time out. And with there only being one semi-final this year, a very strong line-up is expected as the 16 competitors look to join the seeded riders in the final.

The hosts will be represented by Jason Edwards – aiming to qualify for a fifth U21 final in a row – and Elliot Kelly, with several former riders in the field, including Henry Atkins, Nathan Ablitt and Sam Hagon.

Fen Tigers’ co-owner Phil Kirk said: “We were very keen to continue holding this event as it fits in well with the club ethos of developing and supporting young British riders and I’m sure this will be a great way to start our season.

“With just the one semi-final this year it should be a highly competitive event with no quarter given and hopefully one of our boys can follow last year’s semi-final winner Jordan Jenkins’ home-based success.

“We are grateful to GB U21 team manager Neil Vatcher and the Young Lions Speedway set-up for their continued support and help and look forward to an exciting start to the season.”

The British U21 Championship is one of the biggest in the British Speedway calendar each year – dating all the way back to the late 1960s. It has seen many speedway champions – including five English World title winners – take their first steps to glory in the event.

The full line-up for the meeting on April 10 and the riders seeded directly to the U21 Final itself is set to be announced over the next few weeks.