Fen Tigers expect big crowd for local derby.

Mildenhall are expecting their biggest crowd of the season when they clash with near neighbours and championship rivals Peterborough at West Row on Sunday.

Despite their first defeat of the season, 48-42 at Sheffield last Monday, the Fen Tigers closed the gap on Peterborough after beating Rye House at West Row last weekend and both teams now have 11 points from six meetings.

"It couldn't be tighter and this is a real crunch fixture for both teams" said Graham Drury. "At times like this, the supporters can make a huge difference by getting behind the riders and I'm quite sure they will see a feast of very good speedway on Sunday.

"It's going to be another one of those meetings where every point is vital because bonus points could make all the difference come the end of the season. I know our lads are looking forward to it and I'm sure that Peterborough will come here with the attitude that they can win too."

The win over Rye House produced a feast of good racing from a meeting that was given the thumbs up after extensive work had been carried out on the stadium fencing. "Colin Meredith has done a superb job and our thanks go to him for his efforts" added Drury.

On the Fen Tigers first defeat of the season, Drury continued "We were basically a three man team it has to be said and showed that you do need all seven riders pulling their weight.

"Wayne Broadhurst, Scott Lamb and Mark Thompson were excellent but lacked back up and we just ran out of steam over the last couple of heats. That was disappointing in a way because I thought for a long time that we might have nicked the result.

"Nonetheless, the Sheffield promotion praised us as being their best visitors yet and there were certainly a lot of plusses in the way we rode against a team that enjoys a big home track advantage."

Gavin Hedge has joined Premier League Reading on a short term basis after impressing during a guest booking with Paul Lydes-Uings taking over as captain.

"We wish Gavin well and he will come back into our squad once his contract is finished unless, of course, he does well enough to warrant staying longer" concluded Drury who added that he was continually looking to strengthen the rider base and didn't rule out more additions in the near future.