SGB Premiership 2018

SGB Premiership 2018

League	SGB Premiership
Champions	Poole Pirates [1]
Knockout Cup	Somerset Rebels [2]
Charity Shield	Swindon Robins [3]
Individual	Jason Doyle [4]
Highest average	Robert Lambert
Division/s below	SGB Championship National League
← 2017 2019 →

The SGB Premiership 2018 was the 84th season of the top division of Great British Speedway in 2018. The season ran between March and October 2018 and had eight teams participating. The line-up of teams remained the same as in 2017. The Swindon Robins were the defending champions after winning the title in 2017. BT Sport continued its TV coverage of the SGB Premiership in 2018. Poole Pirates defeated King's Lynn Stars in the Play off final. It was Poole's tenth tier one title, which brought them level in second place with the Wembley Lions in the historical records. ^{[1] [5]}

Swindon Robins in March, ready to defend their league title

2018 teams

Belle Vue

King's Lynn

Leicester

Poole

Rockets

Rebels

Swindon

Wolves

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Locations of the 2018 Premiership teams

Regulation changes

At the Speedway AGM in November 2017, a number of changes were made to the rules and regulations for 2018. The biggest change was the introduction of fixed race nights: from now on, all Premiership meetings would be held on either a Monday or Wednesday, with Swindon Robins receiving special dispensation to continue to host home meetings on a Thursday. It was hoped that this would result in more of the world's top riders returning to UK racing. However, Premiership teams were only allowed to sign one rider per team with a Premiership average of over 8 points per match, and this rule prevented some of the world's best riders returning to Premiership teams in 2018. ^[6] The change to race nights also eliminated the possibility of doubling up riders (riding in both of the top two divisions in British Speedway) by being scheduled to ride for two clubs on the same night.

At the BSPA (British Speedway Promoters Association) annual conference, a decision was made to discontinue the end-of-season play-off for promotion and relegation between the bottom team of the SGB Premiership and the SGB Championship play-off winners. ^[7]

Results

Teams faced each other four times: twice home and away. The first of the home and away meetings were called the 'A' fixtures, and the second were the 'B' fixtures.

'A' Fixtures

Home \ Away	BV	KL	LEI	PP	RYE	SOM	SWI	WOL
Belle Vue Aces		43–47	62–28	47–43	59–31	47–43	50–40	56–34
King's Lynn Stars	53–37		56–34	46–44	58–32	44–46	51–39	60–30
Leicester Lions	47–43	38–52		43–47	53–37	55–35	44–46	47–43
Poole Pirates	50–40	58–32	58–32		47–43	47–43	38–52	45–45
Rye House Rockets	44–46	49–41		48–42		48–42		48–42
Somerset Rebels	47–43	45–45	47–43	48–42			50–40	49–41
Swindon Robins	41–49	48–42	51–39	50–39	48–42	58–32		51–39
Wolverhampton Wolves	49–41	49–41	47–43	54–36	60–30	52–38	52–38

Source: ^{[8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]}
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

'B' Fixtures

Home \ Away	BV	KL	LEI	PP	RYE	SOM	SWI	WOL
Belle Vue Aces		44–46	57–33	48–42		48–42	55–35	52–38
King's Lynn Stars	49–41		60–30	58–32		49–41	49–41	55–35
Leicester Lions	58–32	40–50		37–53		46–44	48–42	46–44
Poole Pirates	54–35	61–29	43–23			48–42	54–36	55–35
Rye House Rockets
Somerset Rebels	42–48	61–29	46–32	51–39			54–36	59–31
Swindon Robins	34–56	52–38	55–35	47–42		41–49		50–40
Wolverhampton Wolves	46–44	43–47	56–34	46–44		41–49	53–37

Source: ^[8]
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Table

SGB Premiership Final League Table

Pos.	Club	M	Home			Away					F	A	Pts	+/−
			W	D	L	4W	3W	D	1L	L
1	King's Lynn Stars	24	11	0	1	2	3	1	1	5	1128	1032	53	+96
2	Somerset Rebels	24	10	1	1	2	1	0	5	4	1103	1045	47	+58
3	Poole Pirates	24	10	1	1	1	1	0	6	4	1114	1019	44	+95
4	Belle Vue Aces	24	10	0	2	2	1	0	3	6	1118	1041	44	+77
5	Swindon Robins	24	9	0	3	1	1	0	1	9	1060	1098	35	-38
6	Wolverhampton Wolves	24	10	0	2	0	0	1	2	9	1043	1117	34	-74
7	Leicester Lions	24	7	0	5	0	0	0	2	10	955	1169	23	-214

^[16]

4 July Rye House Rockets had their membership of the 2018 SGB Premiership annulled by the Speedway Control Bureau. The league table has been updated to represent this news. ^[17]

Play-offs

	Semi Finals							Grand Final
	1	Belle Vue Aces	41	36	77
	4	King's Lynn Stars	49	54	113
								King's Lynn Stars		37	51	88
								Poole Pirates		53	39	92
	3	Somerset Rebels	46	43	89
	2	Poole Pirates	44	47	91

Home team scores are in bold
Overall aggregate scores are in red

Semi-finals

24 September	[18]	Belle Vue Aces	41–49	King's Lynn Stars	National Speedway Stadium Referee(s): Willie Dishington

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1 October	[19]	King's Lynn Stars	54–36	Belle Vue Aces	Adrian Flux Arena Referee(s): Mick Bates

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17 September	[20]	Somerset Rebels	46–44	Poole Pirates	Oak Tree Arena Referee(s): Mick Bates

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1 October	[21]	Poole Pirates	47–43	Somerset Rebels	Poole Stadium Referee(s): Christina Turnbull

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Grand final

8 October	[22]	Poole Pirates Klindt 11 Worrall 10 Harris 8 Woryna 7 Grajczonek 6 Jakobsen 6 Morris 5	53–37	King's Lynn Stars R Lambert 12 Ellis 6 Jørgensen 6 Palm Toft 6 Riss 3 Proctor 2 S Lambert 2	Poole Stadium Referee(s): Craig Ackroyd

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10 October	[1]	King's Lynn Stars Riss 13 R Lambert 12 Proctor 10 Jørgensen 6 S Lambert 4 Ellis 3 Howarth 3	51–39	Poole Pirates Grajczonek 8 Morris 7 Klindt 6 Worrall 6 Harris 5 Jakobsen 5 Woryna 2	Adrian Flux Arena Referee(s): Graham Flint

Home team scores are in bold

Knockout Cup

The 2018 Knockout Cup was the 76th edition and (second under its new name) of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams.

	Quarter Finals							Semi Finals							Final
	1	Swindon Robins	59	39	98
	8	Rye House Rockets	31	51	82
								Swindon Robins		48	39	87
								King's Lynn Stars		42	51	93
	5	Leicester Lions	48	31	79
	4	King's Lynn Stars	42	59	101
															King's Lynn Stars		37	45	82
															Somerset Rebels		53	45	98
	3	Somerset Rebels	52	47	99
	6	Poole Pirates	38	43	81
								Somerset Rebels		52	40	92
								Belle Vue Aces		38	50	88
	7	Belle Vue Aces	57	46	103
	2	Wolverhampton Wolves	33	44	77

Home team scores are in bold
Overall aggregate scores are in red

Quarter-finals

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21 May	[23]	Swindon Robins	59–31	Rye House Rockets	Abbey Stadium Referee(s): Paul Carrington

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23 May	[24]	Rye House Rockets	51–39	Swindon Robins	Rye House Stadium Referee(s): Dave Robinson

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7 May	[25]	Leicester Lions	48–42	King's Lynn Stars	Beaumont Park Sports Complex Referee(s): Ronnie Allan

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16 May	[26]	King's Lynn Stars	51–39	Leicester Lions	Adrian Flux Arena Referee(s): Craig Ackroyd

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2 May	[27]	Somerset Rebels	52–38	Poole Pirates	Oak Tree Arena Referee(s): David Watters

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27 June	[28]	Poole Pirates	43–47	Somerset Rebels	Poole Stadium Referee(s): Willie Dishington

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7 May	[29]	Belle Vue Aces	57–33	Wolverhampton Wolves	National Speedway Stadium Referee(s): Peter Clarke

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18 June	[30]	Wolverhampton Wolves	44–46	Belle Vue Aces	Monmore Green Referee(s): Graham Reeve

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Semi-finals

10 September	[31]	Swindon Robins	48–42	King's Lynn Stars	Abbey Stadium Referee(s): Dave Watters

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17 September	[32]	King's Lynn Stars	51–39	Swindon Robins	Adrian Flux Arena Referee(s): Chris Durno

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12 September	[33]	Somerset Rebels	52–38	Belle Vue Aces	Oak Tree Arena Referee(s): Ronnie Allan

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19 September	[34]	Belle Vue Aces	50–40	Somerset Rebels	National Speedway Stadium Referee(s): Craig Ackroyd

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Grand final

17 October	[35]	Somerset Rebels Covatti 12 Doyle 11 Wright 11 Allen 8 Harris 6 Lawson 5	53–37	King's Lynn Stars Iversen 10 Jørgensen 7 Riss 6 R Lambert 4 Proctor 4 S Lambert 4 Aarnio 2	Oak Tree Arena Referee(s): Ronnie Allan

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18 October	[2]	King's Lynn Stars R Lambert 12 Riss 10 Iversen 7 Jørgensen 6 Proctor 6 S Lambert 2 Aarnio 2	45–45	Somerset Rebels Covatti 12 Doyle 9 Lawson 9 Harris 8 Starke 6 Garcia 1	Adrian Flux Arena Referee(s): Tony Steele

Charity Shield

19 March	[36]	Belle Vue Aces	48–42	Swindon Robins	National Speedway Stadium Referee(s): Stuart Wilson

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22 March	[3]	Swindon Robins	52–38	Belle Vue Aces	Abbey Stadium Referee(s): Christina Turnball

Riders' Championship

Jason Doyle won the Riders' Championship for the second time. The final was held at Wimborne Road on 9 May. ^{[37] [38]}

Pos.	Rider	Pts	Total	SF	Final
1	Jason Doyle	2,3,2,3,3	13	x	3
2	Troy Batchelor	2,2,3,3,3	13	x	2
3	Hans Andersen	0,2,3,3,2	10	2	1
4	Brady Kurtz	3,3,3,2,0	11	3	0
5	Jacob Thorssell	2,3,1,3,0	9	1
6	Chris Harris	3,3,0,1,2	9	0
7	Max Fricke	1,1,2,2,3	9
8	Nick Morris	3,2,f/exc,1,1	7
9	Charles Wright	2,0,2,2,1	7
10	Ty Proctor	1,2,1,f,3	7
11	Niels Kristian Iversen	0,ret,2,2,2	6
12	Sam Masters	3,ret,3,ret,ret	6
13	Adam Ellis	1,1,0,1,2	5
14	Josh Grajczonek	1,1,0,1,1	4
15	Kyle Newman	0,1,1,0,1	3
16	Scott Nicholls	0,0,1	1

• f=fell, exc=excluded, ret=retired

Leading averages

Rider	Team	Average
Robert Lambert	King's Lynn	9.93
Jason Doyle	Somerset	9.79
Max Fricke	Belle Vue	8.73
Troy Batchelor	Swindon	8.54
Rory Schlein	Wolverhampton	8.43
Sam Masters	Wolverhampton	8.42
Craig Cook	Belle Vue	8.13
Dan Bewley	Belle Vue	8.00
Hans Andersen	Leicester	8.00
Chris Harris	Poole	7.78

^[39]

Riders & final averages

Belle Vue Aces

• Max Fricke 8.73
• Craig Cook 8.13
• Dan Bewley 8.00
• Rohan Tungate 7.89
• Jason Garrity 7.56
• Steve Worrall 6.35
• Dimitri Bergé 5.49
• Jye Etheridge 5.14
• Paul Starke 4.75
• Damian Dróżdż 4.13
• Mark Riss 3.54

20 March Paul Starke replaced the injured Damian Dróżdż in the Belle Vue team ^[40]
26 April Damian Dróżdż replaced Paul Starke in the Belle Vue team ^[41]
13 June Jason Garrity replaced the injured Steve Worrall as a short-term replacement in the Belle Vue Aces team ^[42]
11 July Steve Worrall returned to the Belle Vue after injury replacing short-term replacement Jason Garrity in the side. ^[43]
1 August Mark Riss replaced Jye Etheridge in the Belle Vue team ^[44]
10 August Dimitri Bergé replaced Damian Dróżdż in the Belle Vue team ^[45]

King's Lynn Stars

• Robert Lambert 9.93
• Niels Kristian Iversen 7.87
• Ty Proctor 7.24
• Erik Riss 7.22
• Thomas Jørgensen 7.08
• Michael Palm Toft 6.57
• Lewis Kerr 6.43
• Jason Garrity 6.40
• Simon Lambert 4.07
• Kasper Andersen 3.45
• Lewis Rose 2.67

30 April Michael Palm Toft replaced Lewis Rose in the King's Lynn team ^[46]
11 July Simon Lambert replaced the injured Kasper Andersen in the King's Lynn team ^[47]
17 July Jason Garrity replaced the injured Lewis Kerr in the King's Lynn team ^[48]
6 August Erik Riss replaced short-term signing Jason Garrity in the King's Lynn team ^[49]

Leicester Lions

• Hans Andersen 8.00
• Kenneth Bjerre 7.23
• Scott Nicholls 6.97
• Krystian Pieszczek 6.79
• Danny King 6.29
• Ricky Wells 6.23
• Kyle Newman 6.22
• Charles Wright 5.98
• Josh Auty 4.86
• Todd Kurtz 4.43
• James Sarjeant 4.17
• Stuart Robson 4.16
• Connor Mountain 3.66

4 April Michael Palm Toft replaced the injured Josh Bates in the Leicester team ^[50]
20 April Kenneth Bjerre and Todd Kurtz replaced the injured Martin Vaculik and Michael Palm Toft in the Leicester team ^[51]
29 June Ricky Wells and Charles Wright replaced the injured Danny King and Kyle Newman in the Leicester team ^[52]
18 July Scott Nicholls, Stuart Robson, Josh Auty and Connor Mountain replaced Kenneth Bjerre, Krystian Pieszczek, Todd Kurtz and James Sarjeant in the Leicester team ^[53]

Poole Pirates

• Nicolai Klindt 8.07
• Chris Harris 7.60
• Linus Sundström 7.48
• Brady Kurtz 7.41
• Josh Grajczonek 7.28
• Kacper Woryna 6.88
• Peter Kildemand 6.83
• Richie Worrall 6.65
• Frederik Jakobsen 6.32
• Stefan Nielsen 6.12
• Mateusz Szczepaniak 6.00
• James Shanes 3.38
• Paul Starke 1.33

2 April Peter Kildemand replaced Chris Holder in the Poole team ^[54]
4 May Stefan Nielsen replaced James Shanes in the Poole team ^[55]
12 May Richie Worrall replaced Peter Kildemand in the Poole team ^[56]
28 May Paul Starke was used as a short-term replacement replaced the injured Stefan Nielsen in the Poole team until Nicolai Klindt is available ^[57]
29 June Frederik Jakobsen replaced Mateusz Szczepaniak in the Poole team ^[58]
12 July Chris Harris replaced Linus Sundström in the Poole team ^[59]

Rye House Rockets

• Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen
• Max Clegg
• Chris Harris
• Krzysztof Kasprzak
• Scott Nicholls
• Stuart Robson
• Aaron Summers

21 March Aaron Summers replaced Ben Barker in the Rye House team ^[60]
3 May Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen replaced the injured Stuart Robson in the Rye House team ^[61]
12 June Stuart Robson replaced the injured Edward Kennett in the Rye House team ^[62]
4 July Rye House had their membership of the 2018 SGB Premiership annulled by the Speedway Control Bureau. ^[17]

Somerset Rebels

• Jason Doyle 9.79
• Jack Holder 7.97
• Richard Lawson 6.97
• Charles Wright 6.29
• Bradley Wilson-Dean 6.24
• Nicolás Covatti 6.15
• Aaron Summers 5.64
• Jake Allen 5.53
• Jonas Jeppesen 3.81
• Claus Vissing 1.14

18 June Claus Vissing and Nicolás Covatti replaced Charles Wright and Jonas Jeppesen in the Somerset team ^[63]
7 July Aaron Summers replaced Claus Vissing in the Somerset team ^[64]

Swindon Robins

• Troy Batchelor 8.54
• Nick Morris 7.93
• Tobiasz Musielak 7.10
• Adam Ellis 7.07
• David Bellego 6.60
• Zach Wajtknecht 5.27
• Jack Smith 1.03
• Mitchell Davey 0.89

14 May Jack Smith replaced the injured Mitchell Davey in the Swindon team ^[65]

Wolverhampton Wolves

• Rory Schlein 8.43
• Sam Masters 8.42
• Jacob Thorssell 7.91
• Kyle Howarth 6.09
• Jonas B. Andersen 5.88
• Cameron Heeps 4.87
• Ashley Morris 4.76
• Nathan Greaves 4.13

3 August Jonas Andersen replaced Cameron Heeps in the Wolverhampton team ^[66]

See also

• SGB Championship 2018 – the second division of British speedway
• List of United Kingdom speedway league champions
• Knockout Cup (speedway)

References

1. "Ford Joy At Eighth Title". 11 October 2018.
2. "Rebels Win KO Cup". 19 October 2018.
3. "Shield Success For Robins". 23 March 2018.
4. "Doyle Crowned Premiership Riders Champion". 9 May 2018.
5. "FORD CONFIRMS CLUB FOR SALE". Poole Speedway. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
6. "MAJOR MOVES ANNOUNCED". Speedway GB. Speedway GB. 20 November 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
7. "British Speedway Announce Major Moves". ACU. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
8. "March Results".
9. "April Results".
10. "May Results".
11. "June Results".
12. "July Results".
13. "August Results".
14. "September Results".
15. "October Results".
16. "2018 SGB Premiership League Table".
17. "Statement: Rye House Rockets". 4 July 2018.
18. "Eight Point Lead For Stars". 25 September 2018.
19. "Stars See Off Aces". 2 October 2018.
20. "Slender Lead For Rebels". 18 September 2018.
21. "Harris The Hero For Pirates". 2 October 2018.
22. "Advantage Pirates?". 9 October 2018.
23. "Robins In Cup Control". 22 May 2018.
24. "Robins Into Semis". 24 May 2018.
25. "Lions' Held To Six". 8 May 2018.
26. "Stars Safely Through". 17 May 2018.
27. "Advantage Rebels In Cup". 3 May 2018.
28. "Rebels Race Into Semis". 28 June 2018.
29. "Aces Turn Up The Heat". 8 May 2018.
30. "Aces into Last Four". 19 June 2018.
31. "Robins Lead By Six". 11 September 2018.
32. "Late Darma As Stars Go through". 18 September 2018.
33. "Good Lead For Rebels". 13 September 2018.
34. "Rebels Reach Cup Final". 20 September 2018.
35. "Sweet Sixteen For Rebels?". 18 October 2018.
36. "Aces Lead By Six". 20 March 2018.
37. "Premier Riders' Championship". WWOS Backup. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
38. "SGB Premiership Riders' Individual Championship" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
39. "Final 2018 SGB Premiership Averages" (PDF). 22 November 2018.
40. "Starke Joins Aces". 20 March 2018.
41. "Dróżdż Back For Aces". 26 April 2018.
42. "Aces Move For Garrity". 13 June 2018.
43. "Steve Back With Aces". 11 July 2018.
44. "Aces Move For Mark". 1 August 2018.
45. "Aces Move For Berge". 10 August 2018.
46. "Stars Move For Palm Toft". 30 April 2018.
47. "Simon In For Stars". 11 July 2018.
48. "Stars Sign Garrity". 17 July 2018.
49. "Riss v Riss At The NSS". 6 August 2018.
50. "Lions Move For Palm Toft". 4 April 2018.
51. "Lions In Double Swoop". 20 April 2018.
52. "Lions Move For Two". 29 June 2018.
53. "Lions Ring The Changes". 18 July 2018.
54. "Pirates Call For Kildemand". 2 April 2018.
55. "Pirates Make Move". 4 May 2018.
56. "Pirates Turn To Worrall". 12 May 2018.
57. "Klindt Returning To Poole". 28 May 2018.
58. "Pirates Sign Dane Jakobsen". 29 June 2018.
59. "Pirates Seal Harris Deal". 12 July 2018.
60. "Rockets Bring In Summers". 21 March 2018.
61. "Rockets Make Their Move". 3 May 2018.
62. "Rockets Retain Busk Jakobsen". 12 June 2018.
63. "Rebels Release Two". 18 June 2018.
64. "Summers Comes To Somerset". 7 July 2018.
65. "Smith Signs For Swindon". 14 May 2018.
66. "Wolves Move For Andersen". 3 August 2018.