# SGB Premiership 2018

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.

## 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. 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.

## 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 | |

### 'B' Fixtures

| Home \ Away | BV | KL | LEI | PP | 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 | |

### Table

SGB Premiership Final League Table
| Pos. | Club | M | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | F | A | Pts | +/− |
| Pos. | Club | M | W | D | L | 4W | 3W | D | 1L | L | F | A | Pts | +/− |
| 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 |
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.

## Play-offs

| Semi Finals | Semi Finals | Semi Finals | Semi Finals | Semi Finals | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final |
| 1 | Belle Vue Aces | 41 | 36 | 77 | | | | | |
| 4 | King's Lynn Stars | 49 | 54 | 113 | | | | | |
| 4 | King's Lynn Stars | 49 | 54 | 113 | King's Lynn Stars | King's Lynn Stars | 37 | 51 | 88 |
| | | | | | Poole Pirates | Poole Pirates | 53 | 39 | 92 |
| 3 | Somerset Rebels | 46 | 43 | 89 | Poole Pirates | Poole Pirates | 53 | 39 | 92 |
| 2 | Poole Pirates | 44 | 47 | 91 | | | | | |
Home team scores are in bold Overall aggregate scores are in red

### Semi-finals

| 24 September | Belle Vue Aces | 41–49 | King's Lynn Stars | National Speedway Stadium Referee(s): Willie Dishington |
| 1 October | King's Lynn Stars | 54–36 | Belle Vue Aces | Adrian Flux Arena Referee(s): Mick Bates |
| 17 September | Somerset Rebels | 46–44 | Poole Pirates | Oak Tree Arena Referee(s): Mick Bates |
| 1 October | Poole Pirates | 47–43 | Somerset Rebels | Poole Stadium Referee(s): Christina Turnbull |

### Grand final

| 8 October | 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 |
| 10 October | 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 | Quarter Finals | Quarter Finals | Quarter Finals | Quarter Finals | Semi Finals | Semi Finals | Semi Finals | Semi Finals | Semi Finals | Final | Final | Final | Final | Final |
| 1 | Swindon Robins | 59 | 39 | 98 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Rye House Rockets | 31 | 51 | 82 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Rye House Rockets | 31 | 51 | 82 | Swindon Robins | Swindon Robins | 48 | 39 | 87 | | | | | |
| | | | | | King's Lynn Stars | King's Lynn Stars | 42 | 51 | 93 | | | | | |
| 5 | Leicester Lions | 48 | 31 | 79 | King's Lynn Stars | King's Lynn Stars | 42 | 51 | 93 | | | | | |
| 4 | King's Lynn Stars | 42 | 59 | 101 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | King's Lynn Stars | 42 | 59 | 101 | | | | | | King's Lynn Stars | King's Lynn Stars | 37 | 45 | 82 |
| | | | | | | | | | | Somerset Rebels | Somerset Rebels | 53 | 45 | 98 |
| 3 | Somerset Rebels | 52 | 47 | 99 | | | | | | | | | | | Somerset Rebels | Somerset Rebels | 53 | 45 | 98 |
| 6 | Poole Pirates | 38 | 43 | 81 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 6 | Poole Pirates | 38 | 43 | 81 | Somerset Rebels | Somerset Rebels | 52 | 40 | 92 | | | | | |
| | | | | | Belle Vue Aces | Belle Vue Aces | 38 | 50 | 88 | | | | | |
| 7 | Belle Vue Aces | 57 | 46 | 103 | Belle Vue Aces | Belle Vue Aces | 38 | 50 | 88 | | | | | |
| 2 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 33 | 44 | 77 | | | | | | | | | | |
Home team scores are in bold Overall aggregate scores are in red
Quarter-finals
| 21 May | Swindon Robins | 59–31 | Rye House Rockets | Abbey Stadium Referee(s): Paul Carrington |
| 23 May | Rye House Rockets | 51–39 | Swindon Robins | Rye House Stadium Referee(s): Dave Robinson |
| 7 May | Leicester Lions | 48–42 | King's Lynn Stars | Beaumont Park Sports Complex Referee(s): Ronnie Allan |
| 16 May | King's Lynn Stars | 51–39 | Leicester Lions | Adrian Flux Arena Referee(s): Craig Ackroyd |
| 2 May | Somerset Rebels | 52–38 | Poole Pirates | Oak Tree Arena Referee(s): David Watters |
| 27 June | Poole Pirates | 43–47 | Somerset Rebels | Poole Stadium Referee(s): Willie Dishington |
| 7 May | Belle Vue Aces | 57–33 | Wolverhampton Wolves | National Speedway Stadium Referee(s): Peter Clarke |
| 18 June | Wolverhampton Wolves | 44–46 | Belle Vue Aces | Monmore Green Referee(s): Graham Reeve |
Semi-finals
| 10 September | Swindon Robins | 48–42 | King's Lynn Stars | Abbey Stadium Referee(s): Dave Watters |
| 17 September | King's Lynn Stars | 51–39 | Swindon Robins | Adrian Flux Arena Referee(s): Chris Durno |
| 12 September | Somerset Rebels | 52–38 | Belle Vue Aces | Oak Tree Arena Referee(s): Ronnie Allan |
| 19 September | Belle Vue Aces | 50–40 | Somerset Rebels | National Speedway Stadium Referee(s): Craig Ackroyd |
Grand final
| 17 October | 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 |
| 18 October | 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 | Belle Vue Aces | 48–42 | Swindon Robins | National Speedway Stadium Referee(s): Stuart Wilson |
| 22 March | 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.
| 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 |

## 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 26 April Damian Dróżdż replaced Paul Starke in the Belle Vue team 13 June Jason Garrity replaced the injured Steve Worrall as a short-term replacement in the Belle Vue Aces team 11 July Steve Worrall returned to the Belle Vue after injury replacing short-term replacement Jason Garrity in the side. 1 August Mark Riss replaced Jye Etheridge in the Belle Vue team 10 August Dimitri Bergé replaced Damian Dróżdż in the Belle Vue team
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 11 July Simon Lambert replaced the injured Kasper Andersen in the King's Lynn team 17 July Jason Garrity replaced the injured Lewis Kerr in the King's Lynn team 6 August Erik Riss replaced short-term signing Jason Garrity in the King's Lynn team
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 20 April Kenneth Bjerre and Todd Kurtz replaced the injured Martin Vaculik and Michael Palm Toft in the Leicester team 29 June Ricky Wells and Charles Wright replaced the injured Danny King and Kyle Newman in the Leicester team 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
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 4 May Stefan Nielsen replaced James Shanes in the Poole team 12 May Richie Worrall replaced Peter Kildemand in the Poole team 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 29 June Frederik Jakobsen replaced Mateusz Szczepaniak in the Poole team 12 July Chris Harris replaced Linus Sundström in the Poole team
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 3 May Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen replaced the injured Stuart Robson in the Rye House team 12 June Stuart Robson replaced the injured Edward Kennett in the Rye House team 4 July Rye House had their membership of the 2018 SGB Premiership annulled by the Speedway Control Bureau.
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 7 July Aaron Summers replaced Claus Vissing in the Somerset team
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
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