# 2014 National League speedway season

The 2014 season of the National League, the third tier of British speedway was contested by nine teams. The Cradley Heathens won the title. The Isle of Wight Islanders were missing from 2012, and the Scunthorpe Stags and Devon Demons have joined the league.

## Final table

| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Cradley Heathens | 16 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 51 |
| 2 | Coventry Storm | 15 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 35 |
| 3 | Kent Kings | 16 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 34 |
| 4 | Mildenhall Fen Tigers | 15 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 32 |
| 5 | King's Lynn Young Stars | 16 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 30 |
| 6 | Stoke Potters | 15 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 25 |
| 7 | Devon Demons | 13 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 10 |
| 8 | Buxton Hitmen | 16 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 7 |
| 9 | Scunthorpe Stags | 16 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 2 |
PL = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points
SCORING SYSTEM Home loss by any number of points = 0 Home draw = 1 Home win by between 1 and 6 points = 2 Home win by 7 points or more = 3 Away loss by 7 points or more = 0 Away loss by 6 points or less = 1 Away draw = 2 Away win by between 1 and 6 points = 3 Away win by 7 points or more = 4

## Fixtures & results

| Home \ Away | BUX | COV | CH | DEV | KK | KL | MIL | SCU | STO |
| Buxton Hitmen | | 43–46 | 36–53 | 52–41 | 32–56 | 39–53 | 39–55 | 51–40 | 30–64 |
| Coventry Storm | 65–27 | | 46–43 | 41–22 | 54–39 | 47–37 | 42–47 | 71–18 | 55–37 |
| Cradley Heathens | 71–19 | 57–35 | | 63–30 | 65–27 | 64–24 | 55–31 | 72–18 | 64–30 |
| Devon Demons | 50–43 | – | 36–54 | | 40–49 | 38–56 | – | 56–28 | – |
| Kent Kings | 57–37 | 53–37 | 37–41 | 64–28 | | 45–45 | 48–40 | 69–23 | 56–36 |
| King's Lynn Young Stars | 62–31 | 38–52 | 29–64 | 59–36 | 44–46 | | 51–39 | 71–19 | 45–47 |
| Mildenhall Fen Tigers | 57–36 | 42–48 | 40–50 | 60–33 | 54–39 | 55–38 | | 63–30 | 64–29 |
| Scunthorpe Stags | 47–43 | 26–64 | 21–68 | 29–61 | 21–62 | 19–71 | 29–63 | | 41–48 |
| Stoke Potters | 59–34 | 45–44 | 43–47 | 60–32 | 55–36 | 42–50 | 54–39 | 66–25 | |

## Play Offs

Top four teams race off in two-legged semi-finals and final to decide the championship. Cradley Heathens defeated Coventry Storm in the final.
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 05/10 | Mildenhall | 41-48 | Cradley |
| 03/10 | Coventry | 54-39 | Kent |
| 30/09 | Cradley | 68-27 | Mildenhall |
| 22/09 | Kent | 49-44 | Coventry |

### Final

| 21 October | Cradley Heathens Paul Starke 13 Max Clegg 11 Matt Williamson 9 Tom Perry 8 Steve Worrall 5 Danny Phillips 4 Nathan Greaves 2 | 52–42 | Coventry Storm James Sarjeant 14 Stefan Nielsen 9 Simon Lambert (guest) 8 Martin Knuckey 6 Dan Greenwood 4 Ryan Terry-Daley 1 Luke Priest 0 | Monmore Green Stadium |
| 31 October | Coventry Storm James Sarjeant 14 Dan Greenwood 12 Simon Lambert (guest) 7 Stefan Nielsen 3 Luke Priest 3 Martin Knuckey 3 Ryan Terry-Daley 2 | 44–46 | Cradley Heathens Max Clegg 11 Paul Starke 10 Nathan Greaves 9 Danny Phillips 6 Tom Perry 5 Steve Worrall 4 Matt Williamson 1 | Beaumont Park Stadium |

## Final Leading averages

| Rider | Team | Average |
| Lewis Rose | Kings Lynn | 10.82 |
| Steve Worrall | Cradley | 10.46 |
| Paul Starke | Cradley | 9.75 |

## National League Knockout Cup

The 2014 National League Knockout Cup was the 17th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier three teams. Cradley Heathens were the winners for the second successive year.
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 19/05 | Kent | 56-36 | Devon |
| 15/03 | Devon | 38-51 | Kent |
Quarter-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 25/07 | Coventry | 60-34 | Buxton |
| 29/06 | Buxton | 40-55 | Coventry |
| 24/06 | Cradley | 59-33 | Mildenhall |
| 23/06 | Kent | 50-40 | Stoke |
| 18/05 | Mildenhall | 39-49 | Cradley Heath |
| 05/07 | Stoke | 58-32 | Kent |
| 06/04 | Scunthorpe | 37-56 | Kings Lynn |
| 02/04 | King's Lynn | 67-24 | Scunthorpe |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 27/09 | Stoke | 49-40 | Kings Lynn |
| 17/09/ | Kings Lynn | 54-39 | Stoke |
| 26/09 | Coventry | 27-32 | Cradley Heath |
| 09/09 | Cradley Heath | 63-28 | Coventry |

### Final

| 22 October | King's Lynn Young Stars James Cockle 14 Simon Lambert (guest) 11 Scott Campus 8 Tom Stokes 7 Marc Owen 2 Josh Bailey 1 Darren Mallett R/R | 43–47 | Cradley Heathens Paul Starke 13 Max Clegg 11 Matt Williamson 9 Tom Perry 8 Steve Worrall 5 Danny Phillips 4 Nathan Greaves 2 | King's Lynn Stadium |
| 28 October | Cradley Heathens Max Clegg 11 Paul Starke 9 Tom Perry 6 Nathan Greaves 6 Matt Williamson 4 Danny Phillips 3 Steve Worrall R/R | 39–22 | King's Lynn Young Stars Ben Morley 8 James Cockle 5 Josh Bailey 4 Marc Owen 3 Tom Stokes 2 Layne Cupitt 0 Darren Mallett R/R | Monmore Green Stadium |

## Riders' Championship

Danny Halsey won the Riders' Championship. The final was held on 28 September at Rye House Stadium.
| Pos. | Rider | Team | Total |
| 1 | Danny Halsey | Mildenhall | 14 |
| 2 | Steve Worrall | Cradley | 13 |
| 3 | Ben Morley | Kent | 12+3 |
| 4 | Joe Jacobs | Mildenhall | 12+2 |
| 5 | Jon Armstrong | Stoke | 9 |
| 6 | Dan Greenwood | Coventry | 8 |
| 7 | Marc Owen | King's Lynn | 7 |
| 8 | James Cockle | King's Lynn | 7 |
| 9 | Luke Chessell | Stoke | 6 |
| 10 | James Sarjeant | Coventry | 6 |
| 11 | Paul Starke | Cradley | 6 |
| 12 | Max Clegg | Cradley | 6 |
| 13 | Ben Hopwood | Stoke | 5 |
| 14 | Tom Woolley | Buxton | 3 |
| 15 | Danno Verge (res) | Scunthorpe | 3 |
| 16 | Arron Mogridge | Scunthorpe | 2 |
| 17 | Benji Compton | Kent | 0 |

## Pairs

The National League Pairs Championship, was held at Mildenhall Stadium, on 15 June 2014. The event was won by Ben Wilson and Jon Armstrong of the Stoke Potters.
Group A :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Stoke | 21 | Wilson 12, Armstrong 9 |
| 2 | Buxton | 16 | Carr 8, Atkin 8 |
| 3 | King's Lynn | 9 | Owen 7, Campos 2 |
| 4 | Coventry | 8 | Terry-Daley 4, Crang 4 |
Group B :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Mildenhall | 18 | Halsey 9, Jacobs 9 |
| 2 | Cradley | 15 | Worrall S 11, Clegg 4 |
| 3 | Kent | 15 | Lambert 10, Morley 5 |
| 4 | Devon | 6 | Shanes 4, Andrews 2 |
Final :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Stoke | 17 | Armstrong 9, Wilson 8 |
| 2 | Mildenhall | 16 | Jacobs 12, Halsey 4 |
| 3 | Kent | 12 | Lambert 9, Morley 3 |
| 4 | Buxton | 8 | Carr 5, Atkin 4 |

## Fours

Cradley won the National League Fours, held on 26 October 2014 at Brandon Stadium.
Group A :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Coventry | 18 | Nielsen 6, Sarjeant 5, Greenwood 4, Priest 3 |
| 2 | Cradley | 13 | Starke 5, Greaves 4, Clegg 3, Perry 1 |
| 3 | Kent | 12 | Morley 5, Ayres 3, Lambert 3, Baseby 1 |
| 4 | Buxton | 5 | Atkin 2, Blacklock 2, Woolley 1, Extance 0 |
Group B :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Mildenhall | 15 | Bates 6, Johnson 5, Kingston 4, Phillips 0 |
| 2 | King's Lynn | 15 | Cockle 5, Owen 5, Stokes 5, Terry-Daley 0 |
| 3 | Stoke | 12 | Armstrong 6, Hopwood 3, Shuttleworth 2, Widman 1 |
| 4 | Devon | 4 | Andrews 2, Shanes 1, Chessell 1, Govier 0 |
Final :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Cradley | 18 | Clegg 6, Greaves 6, Starke 6 Perry 0 |
| 2 | Coventry | 11 | Sarjeant 4, Nielsen 3, Priest 2, Greenwood 2 |
| 3 | Mildenhall | 11 | Bates 4, Johnson 3, Kingston 3, Phillips 1 |
| 4 | King's Lynn | 8 | Cockle 4, Owen 2, Terry-Daley 2, Stokes 0 |

## Teams and final averages

Buxton Hitmen
* Tony Atkin 8.14
* Liam Carr 8.00
* Adam Extance 5.08
* Ryan Blacklock 4.55
* Tom Woolley 4.11
* Sean Phillips 3.00
* Stefan Farnaby 3.00
Coventry Storm
* Oliver Greenwood 9.22
* James Sarjeant 8.67
* Stefan Nielsen 8.38
* Luke Crang 7.37
* Dan Greenwood 7.27
* Luke Priest 6.37
* Ryan Terry-Daley 4.68
* Martin Knuckey 4.55
Cradley Heathens
* Steve Worrall 10.46
* Paul Starke 9.75
* Max Clegg 8.58
* Tom Perry 8.21
* Nathan Greaves 7.12
* Matt Williamson 6.60
* Dan Phillips 4.98
Devon Demons
* Tim Webster 8.74
* Ben Reade 7.70
* Matt Bates 6.27
* James Shanes 6.14
* Lee Smart 5.76
* Luke Chessell 5.62
* Richard Andrews 4.41
* Danny Stoneman 4.20
* Tyler Govier 3.00
Kent Kings
* Simon Lambert 9.14
* Ben Morley 9.06
* Benji Compton 8.95
* David Mason 7.38
* Aaron Baseby 6.58
* Danny Ayres 4.47
* Daniel Blake 3.40
* Brandon Freemantle 3.00
* Jason Garrad 3.00

### King's Lynn Young Stars

* Lewis Rose 10.82
* Darren Mallett 7.40
* James Cockle 7.32
* Tom Stokes 6.95
* Kyle Hughes 6.22
* Marc Owen 6.11
* Scott Campos 5.53
* Josh Bailey 4.07
Mildenhall Fen Tigers
* Danny Halsey 9.23
* Joe Jacobs 8.63
* Josh Bates 7.68
* Connor Coles 6.65
* Brendan Johnson 6.21
* Connor Mountain 5.54
* Jack Kingston 4.90
Scunthorpe Stags
* Sam Chapman 5.45
* Steven Jones 4.90
* Arron Mogridge 4.36
* Danno Verge 3.57
* Reece Downs 3.33
* Liam Sanderson 3.00
* Ryan MacDonald 3.00
* Michael Neale 3.00
Stoke Potters
* Ben Wilson 9.04
* Jon Armstrong 7.94
* Ben Hopwood 7.28
* Lee Payne 7.10
* Chris Widman 4.81
* Rob Shuttleworth 3.75
* Adam Kirby 3.68
* James McBain 3.00

## Development Leagues
### Midland Development League

| Pos | team | P | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Milton Keynes | 17 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 30 |
| 2 | Rye House | 16 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 23 |
| 3 | Belle Vue | 17 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 21 |
| 4 | Castleford | 17 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
| 5 | Stoke | 16 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 18 |
| 6 | King's Lynn | 18 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 17 |
| 7 | Coventry | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| 8 | Long Eaton | 17 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 11 |
| 9 | Sheffield | 16 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 5 |
| 10 | Buxton | 16 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 5 |

### Northern Junior League

| Pos | team | P | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Castleford | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 11 |
| 2 | Berwick | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 10 |
| 3 | Workington | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 9 |
| 4 | Northside | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 7 |
| 5 | Redcar | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 |