# SGB Premiership 2023

The 2023 Sports Insure SGB Premiership was the 88th season of the top tier of British speedway and the 6th known as the SGB Premiership.
There was an increase of one team after the Leicester Lions opted to move up from the SGB Championship.
Defending champions Belle Vue Aces topped the table, but were knocked out in the playoff semi-finals. Last year's runners-up Sheffield Tigers went on to win the title, beating Ipswich Witches in the Grand Final. It was the first time Sheffield had won a top flight British speedway championship.

## 2023 summary

Seven clubs competed for the league championship, with Leicester Lions joining them from the division below. Each club raced against each other four times (home and away twice), meaning a total of 24 fixtures each. The 'Super Heat' scoring system was retained from the 2022 season, however extra points for away fixtures were scrapped in favour of an aggregate bonus point.
The top four teams in the league qualified for the playoffs, with the two semi-final winners then reaching the Grand Final. The points limit remained at 39 points for six riders, with one additional 'rising star'.
Sheffield Tigers won the title for the first time in their history. They beat Ipswich Witches in the final, overcoming an 18-point first leg deficit to win 92–88 on aggregate. Belle Vue Aces finished the regular season top of the table, but were eliminated at the semi-final stage by Ipswich.
Despite missing out on the league title, Ipswich won the Knockout Cup, which returned for the first time since 2019. They beat Sheffield 97–83 in the final. Belle Vue Aces won the Pairs Championship.
The 2023 season also marked the final seasons for Wolverhampton Wolves and Peterborough Panthers after the closure of their tracks.

## League
### Regular season

League table
| Pos. | Club | M | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | F | A | B | Pts | +/− |
| Pos. | Club | M | W | SHL | L | W | SHL | L | F | A | B | Pts | +/− |
| 1 | Belle Vue Aces | 24 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 1173 | 981 | 10 | 44 | +192 |
| 2 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 24 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 1117 | 1045 | 7 | 38 | +72 |
| 3 | Sheffield Tigers | 24 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 1120 | 1009 | 7 | 37 | +111 |
| 4 | Ipswich Witches | 24 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 1097 | 1063 | 6 | 34 | +34 |
| 5 | Leicester Lions | 24 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 1077 | 1081 | 6 | 34 | -4 |
| 6 | Peterborough Panthers | 24 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 1008 | 1121 | 5 | 20 | -113 |
| 7 | Kings Lynn Stars | 24 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 930 | 1224 | 1 | 9 | -294 |
A fixtures
| Home \ Away | BEL | IPS | KLN | LEI | PET | SHF | WOL |
| Belle Vue | | 55–35 | 47–43 | 52–38 | 56–34 | 43–47 | 45–45 |
| Ipswich | 41–49 | | 52–38 | 47–43 | 52–38 | 47–43 | 39–51 |
| Kings Lynn | 41–49 | 40–50 | | 43–47 | 54–36 | 31–59 | 49–41 |
| Leicester | 45–45 | 52–38 | 54–36 | | 47–42 | 53–37 | 49–41 |
| Peterborough | 35–55 | 42–48 | 53–37 | 43–47 | | 53–37 | 34–56 |
| Sheffield | 48–42 | 51–39 | 60–30 | 44–46 | 37–23 | | 50–40 |
| Wolverhampton | 46–44 | 49–41 | 56–34 | 45–45 | 50–40 | 50–40 | |
B fixtures
| Home \ Away | BEL | IPS | KLN | LEI | PET | SHF | WOL |
| Belle Vue | | 49–41 | 57–27 | 61–29 | 55–35 | 52–38 | 57–33 |
| Ipswich | 44–46 | | 51–39 | 51–39 | 54–36 | 51–39 | 47–43 |
| Kings Lynn | 46–44 | 44–46 | | 44–46 | 44–46 | 33–57 | 45–45 |
| Leicester | 52–38 | 37–53 | 57–33 | | 57–33 | 42–47 | 39–51 |
| Peterborough | 41–49 | 43–47 | 49–41 | 58–32 | | 53–37 | 54–36 |
| Sheffield | 50–40 | 51–39 | 57–33 | 54–36 | 48–42 | | 54–36 |
| Wolverhampton | 47–43 | 46–44 | 65–25 | 45–45 | 45–45 | 55–35 | |
* Asterisk indicates super heat winner

### 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 | 36 | 51 | 87 | | | | | |
| 4 | Ipswich Witches | 54 | 39 | 93 | | | | | |
| 4 | Ipswich Witches | 54 | 39 | 93 | Ipswich Witches | Ipswich Witches | 54 | 34 | 88 |
| | | | | | Sheffield Tigers | Sheffield Tigers | 36 | 56 | 92 |
| 3 | Sheffield Tigers | 50 | 39 | 89 | Sheffield Tigers | Sheffield Tigers | 36 | 56 | 92 |
| 2 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 40 | 21 | 61 | | | | | |
Home team scores are in bold Overall aggregate scores are in red

### Grand final

First leg
| 3 October | Ipswich Witches Jason Doyle 15 Emil Sayfutdinov 13 Danny King 10 Keynan Rew 5 Danyon Hume 5 Erik Riss 5 Joe Thompson (guest) 1 | 54–36 | Sheffield Tigers Robert Lambert (guest) 9 Josh Pickering 8 Richard Lawson (guest) 6 Jason Edwards 5 Kyle Howarth 3 Connor Mountain (guest) 3 Chris Holder 2 | Foxhall Stadium Referee(s): Jim McGregor |
Second leg
| 5 October | Sheffield Tigers Chris Holder 11 Chris Harris (guest) 9 Robert Lambert (guest) 9 Jye Etheridge (guest) 9 Josh Pickering 8 Kyle Howarth 5 Jason Edwards 5 | 56–34 | Ipswich Witches Emil Sayfutdinov 11 Jason Doyle 9 Danny King 5 Erik Riss 3 Keynan Rew 3 Danyon Hume 2 Joe Thompson (guest) 1 | Owlerton Stadium Referee(s): Jim McGregor |

## Knockout Cup

The 2023 Knockout Cup was the 78th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams, but the first since 2019. It was won by the Ipswich Witches, who beat Sheffield Tigers 97–83 in the final.

### Bracket

| 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 |
| Wolverhampton Wolves | Wolverhampton Wolves | 46 | 36 | 82 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Belle Vue Aces | Belle Vue Aces | 20 | 54 | 74 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Belle Vue Aces | Belle Vue Aces | 20 | 54 | 74 | Wolverhampton Wolves | Wolverhampton Wolves | 36 | 52 | 88 | | | | | |
| | | | | | Sheffield Tigers | Sheffield Tigers | 54 | 38 | 92 | | | | | |
| Sheffield Tigers | Sheffield Tigers | 58 | 56 | 114 | Sheffield Tigers | Sheffield Tigers | 54 | 38 | 92 | | | | | |
| Kings Lynn Stars | Kings Lynn Stars | 32 | 34 | 66 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Kings Lynn Stars | Kings Lynn Stars | 32 | 34 | 66 | | | | | | Sheffield Tigers | Sheffield Tigers | 48 | 35 | 83 |
| | | | | | | | | | | Ipswich Witches | Ipswich Witches | 42 | 55 | 97 |
| Ipswich Witches | Ipswich Witches | 48 | 47 | 95 | | | | | | | | | | | Ipswich Witches | Ipswich Witches | 42 | 55 | 97 |
| Leicester Lions | Leicester Lions | 42 | 43 | 85 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Leicester Lions | Leicester Lions | 42 | 43 | 85 | Ipswich Witches | Ipswich Witches | 57 | 42 | 99 | | | | | |
| | | | | | Peterborough Panthers | Peterborough Panthers | 33 | 48 | 81 | | | | | |
| Bye | Bye | | | | Peterborough Panthers | Peterborough Panthers | 33 | 48 | 81 | | | | | |
| Peterborough Panthers | Peterborough Panthers | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Home team scores are in bold Overall aggregate scores are in red

### Final

First leg
| 11 September | Sheffield Tigers Josh Pickering 11 Kyle Howarth 10 Tobiasz Musielak 9 Chris Holder 9 Kyle Newman (guest) 4 Jason Edwards 3 Max Fricke (guest) 2 | 48–42 | Ipswich Witches Danny King 10 Emil Sayfutdinov 9 Jason Doyle 8 Erik Riss 7 Keynan Rew 6 Danyon Hume 2 Joe Thompson (guest) 0 | Owlerton Stadium Referee(s): Craig Ackroyd |
Second leg
| 14 September | Ipswich Witches Emil Sayfutdinov 13 Jason Doyle 12 Danny King 12 Keynan Rew 9 Danyon Hume 4 Erik Riss 3 Joe Thompson (guest) 2 | 55–35 | Sheffield Tigers Tobias Musielak 9 Max Fricke (guest) 8 Chris Holder 6 Jason Edwards 5 Josh Pickering 4 Kyle Howarth 2 Kyle Newman (guest) 1 | Foxhall Stadium Referee(s): Christina Turnbull |

## Pairs Championship

The 2023 Premiership Pairs Championship took place at Pidcock Motorcycles Arena in Leicester on Thursday 29 June 2023. Belle Vue won the event defeating Peterborough in the final.

### Qualifying heats

| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Peterborough Panthers | 33 | Richie Worrall 23, Ben Cook 8, Jordan Jenkins 2 |
| 2 | Belle Vue Aces | 32 | Dan Bewley 20, Brady Kurtz 12, Jake Mulford 0 |
| 3 | Sheffield Tigers | 29 | Jack Holder 16, Tobiasz Musielak 13, Dan Gilkes 0 |
| 4 | Leicester Lions | 26 | Max Fricke 19, Drew Kemp 5, Justin Sedgmen 2 |
| 5 | Ipswich Witches | 26 | Danny King 18, Erik Riss 8, Dan Thompson 0 |
| 6 | Kings Lynn Stars | 22 | Nicolai Klindt 22, Thomas Jørgensen 0, Anders Rowe 0 |
| 7 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 21 | Steve Worrall 16, Sam Masters 5, Leon Flint 0 |

### Semi-final

| Team One | Team Two | Score | Result |
| Belle Vue | Sheffield | 7-2 | Kurtz 4, Bewley 3, Holder 2, Musielak 0 |

### Final

| Team One | Team Two | Score | Result |
| Belle Vue | Peterborough | 7-2 | Kurtz 4, Bewley 3, R.Worrall 2, Cook 0 |

## Leading averages

| | Rider | Team | Average |
| 1 | Emil Sayfutdinov | Ipswich | 10.64 |
| 2 | Jason Doyle | Ipswich | 9.98 |
| 3 | Robert Lambert | King's Lynn | 9.71 |
| 4 | Jack Holder | Sheffield | 9.65 |
| 5 | Tobiasz Musielak | Sheffield | 9.24 |
| 6 | Tai Woffinden | Sheffield | 9.12 |
| 7 | Brady Kurtz | Belle Vue | 8.94 |
| 8 | Max Fricke | Leicester | 8.82 |
| 9 | Dan Bewley | Belle Vue | 8.31 |
| 10 | Artem Laguta | King's Lynn/Peterborough | 8.20 |
* averages include league, play offs & knockout cup, min 6 matches

## Squads & final averages
### Belle Vue Aces

* Brady Kurtz (C) 8.94
* Dan Bewley 8.31
* Jaimon Lidsey 8.16
* Charles Wright 7.81
* Tom Brennan 7.05
* Norick Blödorn 6.27
* Connor Bailey (Rising Star) 4.22
* Jake Mulford (Rising Star) 2.21

### Ipswich Witches

* / Emil Sayfutdinov 10.64
* Jason Doyle 9.98
* Danny King (C) 8.03
* Dan Thompson (Rising Star) 5.33
* Keynan Rew 4.98
* Erik Riss 4.79
* Danyon Hume 4.08
* Ben Barker 3.83
* Joe Thompson (Rising Star) 1.87

### King's Lynn Stars

* Robert Lambert 9.71
* Nicolai Klindt (C) 6.96
* Krzysztof Kasprzak 6.21
* Michael Palm Toft 5.52
* Simon Lambert 5.46
* Thomas Jørgensen 5.40
* Frederik Jakobsen 5.33
* Anders Rowe (Rising Star) 5.00
* Kye Thomson 3.29
* Emil Breum 2.59

### Leicester Lions

* Max Fricke (C) 8.82
* Richard Lawson 7.12
* Lewis Kerr 7.11
* Nick Morris 6.89
* Richie Worrall 6.63
* Justin Sedgmen 6.62
* Drew Kemp (Rising Star) 5.35
* Jake Allen 5.04
* Troy Batchelor 3.33
* Craig Cook 3.08

### Peterborough Panthers

* Chris Harris (C) 7.44
* / Vadim Tarasenko 7.44
* / Artem Laguta 7.33
* Niels Kristian Iversen 7.03
* Ben Cook 6.74
* Benjamin Basso 6.64
* Patryk Wojdyło 6.00
* Jordan Jenkins (Rising Star) 5.19
* Hans Andersen 5.13
* Nicki Pedersen 0.00 (1 match only)

### Sheffield Tigers

* Jack Holder 9.65
* Tobiasz Musielak 9.24
* Tai Woffinden 9.12
* Josh Pickering 7.75
* Chris Holder 7.68
* Kyle Howarth (C) 6.86
* Adam Ellis 6.24
* David Bellego 4.95
* Jason Edwards (Rising Star) 4.46
* Dan Gilkes (Rising Star) 4.05
* Claus Vissing 2.00

### Wolverhampton Wolves

* Sam Masters (C) 8.09
* Ryan Douglas 7.86
* Steve Worrall 7.60
* Luke Becker 7.01
* Rory Schlein 6.26
* Zach Cook 5.77
* Leon Flint (Rising Star) 4.79