# 2002 Premier League speedway season

The 2002 Premier League speedway season was the second division of speedway in the United Kingdom and governed by the Speedway Control Board (SCB), in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA).

## Season summary

The League consisted of 17 teams for the 2002 season with the addition of two teams, the Rye House Rockets and the Somerset Rebels from the Conference League.
The League was run on a standard format with no play-offs and was won by Sheffield Tigers.
On 14 April, Lawrence Hare was paralysed after crashing while riding for Exeter Falcons.

## Fixtures & results

| Home \ Away | AE | BER | ED | EX | GLA | HV | IOW | ND | NW | RR | RYE | SHE | SOM | STO | SWI | TT | WOR |
| Arena Essex Hammers | | 52–38 | 54–36 | 46–44 | 48–36 | 46–44 | 47–45 | 43–47 | 56–34 | 54–36 | 46–44 | 44–4 | 53–37 | 44–46 | 45–45 | 51–38 | 53–37 |
| Berwick Bandits | 45–45 | | 50–40 | 54–36 | 63–27 | 56–34 | 48–42 | 54–36 | 55–35 | 51–39 | 55–35 | 43–47 | 54–36 | 50–40 | 57–33 | 67–23 | 54–36 |
| Edinburgh Monarchs | 51–39 | 61–29 | | 53–37 | 45–42 | 44–46 | 52–38 | 42–47 | 52–38 | 46–44 | 45–45 | 51–39 | 51–39 | 55–35 | 48–42 | 52–38 | 48–42 |
| Exeter Falcons | 57–33 | 46–44 | 57–33 | | 62–28 | 42–47 | 48–42 | 64–25 | 56–34 | 47–42 | 62–28 | 46–44 | 58–31 | 43–47 | 54–36 | 59–33 | 60–30 |
| Glasgow Tigers | 52–38 | 52–39 | 46–44 | 50–40 | | 44–46 | 43–47 | 49–42 | 44–46 | 46–44 | 52–38 | 38–51 | 49–41 | 39–49 | 45–44 | 43–47 | 43–47 |
| Hull Vikings | 47–43 | 42–48 | 44–46 | 51–39 | 46–44 | | 47–41 | 40–50 | 50–39 | 49–41 | 49–41 | 46–44 | 49–41 | 54–36 | 50–40 | 60–30 | 58–32 |
| Isle of Wight Islanders | 60–29 | 57–34 | 59–31 | 55–35 | 55–35 | 44–43 | | 47–43 | 58–32 | 57–33 | 55–34 | 46–44 | 49–40 | 49–41 | 53–37 | 50–40 | 56–34 |
| Newcastle Diamonds | 46–44 | 44–44 | 53–37 | 54–36 | 55–35 | 62–28 | 46–41 | | 48–41 | 53–37 | 45–33 | 51–39 | 61–29 | 60–30 | 55–35 | 46–44 | 50–40 |
| Newport Wasps | 54–36 | 43–46 | 45–45 | 52–38 | 48–42 | 45–35 | 39–51 | 43–47 | | 49–41 | 54–36 | 45–45 | 53–37 | 49–41 | 49–41 | 56–34 | 48–41 |
| Reading Racers | 54–36 | 48–42 | 45–44 | 53–37 | 54–36 | 47–43 | 43–46 | 51–39 | 45–44 | | 52–38 | 47–43 | 57–33 | 47–43 | 47–43 | 51–37 | 50–40 |
| Rye House Rockets | 51–39 | 41–49 | 51–39 | 56–34 | 49–41 | 44–46 | 48–42 | 49–41 | 46–44 | 47–43 | | 47–43 | 52–38 | 44–46 | 41–51 | 53–37 | 49–41 |
| Sheffield Tigers | 48–42 | 54–36 | 57–33 | 66–24 | 59–31 | 52–39 | 54–36 | 58–32 | 57–33 | 67–23 | 58–32 | | 65–25 | 55–35 | 48–43 | 66–24 | 58–32 |
| Somerset Rebels | 49–41 | 45–45 | 45–45 | 47–43 | 51–39 | 42–48 | 39–51 | 48–42 | 55–35 | 44–46 | 46–44 | 44–46 | | 51–39 | 43–49 | 48–42 | 50–40 |
| Stoke Potters | 52–38 | 47–43 | 56–34 | 54–36 | 45–44 | 58–32 | 45–45 | 48–42 | 53–38 | 53–36 | 56–34 | 50–40 | 48–42 | | 43–47 | 44–46 | 50–39 |
| Swindon Robins | 49–41 | 47–43 | 54–36 | 51–39 | 52–38 | 47–43 | 53–36 | 44–46 | 43–47 | 50–40 | 55–35 | 54–36 | 47–43 | 49–41 | | 59–31 | 49–40 |
| Trelawny Tigers | 44–46 | 49–41 | 49–41 | 47–43 | 49–41 | 44–45 | 47–43 | 42–49 | 51–39 | 44–46 | 49–41 | 49–41 | 48–42 | 47–43 | 45–45 | | 51–42 |
| Workington Comets | 45–45 | 48–43 | 45–45 | 49–41 | 49–41 | 47–43 | 44–46 | 49–44 | 47–43 | 45–47 | 45–45 | 47–43 | 47–43 | 51–39 | 50–40 | 47–43 | |

## Final table

| Pos | | M | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | Bon | Tot |
| 1 | Sheffield Tigers | 32 | 20 | 1 | 11 | 1612 | 1267 | 41 | 15 | 56 |
| 2 | Newcastle Diamonds | 32 | 21 | 1 | 10 | 1501 | 1364 | 43 | 13 | 56 |
| 3 | Isle of Wight Islanders | 32 | 21 | 1 | 10 | 1541 | 1329 | 43 | 15 | 55 |
| 4 | Berwick Bandits | 32 | 17 | 3 | 12 | 1520 | 1360 | 37 | 12 | 49 |
| 5 | Hull Vikings | 32 | 19 | 0 | 13 | 1444 | 1419 | 38 | 11 | 49 |
| 6 | Swindon Robins | 32 | 17 | 2 | 13 | 1473 | 1408 | 36 | 10 | 46 |
| 7 | Stoke Potters | 32 | 17 | 1 | 14 | 1453 | 1423 | 35 | 8 | 43 |
| 8 | Reading Racers | 32 | 17 | 0 | 15 | 1427 | 1448 | 34 | 7 | 41 |
| 9 | Edinburgh Monarchs | 32 | 14 | 4 | 14 | 1425 | 1450 | 35 | 8 | 40 |
| 10 | Exeter Falcons | 32 | 14 | 0 | 18 | 1463 | 1415 | 28 | 10 | 38 |
| 11 | Arena Essex Hammers | 32 | 13 | 3 | 15 | 1417 | 1456 | 29 | 6 | 35 |
| 12 | Newport Wasps | 32 | 13 | 2 | 17 | 1394 | 1472 | 28 | 6 | 34 |
| 13 | Rye House Rockets | 32 | 13 | 2 | 17 | 1373 | 1496 | 28 | 5 | 33 |
| 14 | Trelawny Tigers | 32 | 13 | 1 | 18 | 1343 | 1539 | 27 | 4 | 31 |
| 15 | Workington Comets | 32 | 12 | 3 | 17 | 1368 | 1518 | 27 | 3 | 30 |
| 16 | Somerset Rebels | 32 | 9 | 2 | 21 | 1344 | 1536 | 20 | 4 | 24 |
| 17 | Glasgow Tigers | 32 | 9 | 0 | 23 | 1335 | 1533 | 18 | 2 | 20 |

## Premier League Knockout Cup

The 2002 Premier League Knockout Cup was the 35th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams. Sheffield Tigers were the winners of the competition.
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 20/04 | Rye House | 53-37 | Somerset |
| 10/05 | Somerset | 45-45 | Rye House |
Second round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 27/05 | Reading | 47-43 | Arena Essex |
| 31/05 | Arena Essex | 48-42 | Reading |
| 30/05 | Sheffield | 55-36 | Isle of Wight |
| 28/05 | Isle of Wight | 46-44 | Sheffield |
| 02/06 | Glasgow | 48-42 | Workington |
| 01/06 | Workington | 41-49 | Glasgow |
| 27/05 | Newcastle | 53-37 | Trelawny |
| 28/05 | Trelawny | 46-43 | Newcastle |
| 01/06 | Stoke | 49-41 | Exeter |
| 27/05 | Exeter | 46-44 | Stoke |
| 24/04 | Hull | 54-36 | Berwick |
| 20/04 | Berwick | 52-38 | Hull |
| 01/06 | Rye House | 46-44 | Swindon |
| 30/05 | Swindon | 45-45 | Rye House |
| 02/06 | Newport | 49-41 | Edinburgh |
| 31/05 | Edinburgh | 49-41 | Newport |
| 20/07 replay | Newport | 54-36 | Edinburgh |
| 05/07 replay | Edinburgh | 49-41 | Newport |
Quarter-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 29/08 | Sheffield | 61-39 | Glasgow |
| 12/08 | Glasgow | 44-46 | Sheffield |
| 29/07 | Newcastle | 57-33 | Stoke |
| 31/08 | Stoke | 49-41 | Newcastle |
| 31/07 | Hull | 45-45 | Rye House |
| 28/07 | Rye House | 44-46 | Hull |
| 28/07 | Newport | 48-41 | Arena Essex |
| 02/08 | Arena Essex | 45-45 | Newport |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 03/10 | Sheffield | 63-27 | Newcastle |
| 30/09 | Newcastle | 53-37 | Sheffield |
| 18/09 | Hull | 51-39 | Newport |
| 29/09 | Newport | 50-40 | Hull |

### Final

First leg
Second leg
Sheffield were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 97–83.

## Riders' Championship

Adam Shields won the Riders' Championship. The final was held on 8 September at Belle Vue Stadium.
| Pos. | Rider | Pts | Total | SF | Final |
| 1 | Adam Shields | 3 3 ex 2 3 | 11 | - | 3 |
| 2 | Craig Watson | 3 2 3 3 1 | 12 | - | 2 |
| 3 | Phil Morris | 3 2 2 2 2 | 11 | 2 | 1 |
| 4 | Brent Werner | 0 1 3 3 2 | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| 5 | Andre Compton | 2 3 3 0 3 | 11 | 1 |
| 6 | Peter Ingvar Karlsson | 2 ex 2 1 3 | 8 | 0 |
| 7 | Garry Stead | 1 2 2 1 2 | 8 |
| 8 | Marián Jirout | 2 3 0 1 1 | 7 |
| 9 | Jan Staechmann | 3 1 1 1 1 | 7 |
| 10 | George Štancl | 2 1 ex 2 2 | 7 |
| 11 | Paul Bentley | 0 0 0 3 3 | 6 |
| 12 | Charlie Gjedde | 0 2 3 ex 0 | 5 |
| 13 | Michael Coles | 0 0 1 3 1 | 5 |
| 14 | Frede Schött | 1 3 1 0 0 | 5 |
| 15 | Leigh Lanham | 1 0 2 2 ex | 5 |
| 16 | Simon Stead | 1 1 1 0 0 | 3 |
| 17 | Steve Masters (res) | 0 | 0 |
* f=fell, r-retired, ex=excluded, ef=engine failure t=touched tapes

## Pairs

The Premier League Pairs Championship was held at Derwent Park on 19 July. The event was won by the Isle of Wight Islanders.
Group A :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Newport | 23 | Smart 13, Watson 10 |
| 2 | Edinburgh | 19 | Carr P 11, Schott 8 |
| 3 | Workington | 17 | Stonehewer 13, Karlsson 4 |
| 4 | Reading | 16 | Mullett 9, Morris 7 |
| 5 | Sheffield | 15 | Wilson 10, Stead 5 |
Group B :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Isle of Wight | 24 | Shields 13, Bird 11 |
| 2 | Hull | 20 | Stead 12, Kessler 8 |
| 3 | Berwick | 17 | Bentley 14, Kristensen 3 |
| 4 | Somerset | 15 | Jirout 8, Cunningham 7 |
| 5 | Glasgow | 14 | Stancl 9, Grieves 5 |
Semi finals
* Isle of Wight bt Edinburgh
* Newport bt Hull
Final
* Isle of Wight bt Newport

## Fours

Berwick Bandits won the Premier League Four-Team Championship, which was held on 21 July 2002, at the Brandon Stadium.
Group A :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Hull | 15 | Stead G 5, Kessler 5, Thorp 3, Smith J 2 |
| 2 | Newport | 14 | Smart 4, Smith S 4, Watson 3, Dicken 3 |
| 3 | Glasgow | 10 | Stancl 4, Grieves 3, Powell 2, Olsson 1 |
| 4 | Sheffield | 9 | Wilson 5, Complin 2, Stead S 1, Smith S 1 |
Group B :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Berwick | 15 | Kristensen 4, Rymel 4, Bentley 4, Makovsky 3 |
| 2 | Arena Essex | 12 | White 4, Tacey 3, Lanham 3, Tatum 2 |
| 3 | Reading | 11 | Henriksson 6, Morris 2, Mullett 2, Schramm 1 |
| 4 | Isle of Wight | 10 | Bager 4, Bird 3, Shields 2, Read 1, Simmons 0 |
Final :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Berwick | 22 | Bentley 8, Rymel 6, Makovsky 5. Kristensen 3 |
| 2 | Arena Essex | 21 | White 8, Tatum 6, Tacey 4, Lanham 3 |
| 3 | Newport | 16 | Smart 5, Smith S 4, Dicken 4, Watson 3 |
| 4 | Hull | 13 | Kessler 6, Thorp 3, Smith J 2, Smethills 2, Stead G 0 |

## Final leading averages

| Rider | Team | Average |
| Sean Wilson | Sheffield | 10.17 |
| Carl Stonehewer | Workington | 10.08 |
| Adam Shields | Isle of Wight | 9.85 |
| Ray Morton | Isle of Wight | 9.53 |
| Paul Fry | Swindon | 9.46 |
| Marián Jirout | Somerset | 9.31 |
| Paul Bentley | Berwick | 9.24 |
| Leigh Lanham | Arena Essex | 9.19 |
| Peter Carr | Edinburgh | 9.17 |
| Chris Harris | Trewlany | 9.13 |

## Riders & final averages

Arena Essex
* Leigh Lanham 9.19
* Kelvin Tatum 8.48
* Shaun Tacey 7.30
* Colin White 7.24
* Lee Herne 4.78
* Andy Galvin 3.79
* Carl Baldwin 3.37
* Scott Courtney 2.67
Berwick
* Paul Bentley 9.24
* Claus Kristensen 7.79
* Michal Makovský 7.50
* Adrian Rymel 6.99
* Simon Cartwright 6.65
* Kevin Doolan 6.29
* Steffen Mell 5.06
Edinburgh
* Peter Carr 9.17
* Frede Schott 8.20
* Daniel Andersson 7.36
* Magnus Karlsson 7.00
* Theo Pijper 5.85
* Aidan Collins 5.72
* Rory Schlein 5.52
* Christian Henry 4.92
* David Meldrum 4.27
* Ben Shields 3.41
Exeter
* Seemond Stephens 8.46
* Michael Coles 8.34
* Mark Simmonds 7.78
* Roger Lobb 7.52
* Lawrence Hare 6.92
* Krister Marsh 6.58
* Bobby Eldridge 5.52
* Jason Prynne 3.81
* Matt Cambridge 3.34
* Corey Blackman 2.53
Glasgow
* George Štancl 9.04
* James Grieves 8.08
* Mick Powell 7.75
* Kenny Olsson 5.13
* Martin Dixon 4.70
* David McAllan 4.40
* Grant MacDonald 3.17
Hull
* Garry Stead 8.68
* Robbie Kessler 8.33
* Paul Thorp 8.08
* Ross Brady 7.75
* Jamie Smith 6.17
* Emil Kramer 5.97
* Lee Smethills 5.55
* Craig Branney 1.91
Isle of Wight
* Adam Shields 9.85
* Ray Morton 9.53
* Danny Bird 8.28
* Henning Bager 6.25
* Sebastien Trésarrieu 6.20
* Matt Read 5.76
* Gary Phelps 5.21
* Nick Simmons 3.92
* Daniel Giffard 2.10
Newcastle
* Kenneth Bjerre 8.61
* Andre Compton 8.33
* Davey Watt 8.00
* Kevin Little 6.98
* Richard Juul 5.89
* Derek Sneddon 5.69
* Wayne Carter 4.95
* Rob Grant Jr 3.74
* Richard Hall 1.37
Newport
* Craig Watson 8.94
* Frank Smart 8.91
* Scott Smith 6.85
* Emil Lindqvist 6.75
* Lee Dicken 6.04
* Carl Wilkinson 4.31
* Ashley Jones 3.13
* Barrie Evans 2.74
Reading
* Andrew Appleton 8.95
* Phil Morris 8.68
* Dave Mullett 8.56
* Anders Henriksson 7.54
* Jason Bunyan 6.82
* Paul Clews 5.96
* Chris Schramm 4.32
* Glen Phillips 4.29
* Gavin Hedge 2.97
Rye House
* Brent Werner 8.47
* Nigel Sadler 8.11
* Scott Robson 7.51
* Mark Courtney 6.60
* David Mason 5.39
* Scott Swain 5.19
* Troy Pratt 4.41
* Adam Pryer 3.09
* Chris Courage 2.80
* Daniel Giffard 1.40
Sheffield
* Sean Wilson 10.17
* Simon Stead 8.53
* Lee Complin 7.67
* Scott Smith 7.20
* Andrew Moore 6.97
* James Birkinshaw 6.12
* Ricky Ashworth 4.94
Somerset
* Marián Jirout 9.31
* Glenn Cunningham 7.74
* Neil Collins 6.89
* Graeme Gordon 5.58
* Steve Bishop 5.17
* Adam Allott 4.37
* David Meldrum 4.35
* Malcolm Holloway 3.77
* Gary Phelps 3.23
* Stuart Williams 2.63
* Shane McCabe 2.61
Stoke
* Alan Mogridge 8.50
* Jan Staechmann 8.48
* Paul Pickering 7.90
* Tony Atkin 6.14
* Jon Armstrong 5.79
* Mark Burrows 5.13
* Will Beveridge 4.06
* Rob Grant Jr. 4.00
* Lee Hodgson 2.46
Swindon
* Paul Fry 9.46
* Charlie Gjedde 8.92
* Oliver Allen 8.30
* Chris Neath 6.47
* Paul Lee 5.04
* Adam Allott 5.02
* Jason King 3.65
* Ritchie Hawkins 3.34
Trelawny
* Chris Harris 9.13
* Alun Rossiter 7.27
* Emiliano Sanchez 7.13
* Steve Masters 6.98
* Richard Wolff 6.95
* Seemond Stephens 6.19
* Pavel Ondrašík 5.88
* Simon Phillips 4.39
* Jason Prynne 2.51
Workington
* Carl Stonehewer 10.08
* Peter Ingvar Karlsson 8.10
* Les Collins 8.08
* Rusty Harrison 7.65
* Kauko Nieminen 6.20
* Chris Collins 2.89
* James Mann 2.87
* Scott James 2.67
* Lee Hodgson 2.24
* Tom Brown 2.10
* Shane Colvin 1.82