# 1996 Premier League speedway season

The 1996 Premier League season was the 62nd season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom. It was also the second and last edition of two seasons, in which British speedway was competed as a single division. In addition there was a Conference League.
As from 1997 the Elite League would be the top division and the Premier League would be the second division.

## Team changes

Cradley Heathens and Stoke Potters merged for the 1996 season and Arena Essex Hammers dropped out of the league with the promotion moving to Hackney Wick Stadium and racing as the London Lions. The Glasgow Tigers and Edinburgh Monarchs effectively merged because the Edinburgh promotion raced at Shawfield Stadium under the name the Scottish Monarchs. Oxford reverted to their traditional name of Cheetahs, after ditching the unpopular Silver Machine and King's Lynn Stars did not participate during 1996.

## Summary

Many Glasgow Tigers fans refused to support what they saw as their team of old rivals, and although Monarchs fans initially travelled to Glasgow, crowd numbers soon fell. Cradley & Stoke, despite having the American stars Billy Hamill and Greg Hancock finishing first and second in the averages, could only manage fifth place in the league. Cradley Heath were disbanded after the season following the closure of Dudley Wood Stadium, their home venue. Oxford reverted to their popular name of Cheetahs and
The one league set up only lasted for 1995 and 1996, due to the huge disparity between the teams. Wolverhampton Wolves won the title for the second time in six years, with American Ronnie Correy being the sole survivor of the 1991 winning team. In a strange coincidence a new set of two brothers helped Wolves win the title, back in 1991 it was the Ermolenko brothers but now it was the Swedish Karlsson brothers. Peter Karlsson and Mikael Karlsson both scored heavily and ended the season with averages around the 10 mark.

## Final table

| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | BP | Pts |
| 1 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 36 | 29 | 0 | 7 | 18 | 76 |
| 2 | Peterborough Panthers | 36 | 23 | 0 | 13 | 15 | 61 |
| 3 | Eastbourne Eagles | 36 | 23 | 1 | 12 | 12 | 59 |
| 4 | Swindon Robins | 36 | 22 | 2 | 12 | 12 | 58 |
| 5 | Cradley & Stoke Heathens | 36 | 21 | 1 | 14 | 13 | 56 |
| 6 | Belle Vue Aces | 36 | 21 | 1 | 14 | 12 | 55 |
| 7 | Hull Vikings | 36 | 20 | 3 | 13 | 11 | 54 |
| 8 | Ipswich Witches | 36 | 20 | 0 | 16 | 12 | 52 |
| 9 | London Lions | 36 | 20 | 0 | 16 | 11 | 51 |
| 10 | Coventry Bees | 36 | 16 | 2 | 18 | 10 | 44 |
| 11 | Bradford Dukes | 36 | 16 | 0 | 20 | 9 | 41 |
| 12 | Scottish Monarchs | 36 | 16 | 0 | 20 | 5 | 37 |
| 13 | Oxford Cheetahs | 36 | 12 | 4 | 20 | 8 | 36 |
| 14 | Poole Pirates | 36 | 13 | 2 | 21 | 5 | 33 |
| 15 | Exeter Falcons | 36 | 13 | 2 | 21 | 4 | 32 |
| 16 | Middlesbrough Bears | 36 | 11 | 1 | 14 | 6 | 29 |
| 17 | Long Eaton Invaders | 36 | 12 | 0 | 24 | 4 | 28 |
| 18 | Sheffield Tigers | 36 | 13 | 0 | 23 | 2 | 28 |
| 19 | Reading Racers | 36 | 11 | 1 | 24 | 2 | 25 |
PL = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; BP = Bonus Points Pts = Total Points

### Fixtures & results

| Home \ Away | BV | BD | COV | CH | EAS | EX | HV | IPS | LL | LE | MID | OX | PET | PP | RR | SHE | SM | SWI | WOL |
| Belle Vue Aces | | 51–45 | 53–43 | 57–39 | 58–38 | 62–34 | 56–40 | 51–45 | 58–38 | 55–41 | 63–33 | 54–42 | 59–37 | 54–42 | 67–29 | 41–28 | 60–36 | 47–49 | 43–53 |
| Bradford Dukes | 51–45 | | 43–53 | 51–45 | 46–50 | 51–45 | 53–42 | 55–41 | 46–50 | 43–29 | 62–34 | 45–51 | 42–54 | 55–41 | 57–39 | 56–40 | 61–35 | 57–39 | 52–44 |
| Coventry Bees | 59–37 | 42–54 | | 50–46 | 51–45 | 58–38 | 64–32 | 54–42 | 45–51 | 57–39 | 52–44 | 55–41 | 46–50 | 41–55 | 60–36 | 73–20 | 62–34 | 44–52 | 54–41 |
| Cradley & Stoke Heathens | 46–50 | 53–43 | 56–40 | | 44–52 | 54–42 | 46–50 | 43–53 | 60–36 | 56–40 | 55–41 | 53–42 | 58–38 | 60–36 | 52–43 | 56–40 | 55–41 | 53–43 | 43–52 |
| Eastbourne Eagles | 56–40 | 62–33 | 55–41 | 46–50 | | 62–34 | 57–38 | 53–43 | 56–38 | 58–38 | 58–38 | 58–38 | 51–45 | 55–41 | 52–44 | 58–38 | 52–43 | 52–44 | 45–50 |
| Exeter Falcons | 56–39 | 53–43 | 51–45 | 49–47 | 48–48 | | 43–53 | 57–39 | 46–50 | 46–50 | 52–44 | 48–48 | 52–44 | 57–39 | 44–52 | 60–36 | 54–42 | 51–45 | 52–44 |
| Hull Vikings | 52–43 | 49–47 | 58–37 | 48–48 | 59–37 | 60–36 | | 58–38 | 52–41 | 53–43 | 54–42 | 55–41 | 55–41 | 61–35 | 63–33 | 63–33 | 54–42 | 54–41 | 47–49 |
| Ipswich Witches | 55–41 | 52–43 | 50–46 | 58–38 | 55–41 | 64–32 | 66–30 | | 52–44 | 58–38 | 61–35 | 52–44 | 50–46 | 50–46 | 57–39 | 65–31 | 66–30 | 59–37 | 50–46 |
| London Lions | 47–49 | 52–44 | 51–45 | 49–47 | 43–51 | 57–39 | 46–50 | 56–40 | | 52–43 | 60–36 | 40–32 | 50–46 | 50–46 | 53–43 | 62–28 | 45–51 | 64–32 | 50–46 |
| Long Eaton Invaders | 49–47 | 50–46 | 55–41 | 45–50 | 46–50 | 53–43 | 40–56 | 50–46 | 49–47 | | 52–44 | 49–47 | 42–48 | 46–50 | 59–37 | 56–39 | 53–43 | 45–51 | 45–51 |
| Middlesbrough Bears | 59–37 | 54–42 | 48–48 | 37–59 | 39–56 | 44–52 | 56–39 | 49–47 | 55–40 | 64–32 | | 46–49 | 48–47 | 57–38 | 56–40 | 63–33 | 61–35 | 47–49 | 43–53 |
| Oxford Cheetahs | 45–51 | 47–48 | 45–51 | 43–53 | 41–54 | 56–40 | 48–48 | 50–46 | 43–53 | 55–41 | 63–33 | | 51–45 | 57–39 | 45–49 | 52–42 | 55–41 | 48–48 | 43–53 |
| Peterborough Panthers | 59–37 | 61–35 | 56–40 | 51–45 | 57–39 | 60–36 | 55–41 | 54–42 | 50–46 | 59–37 | 59–37 | 55–41 | | 55–41 | 70–26 | 62–34 | 56–40 | 50–46 | 56–40 |
| Poole Pirates | 51–45 | 55–41 | 48–48 | 40–56 | 53–43 | 52–44 | 57–39 | 53–43 | 45–51 | 53–43 | 51–45 | 48–48 | 46–50 | | 53–42 | 54–42 | 51–45 | 34–44 | 45–51 |
| Reading Racers | 48–48 | 44–52 | 50–46 | 42–54 | 46–49 | 56–40 | 54–42 | 47–49 | 50.5–45.5 | 52–44 | 53–43 | 43–53 | 46–50 | 55–40 | | 53–43 | 44–52 | 53–43 | 45–51 |
| Sheffield Tigers | 42–54 | 53–25 | 54–42 | 42–54 | 51–45 | 56–40 | 52–44 | 52–44 | 47–49 | 50–46 | 55–41 | 41–55 | 50–46 | 53–43 | 54–42 | | 50–46 | 52–44 | 46–50 |
| Scottish Monarchs | 46–50 | 53–43 | 42–54 | 39–57 | 49–46 | 70–26 | 51–45 | 49–46 | 57–39 | 52–44 | 57–39 | 53–43 | 54–42 | 59–37 | 61–35 | 63–33 | | 53–43 | 38–58 |
| Swindon Robins | 60–36 | 49–46 | 52–43 | 51–45 | 59–37 | 53–43 | 48–48 | 56–39 | 53–43 | 55–41 | 68–28 | 53–43 | 56–40 | 52–44 | 56–40 | 61–35 | 56–40 | | 52–44 |
| Wolverhampton Wolves | 58–37 | 60–36 | 55–40 | 53–43 | 53–41 | 65–31 | 53–42 | 60–36 | 61–35 | 53–42 | 72–24 | 65–31 | 56–40 | 64–31 | 56–40 | 57–38 | 65–31 | 59–37 | |

## Premier League Knockout Cup

The 1996 Speedway Star Knockout Cup was the 58th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams and the second with the name Premier League Knockout Cup. Wolverhampton Wolves were the winners of the competition. The following season the tier one teams would compete in the Elite League Knockout Cup and the Premier League Knockout Cup would be for tier two teams.
The cup was won by Wolverhampton despite the fact that they had to ride their home fixture at Long Eaton Stadium due to Monmore Green undergoing work to the greyhound track.
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 20/04 | Bradford | 65-31 | Sheffield |
| 18/04 | Sheffield | 42-54 | Bradford |
| 24/04 | Hull | 56-40 | Middlesbrough |
| 23/05 | Middlesbrough | 50-45 | Hull |
| 04/05 | Swindon | 51-45 | Oxford |
| 26/04 | Oxford | 50-46 | Swindon |
Second round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 20/05 | Wolverhampton | 56-39 | Ipswich |
| 23/05 | Ipswich | 53-43 | Wolverhampton |
| 24/05 | Belle Vue | 53-43 | Cradley Heath |
| 13/07 | Cradley Heath | 52-44 | Belle Vue |
| 25/05 | Bradford | 57-39 | Edinburgh |
| 22/05 | Edinburgh | 44-52 | Bradford |
| 29/05 | Long Eaton | 56-40 | Hull |
| 31/05 | Hull | 47-49 | Long Eaton |
| 26/04 | Peterborough | 59-37 | Coventry |
| 25/05 | Coventry | 40-56 | Peterborough |
| 23/05 | Hackney | 54-42 | Reading |
| 13/05 | Reading | 40-56 | Hackney |
| 20/05 | Exeter | 45-51 | Poole |
| 26/06 | Poole | 44-52 | Exeter |
| 27/05 | Swindon | 59-37 | Eastbourne |
| 25/05 | Eastbourne | 56-39 | Swindon |
Quarter-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 19/08 | Wolverhampton | 48-48 | Belle Vue |
| 23/08 | Belle Vue | 48-48 | Wolverhampton |
| 24/08 | Bradford | 62-34 | Long Eaton |
| 28/08 | Long Eaton | 50-45 | Bradford |
| 23/08 | Peterborough | 52-44 | Hackney |
| 15/08 | Hackney | 51-45 | Peterborough |
| 09/09 | Exeter | 52-44 | Swindon |
| 17/08 | Swindon | 48-48 | Exeter |
| 09/09 | Wolverhampton | 51-45 | Belle Vue |
| 13/09 | Belle Vue | 49-46 | Wolverhampton |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 23/09 | Wolverhampton | 59-37 | Bradford |
| 28/09 | Bradford | 54-42 | Wolverhampton |
| 13/09 | Peterborough | 61-35 | Exeter |
| 23/09 | Exeter | 48-48 | Peterborough |

### Final

First leg
Second leg
Wolverhampton Wolves were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 100-92.

## Riders' Championship

Sam Ermolenko won the Premier League Riders Championship, held at Odsal Stadium on 19 October. It was the third time that Ermolenko had won the Riders' Championship trophy but the most fortunate. He had qualified for the semi finals with just 7 points and then won the final when Chris Louis was leading on the final lap before suffering an engine failure.
| Pos. | Rider | Total | SF | Final |
| 1 | Sam Ermolenko | 7 | 2 | 3 |
| 2 | Jason Crump | 12 | 3 | 2 |
| 3 | Leigh Adams | 10 | 2 | 1 |
| 4 | Chris Louis | 11 | 3 | ef |
| 5 | Armando Castagna | 8 | 1 | |
| 6 | Jimmy Nilsen | 8 | 1 | |
| 7 | Brian Andersen | 7 | 0 | |
| 8 | Peter Karlsson | 7 | 0 | |
| 9 | Joe Screen | 7 | | |
| 10 | Craig Boyce | 6 | | |
| 11 | Mark Loram | 6 | | |
| 12 | Mike Faria | 6 | | |
| 13 | Sean Wilson | 4 | | |
| 14 | Martin Dugard | 4 | | |
| 15 | Steve Johnston | 4 | | |
| 16 | Billy Hamill | 3 | | |
| 17 | Chris Manchester | 3 | | |
| 18 | Tomáš Topinka | 3 | | |
| 19 | Jan Staechmann | 3 | | |
| 20 | Shane Parker | 1 | | |
* ef=engine failure

## Fours

Oxford Cheetahs won the Premier League Four-Team Championship, which was held on 4 August 1996, at the East of England Arena.
Group A :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Hull | 14 | Ott 5, Morton 4, Thorp 3, Grahame 2 |
| 2 | Oxford | 13 | Cox 6, Topinka 4, Brhel 3, Hare 0 |
| 3 | Poole | 12 | Boyce 6, Gunnestad 4, Andersson 2, Richardson 0, Willis 0 |
| 4 | Wolves | 9 | Karlsson M 3, Karlsson P 3, McDonald 3, Grieves 0 |
Group B :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Peterborough | 13 | Crump 5, Jirout 5 |
| 2 | Ipswich | 13 | Louis 5, Clouting 4 |
| 3 | Belle Vue | 11 | Klingberg 4, Lyons 4 |
| 4 | Bradford | 11 | Screen 5, Smith 5 |
Final :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Oxford | 23 | Cox 7, Brhel 7, Topinka 7, Hare 3 |
| 2 | Peterborough | 17 | Crump 8, Jirout 6, Swain 2, Nielsen 1 |
| 3 | Hull | 16 | Ott 6, Grahame 4, Thorp 3, Morton 3 |
| 4 | Ipswich | 16 | Louis 6, Doncaster 6, Howe 3, Clouting 1 |

## Leading final averages

| Rider | Team | Average |
| Billy Hamill | Cradley & Stoke | 10.67 |
| Greg Hancock | Cradley & Stoke | 10.55 |
| Chris Louis | Ipswich | 10.29 |
| Jason Crump | Peterborough | 10.20 |
| Peter Karlsson | Wolverhampton | 10.14 |
| Leigh Adams | London | 10.09 |
| Martin Dugard | Eastbourne | 10.08 |
| Sam Ermolenko | Sheffield | 9.73 |
| Mikael Karlsson | Wolverhampton | 9.71 |
| Ronnie Correy | Wolverhampton | 9.62 |
| Joe Screen | Bradford | 9.57 |
| Gary Havelock | Bradford | 9.55 |
| Brian Andersen | Coventry | 9.46 |
| Craig Boyce | Poole | 9.38 |
| Mark Loram | Exeter | 9.28 |
| Chris Manchester | Belle Vue | 9.27 |
| Jimmy Nilsen | Swindon | 9.22 |
| Lars Gunnestad | Poole | 9.13 |
| Kelvin Tatum | London | 9.07 |
| Ryan Sullivan | Peterborough | 9.01 |

## Riders & final averages

Belle Vue
* Chris Manchester 9.27
* Jason Lyons 8.14
* Frede Schött 7.37
* Niklas Klingberg 7.33
* Neil Collins 6.68
* Charlie Venegas 6.32
* Andre Compton 3.84
* Wayne Carter 3.56
* Sean Courtney 3.33
* Chris Cobby 2.56
* Phil Knowles 0.52
Bradford
* Joe Screen 9.57
* Gary Havelock 9.55
* Andy Smith 7.76
* Sean Wilson 7.52
* Paul Pickering 4.74
* Andre Compton 4.42
* Glyn Taylor 3.07
* Rene Aas 2.65
* Chris Readshaw 1.73
Coventry
* Brian Andersen 9.46
* Shane Bowes 7.29
* Simon Cross 7.11
* Jan Andersen 6.83
* Shaun Tacey 6.35
* Paul Bentley 6.24
* Stuart Robson 5.33
* Kevin Little 4.20
Cradley & Stoke
* Billy Hamill 10.67
* Greg Hancock 10.55
* Daniel Andersson 6.36
* Les Collins 6.21
* Niklas Karlsson 5.08
* John Wilson 4.85
* Troy Pratt 4.67
* Stuart Swales 3.58
Eastbourne
* Martin Dugard 10.08
* Stefan Andersson 8.98
* David Norris 7.89
* Stefan Dannö 7.34
* Alan Mogridge 5.40
* Dean Standing 5.30
* Justin Elkins 3.00
* Darren Grayling 2.54
* Tara O'Callaghan 0.47
Exeter
* Mark Loram 9.28
* Simon Wigg 8.83
* Michael Coles 6.50
* Alun Rossiter 6.50
* Paul Fry 5.96
* Peter Jeffery 4.79
* Mark Simmonds 4.67
* Graeme Gordon 2.66
Hull
* Bobby Ott 8.58
* Jan Stæchmann 8.44
* Paul Thorp 8.30
* Graham Jones 7.00
* Ray Morton 6.89
* Alan Grahame 6.85
* Nigel Crabtree 6.16
* Róbert Nagy 5.66
* Mike Hampson 2.32
* Lee Dicken 1.90
Ipswich
* Chris Louis 10.29
* Jeremy Doncaster 7.63
* Scott Nicholls 7.46
* Ben Howe 7.42
* Savalas Clouting 5.74
* Leigh Lanham 5.49
* Kevin Teager 3.30
London
* Leigh Adams 10.09
* Kelvin Tatum 9.07
* Paul Hurry 7.63
* Josh Larsen 7.35
* Neville Tatum 6.07
* Jan Pedersen 5.04
* John Wainwright 3.57
* Alan Mogridge 3.48
* Colin White 1.90
* David Mason 1.70
Long Eaton
* Róbert Nagy 8.57
* Steve Johnston 8.28
* Carl Stonehewer 6.73
* Martin Dixon 6.57
* Charles Ermolenko 6.37
* Kai Laukkanen 6.26
* Robert Johansson 6.00
* Brent Werner 5.60
* Rene Madsen 4.00
* Charlie Venegas 3.49
Middlesbrough
* Shane Parker 8.67
* Antonín Šváb Jr. 6.78
* David Walsh 6.78
* Stuart Robson 6.23
* Jesper Olsen 5.85
* Scott Robson 5.82
* Martin Dixon 4.86
* Martin Vinther 3.59
Oxford
* Tomáš Topinka 8.58
* Marvyn Cox 8.32
* Bo Brhel 7.76
* Mark Lemon 6.88
* Martin Goodwin 5.27
* Lawrence Hare 5.16
* Attila Stefáni (Mark Frost) 3.74
* Philippe Bergé 3.57
* Martin Willis 1.73
Peterborough
* Jason Crump 10.20
* Ryan Sullivan 9.01
* Zdeněk Tesař 8.94
* Marián Jirout 6.22
* Alun Rossiter 5.44
* Anders Nielsen 4.90
* Scott Swain 4.65
* Rene Madsen 4.60
* Tommy Palmer 4.00
Poole
* Craig Boyce 9.38
* Lars Gunnestad 9.13
* Steve Schofield 8.05
* Tony Langdon 5.96
* Christer Jonsson 4.53
* Marcus Andersson 4.38
* Magnus Zetterström 3.11
* Ingar Hvamstad 2.07
* Lee Richardson 2.01
Reading
* Tony Olsson 8.12
* Armando Castagna 7.69
* Ray Morton 7.20
* Dave Mullett 6.86
* Petri Kokko 5.84
* Davd Steen 5.02
* Phil Morris 4.76
* Jan Pedersen 4.55
* Jorg Pingel 4.54
Scottish Monarchs
* Mike Faria 8.53
* Robert Eriksson 6.58
* Kenny McKinna 6.31
* Scott Lamb 6.30
* Mick Powell 6.02
* Robert Johansson 5.86
* Vesa Ylinen 5.67
* Stefano Alfonso 5.67
Sheffield
* Sam Ermolenko 9.73
* Robbie Kessler 6.71
* Garry Stead 6.69
* Scott Smith 6.23
* Zoltán Adorján 6.22
* Roman Matoušek 5.58
* Tony Atkin 3.65
* Mirko Wolter 3.48
* Rene Aas 2.71
* Thomas Ravn 2.67
Swindon
* Jimmy Nilsen 9.22
* Brian Karger 8.99
* John Jørgensen 8.43
* Mark Thorpe 7.05
* Steve Masters 5.13
* Glenn Cunningham 4.73
* Jarno Kosonen 4.45
* Scott Pegler 1.70
Wolverhampton
* Peter Karlsson 10.14
* Mikael Karlsson 9.71
* Ronnie Correy 9.62
* George Štancl 6.12
* James Grieves 5.11
* Stewart McDonald 4.74
* Craig Taylor 3.41