# SGB Championship 2017

The Speedway Great Britain Championship 2017 was the second division of British speedway. It was the first time that it was known as the SGB Championship after changing its name from the Premier League.
The season ran between March and October 2017 and 10 teams participated.
The Sheffield Tigers were the champions defeating the Ipswich Witches in the Grand Final.
British TV broadcasting rights changed hands before the start of the 2017 SGB Championship season, when Sky withdrew from their negotiated contract with the BSPA. BT then obtained the broadcasting rights for the 2017 season to be shown on their BT Sport channels.

## Final League table

| Pos. | Team | M | W | D | L | 4W | 3W | D | 1L | L | F | A | Pts |
| 1 | Sheffield Tigers | 36 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 1748 | 1515 | 86 |
| 2 | Ipswich Witches | 36 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 1736 | 1548 | 77 |
| 3 | Edinburgh Monarchs | 36 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 1691 | 1585 | 71 |
| 4 | Glasgow Tigers | 36 | 14 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 1656 | 1549 | 68 |
| 5 | Redcar Bears | 36 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 1627 | 1597 | 60 |
| 6 | Peterborough Panthers | 36 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 1582 | 1653 | 60 |
| 7 | Newcastle Diamonds | 36 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 1629 | 1617 | 57 |
| 8 | Workington Comets | 36 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 1556 | 1703 | 47 |
| 9 | Scunthorpe Scorpions | 36 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 1535 | 1699 | 34 |
| 10 | Berwick Bandits | 36 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 1490 | 1784 | 30 |

## Results
### 'A' Fixtures

| Home \ Away | BER | ED | GLA | IPS | NEW | PET | RED | SCU | SHE | WOR |
| Berwick Bandits | | 42–48 | 44–46 | 40–50 | 51–39 | 50–40 | 34–50 | 42–48 | 41–52 | 48–44 |
| Edinburgh Monarchs | 57–33 | | 45–45 | 48–40 | 53–39 | 60–30 | 52–40 | 54–36 | 49–44 | 52–40 |
| Glasgow Tigers | 54–38 | 57–34 | | 49–43 | 51–42 | 51–41 | 52–41 | 53–37 | 55–37 | 46–44 |
| Ipswich Witches | 56–37 | 50–39 | 48–42 | | 53–39 | 60–32 | 54–38 | 59–32 | 52–41 | 59–33 |
| Newcastle Diamonds | 58–33 | 45–45 | 43–47 | 52–38 | | 58–34 | 46–44 | 46–44 | 48–42 | 43–47 |
| Peterborough Panthers | 54–38 | 48–45 | 55–37 | 46–44 | 43–47 | | 51–42 | 51–42 | 45–48 | 51–42 |
| Redcar Bears | 49–43 | 52–40 | 24–32 | 54–35 | 58–34 | 40–52 | | 51–42 | 41–49 | 42–48 |
| Scunthorpe Scorpions | 56–34 | 37–53 | 47–43 | 44–46 | 54–39 | 44–46 | 44–46 | | 40–50 | 61–30 |
| Sheffield Tigers | 61–30 | 55–35 | 46–44 | 57–33 | 60–33 | 50–40 | 54–38 | 51–41 | | 51–39 |
| Workington Comets | 48–42 | 51–42 | 48–45 | 54–38 | 45–45 | 58–34 | 45–45 | 48–45 | 54–37 | |

### 'B' Fixtures

| Home \ Away | BER | ED | GLA | IPS | NEW | PET | RED | SCU | SHE | WOR |
| Berwick Bandits | | 49–41 | 42–42 | 45–47 | 53–40 | 47–46 | 40–52 | 48–42 | 50–40 | 56–37 |
| Edinburgh Monarchs | 53–39 | | 46–43 | 48–41 | 49–41 | 58–32 | 56–34 | 52–40 | 39–51 | 52–40 |
| Glasgow Tigers | 58–32 | 53–39 | | 41–52 | 52–38 | 40–50 | 56–36 | 55–37 | 44–49 | 43–47 |
| Ipswich Witches | 56–36 | 46–47 | 52–41 | | 54–39 | 52–41 | 51–39 | 60–32 | 52–38 | 52–41 |
| Newcastle Diamonds | 60–33 | 46–44 | 53–39 | 46–44 | | 58–34 | 48–41 | 54–38 | 54–38 | 62–29 |
| Peterborough Panthers | 53–39 | 54–38 | 35–31 | 48–42 | 30–30 | | 53–39 | 51–39 | 40–50 | 50–43 |
| Redcar Bears | 54–39 | 52–41 | 47–42 | 55–38 | 55–37 | 45–45 | | 61–32 | 48–42 | 49–44 |
| Scunthorpe Scorpions | 49–40 | 41–49 | 36–48 | 43–47 | 43–46 | 53–37 | 39–50 | | 49–41 | 39–21 |
| Sheffield Tigers | 51–42 | 58–34 | 54–36 | 52–38 | 53–37 | 51–42 | 39–33 | 54–39 | | 56–36 |
| Workington Comets | 58–34 | 38–43 | 47–43 | 39–51 | 46–44 | 42–48 | 48–42 | 43–50 | 44–46 | |

## Play-offs

| Semi Finals | Semi Finals | Semi Finals | Semi Finals | Semi Finals | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final |
| Ipswich Witches | Ipswich Witches | 50 | 41 | 91 | | | | | |
| Edinburgh Monarchs | Edinburgh Monarchs | 40 | 48 | 88 | | | | | |
| Edinburgh Monarchs | Edinburgh Monarchs | 40 | 48 | 88 | Ipswich Witches | Ipswich Witches | 37 | 44 | 81 |
| | | | | | Sheffield Tigers | Sheffield Tigers | 53 | 46 | 100 |
| Sheffield Tigers | Sheffield Tigers | 59 | 31 | 90 | Sheffield Tigers | Sheffield Tigers | 53 | 46 | 100 |
| Glasgow Tigers | Glasgow Tigers | 31 | 34 | 65 | | | | | |

## Play-off Final

First leg
Second leg
Sheffield were declared League Champions, winning on aggregate 99–81.

## Promotion and relegation play-off

| 9 October | Sheffield Tigers | 32–58 | Leicester Lions | Owlerton Stadium Referee(s): Craig Ackroyd |
| 16 October | Leicester Lions | 49–41 | Sheffield Tigers | Beaumont Park Stadium Referee(s): Mick Bates |

## Knockout Cup

The 2017 SGB Championship Knockout Cup was the 50th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams. It was the first time it would be known as the SGB Championship Knockout Cup. Peterborough Panthers were the winners of the competition.
First round
| Date | Team One | Score | Team Two |
| 22/04 | Workington | 49-41 | Newcastle |
| 13/04 | Redcar | 44-46 | Peterborough |
| 09/04 | Peterborough | 49-39 | Redcar |
| 02/04 | Newcastle | 49-41 | Workington |
Quarter Final
| 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 |
| Peterborough Panthers | Peterborough Panthers | 54 | 40 | 94 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Scunthorpe Scorpions | Scunthorpe Scorpions | 36 | 50 | 86 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Scunthorpe Scorpions | Scunthorpe Scorpions | 36 | 50 | 86 | Peterborough Panthers | Peterborough Panthers | 50 | 45 | 95 | | | | | |
| | | | | | Glasgow Tigers | Glasgow Tigers | 40 | 45 | 85 | | | | | |
| Ipswich Witches | Ipswich Witches | 60 | 49 | 101 | Glasgow Tigers | Glasgow Tigers | 40 | 45 | 85 | | | | | |
| Berwick Bandits | Berwick Bandits | 30 | 49 | 79 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Berwick Bandits | Berwick Bandits | 30 | 49 | 79 | | | | | | Peterborough Panthers | Peterborough Panthers | 47 | 45 | 92 |
| | | | | | | | | | | Ipswich Witches | Ipswich Witches | 43 | 45 | 88 |
| Sheffield Tigers | Sheffield Tigers | 43 | 53 | 96 | | | | | | | | | | | Ipswich Witches | Ipswich Witches | 43 | 45 | 88 |
| Edinburgh Monarchs | Edinburgh Monarchs | 47 | 37 | 84 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Edinburgh Monarchs | Edinburgh Monarchs | 47 | 37 | 84 | Sheffield Tigers | Sheffield Tigers | 51 | 35 | 86 | | | | | |
| | | | | | Ipswich Witches | Ipswich Witches | 39 | 55 | 94 | | | | | |
| Glasgow Tigers | Glasgow Tigers | 46 | 46 | 92 | Ipswich Witches | Ipswich Witches | 39 | 55 | 94 | | | | | |
| Newcastle Diamonds | Newcastle Diamonds | 44 | 44 | 88 | | | | | | | | | | |

### Final

First leg
Second leg
Peterborough were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 92–88.

## Riders' Championship

Nick Morris won the Riders' Championship. The final was held on 13 October at Ashfield Stadium.
| Pos. | Rider | Pts | Total | SF | Final |
| 1 | Nick Morris | 1 2 3 2 2 | 10 | 2 | 3 |
| 2 | Chris Harris | 2 2 2 3 3 | 12 | - | 2 |
| 3 | Richie Worrall | 3 3 3 3 3 | 15 | - | 1 |
| 4 | Richard Lawson | 2 3 1 2 3 | 11 | 3 | 0 |
| 5 | Stuart Robson | 2 3 3 2 2 | 12 | 1 |
| 6 | Ricky Wells | 2 3 1 3 R | 9 | 0 |
| 7 | Paul Starke | 1 1 3 1 3 | 9 |
| 8 | Jack Holder | R 2 2 3 1 | 8 |
| 9 | Steve Worrall | 3 2 0 1 2 | 8 |
| 10 | Aaron Summers | 1 1 2 1 2 | 7 |
| 11 | Danny King | 3 0 1 1 1 | 6 |
| 12 | Josh Auty | 0 FX 1 2 1 | 4 |
| 13 | Michael Palm Toft | 1 1 2 R | 4 |
| 14 | Sam Masters | 3 - - - - | 3 |
| 15 | Jan Graversen | 0 1 0 0 1 | 2 |
| 16 | Ryan MacDonald | F F 0 F 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Kevin Whelan (res) | 0 0 | 0 |
* f=fell, r-retired, ex=excluded, ef=engine failure t=touched tapes

## Pairs

The SGB Championship Pairs was held at Owlerton Stadium on 8 October. The event was won by Sheffield Tigers.
Group A :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Scunthorpe | 23 | Kerr 12, Auty 11 |
| 2 | Glasgow | 21 | Lawson 14, Summers 7 |
| 3 | Peterborough | 21 | Ostergaard 13, Harris 8 |
| 4 | Ipswich | 16 | King 12, Schlein 4 |
| 5 | Workington | 9 | Proctor 6, Campton 3 |
Group B :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Redcar | 25 | Wright 13, Barker 12 |
| 2 | Sheffield | 21 | Howarth 11, Bjerre 10 |
| 3 | Edinburgh | 21 | Masters 12, Wells 8 |
| 4 | Newcastle | 13 | Robson 8, Lindgren 5 |
| 5 | Berwick | 11 | Howe 7, Doolan 4 |
Semi finals
* Sheffield bt Scunthorpe 7–2
* Redcar bt Glasgow 6–3
Final
* Sheffield bt Redcar 5–4

## Fours

Peterborough Panthers won the SGB Championship Fours, held on 6 August 2017, at the East of England Arena.
Group A :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Sheffield | 16 | Grajczonek 5, Howarth 4, Kurtz 4, Bates 3 |
| 2 | Peterborough | 14 | Harris 6, Ostergaard 5, Starke 2, Lambert 1 |
| 3 | Workington | 11 | Jorgensen 5, Campton 4, Proctor 1, Cook 1 |
| 4 | Scunthorpe | 10 | Allen 5, Kerr 3, Auty 2, Douglas 0, Palm Toft 0 |
| 5 | Edinburgh | 9 | Riss 5, Wells 2, Pjiper 1, Pickering 1, Clegg 0 |
Group B :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Ipswich | 18 | Schlein 6, Sedgemen 5, Heeps 4, King 3 |
| 2 | Redcar | 13 | Wright 5, Andersen 3, Barker 3, Garrity 1, Perks 1 |
| 3 | Newcastle | 12 | Worrall 6, Robson 3, Lindgren 3, Morris 0 |
| 4 | Glasgow | 9 | Lawson 3, Summers 3, Lunna 3, Bewley 0 |
| 5 | Berwick | 8 | Doolan 5, Howe 2, Etheridge 1, Gappmaier 0, Ruddick 0 |
Final :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Peterborough | 28 | Harris 9, Ostergaard 9, Starke 5, Lambert 5 |
| 2 | Redcar | 18 | Wright 7, Garrity 6, Barker 3, Andersen 2 |
| 3 | Sheffield | 16 | Howarth 6, Grajczonek 5, Kurtz 3, Bates 2 |
| 4 | Ipswich | 10 | King 6, Schlein 2, Sedgemen 1, Heeps 1 |

## Final leading averages

| Rider | Team | Average |
| Craig Cook | Workington | 10.30 |
| Josh Grajczonek | Sheffield | 9.77 |
| Robert Lambert | Newcastle | 9.74 |
| Steve Worrall | Newcastle | 9.44 |
| Jack Holder | Peterborough | 9.22 |
| Danny King | Ipswich | 9.29 |
| Ricky Wells | Edinburgh | 9.24 |
| Nick Morris | Berwick | 9.07 |
| Richie Worrall | Glasgow | 9.03 |
| Kyle Howarth | Sheffield | 9.00 |

## Teams and final averages

Berwick Bandits
* Nick Morris 9.07
* Lewis Bridger 6.98
* Kevin Doolan 6.81
* David Howe 6.50
* Claus Vissing 6.26
* Jye Etheridge 5.91
* Dany Gappmaier 5.89
* Dimitri Bergé 4.73
* Joe Jacobs 4.34
* Lee Payne 2.78
* Liam Carr 2.47
Edinburgh Monarchs
* Ricky Wells 9.24
* Sam Masters 8.93
* Erik Riss 8.32
* Mark Riss 6.39
* Josh Pickering 5.42
* Theo Pijper 5.14
* Max Clegg 5.03
* Mitchell Davey 3.82
Glasgow Tigers
* Richie Worrall 9.03
* Richard Lawson 8.93
* Aaron Summers 8.40
* Nike Lunna 7.17
* Dan Bewley 6.62
* Tom Perry 4.50
* Jack Smith 3.16
Ipswich Witches
* Danny King 9.29
* Rory Schlein 8.99
* Nico Covatti 8.38
* Cameron Heeps 7.81
* Kyle Newman 7.35
* Justin Sedgmen 6.83
* Nathan Greaves 5.30
* Danyon Hume 5.03
* Connor Mountain 4.36
* James Sarjeant 4.80
Newcastle Diamonds
* Robert Lambert 9.74
* Steve Worrall 9.44
* Ludvig Lindgren 8.00
* Stuart Robson 7.87
* Lewis Rose 7.53
* Ashley Morris 5.76
* Danny Phillips 4.75
* Ben Hopwood 2.92
* Alfie Bowtell 2.79
* Dan Greenwood 2.33 (3 matches only)
* Connor Coles 0.80
Peterborough Panthers
* Jack Holder 9.22
* Chris Harris 8.99
* Ulrich Østergaard 7.83
* Paul Starke 7.06
* Bradley Wilson-Dean 6.49
* Kenneth Hansen 6.44
* Simon Lambert 5.57
* Tom Bacon 3.50
* Richard Hall 2.97
* Liam Carr 2.57
Redcar Bears
* Ben Barker 8.78
* Charles Wright 8.06
* Jason Garrity 7.62
* Jonas B. Andersen 7.23
* Ellis Perks 6.13
* Tobias Busch 5.95
* Danny Ayres 5.64
* Coty Garcia 4.96
* Richard Hall 3.32
Scunthorpe Scorpions
* Jake Allen 8.36
* Josh Auty 7.48
* Lewis Kerr 7.44
* Michael Palm Toft 7.23
* Ryan Douglas 6.91
* Stefan Nielsen 6.18
* Carl Wilkinson 5.83
* Tero Aarnio 5.51
* Josh Bailey 3.39
* Fritz Wallner 3.76
Sheffield Tigers
* Josh Grajczonek 9.77
* Kyle Howarth 9.00
* Lasse Bjerre 8.75
* Josh Bates 7.53
* Todd Kurtz 6.11
* Jan Graversen 6.04
* Robert Branford 4.70
* Jack Parkinson-Blackburn 3.13
* Georgie Wood 2.85
* Nathan Stoneman 0.36
Workington Comets
* Craig Cook 10.30
* Ty Proctor 7.47
* Thomas Jørgensen 7.39
* Mason Campton 6.61
* Matt Williamson 5.63
* Adam Roynon 5.20
* James Sarjeant 3.90
* Rob Shuttleworth 2.40