# 2010 Premier League speedway season

The 2010 Premier League Season was the second division of British speedway. The regular season league was won by the Edinburgh Monarchs but Newcastle Diamonds won the playoffs. The first fixtures of the season took place on 5 April, and the season ended on 31 October 2010. The King's Lynn Stars were the defending champions from 2009. The Newcastle Diamonds won most of the other awards.

## Season overview

The 2010 Premier League campaign was a successful campaign for both the Edinburgh Monarchs and Newcastle Diamonds. The Monarchs finished the season as Premier League Champions, having amassed 74 points, 16 points clear of the nearest rival (The Diamonds).
Although the Monarchs dominated the League, it was the Diamonds that took the most silverware of the season by winning the Premier League playoffs (against Sheffield Tigers), the Premier Trophy (against Birmingham Brummies), and the Premier League Knockout Cup (against Edinburgh Monarchs). For the other competitions, the Sheffield Tigers were victorious in the Premier League Pairs, with Ricky Ashworth and Josh Auty taking the crown ahead of the Brummies pair. However, the Brummies were victorious in the Premier League Fours, with them dominating the event throughout. The Dane Kenni Larsen then finished off a remarkable season for the Diamonds by being crowned PLRC champion and only narrowingly missing out on the Highest CMA for the season, with the Monarchs' American Ryan Fisher achieving 9.69 average for the season.

## Fixtures and results

| Home\Away | BER | BIR | EDI | GLA | KL | ND | NW | RED | RH | SS | SHE | SOM | STO | WOR |
| Berwick Bandits | | 50-43 | 54-42 | 42-48 | 39-50 | 61-32 | 46-43 | 56-29 | 50-40 | 58-35 | 54-39 | 58-35 | 44-49 | 57-33 |
| Birmingham Brummies | 60-32 | | 41-48 | 54-40 | 61-32 | 60-32 | 61-29 | 62-28 | 53-41 | 52-40 | 54-38 | 51-39 | 58-34 | 48-42 |
| Edinburgh Monarchs | 50-39 | 54-41 | | 64-26 | 41-49 | 61-31 | 52-38 | 54-35 | 49-43 | 59-34 | 56-35 | 58-35 | 58-32 | 64-26 |
| Glasgow Tigers | 42-48 | 46-44 | 44-51 | | 54-41 | 37-53 | 46-50 | 53-30 | 42-49 | 42-52 | 41-48 | 47-43 | 53-40 | 49-41 |
| Kings Lynn Stars | 64-30 | 49-41 | 42-53 | 53-42 | | 51-45 | 49-44 | 50-40 | 56-39 | 55-35 | 58-34 | 45-48 | 60-35 | 49-44 |
| Newcastle Diamonds | 67-27 | 60-35 | 41-51 | 62-33 | 58-36 | | 66-26 | 60-33 | 56-38 | 53-39 | 56-35 | 61-33 | 55-38 | 55-39 |
| Newport Wasps | 52-40 | 39-52 | 33-39 | 53-40 | 60-35 | 44-46 | | 42-48 | 57-35 | 61-29 | 47-43 | 51-42 | 48-43 | 37-52 |
| Redcar Bears | 40-50 | 44-46 | 44-46 | 46-46 | 47-43 | 40-50 | 51-43 | | 42-51 | 49-44 | 44-49 | 41-51 | 51-42 | 43-50 |
| Rye House Rockets | 59-33 | 47-43 | 35-55 | 51-41 | 53-40 | 53-43 | 44-46 | 68-24 | | 45-45 | 50-39 | 53-42 | 61-31 | 57-36 |
| Scunthorpe Scorpions | 62-28 | 55-39 | 41-48 | 62-30 | 55-37 | 52-39 | 42-45 | 57-34 | 55-37 | | 41-51 | 56-40 | 51-39 | 56-36 |
| Sheffield Tigers | 54-39 | 46-44 | 41-49 | 49-44 | 56-37 | 43-47 | 47-42 | 49-35 | 55-39 | 61-32 | | 50-43 | 61-33 | 55-38 |
| Somerset Rebels | 58-34 | 42-48 | 45-45 | 45-45 | 58-34 | 42-48 | 50-40 | 55-38 | 46-47 | 47-43 | 48-45 | | 55-38 | 56-37 |
| Stoke Potters | 49-41 | 49-42 | 41-51 | 50-41 | 49-43 | 42-48 | 40-52 | 50-40 | 52-41 | 53-40 | 43-47 | 52-37 | | 48-42 |
| Workington Comets | 43-47 | 47-42 | 51-42 | 51-40 | 52-43 | 47-43 | 55-40 | 50-43 | 62-32 | 56-36 | 42-47 | 62-33 | 57-35 | |
Last updated: December 10, 2010. Source: BSPA
Colours: Blue = home win; Red = away win; White = draw
Home team listed in the left-hand column

## League table

* Key:
* Premier League playoffs
Home: 3W = Home win by 7 points or more; 2W = Home win by between 1 and 6 points Away: 4W = Away win by 7 points or more; 3W = Away win by between 1 and 6 points; 1L = Away loss by 6 points or less M = Meetings; D = Draws; L = Losses; F = Race points for; A = Race points against; +/- = Race points difference; Pts = Total Points
Last updated: October 20, 2010
Source: BSPA

## Play offs
### Semifinals

First leg
Second leg

### Final

First leg
14 :
| | 2 | Hugh Skidmore | 2', 3, 1, 1', 1 | 8+2 |
| | 3 | Josef Franc | , | R/R |
| | 4 | Richard Hall | 2', 1, 3, 3, 2, 0 | 11+1 |
| | 5 | Josh Auty | 2, 2, 3, 1 | 8+1 |
| | 6 | Adam Roynon (guest) | 2', 1', 1, N | 4+2 |
| | 7 | Simon Lambert | 3, 1', 0, 2, 2', 0 | 8+2 |
| Manager: Eric Boocock |||
12+1 :
| | 2 | Jason King | , | R/R |
| | 3 | Derek Sneddon | 1, 0, 0, 0, 0 | 1 |
| | 4 | Rene Bach | 1, 3, 2, 6^, 2 | 14 |
| | 5 | Mark Lemon | 3, 2, 3, 2, X | 10 |
| | 6 | Dakota North | 1, 2', 0, 0, 1', 1, 1 | 6+2 |
| | 7 | Adam McKinna | 0, 0, 0, N | 0 |
| Manager: George English |||
Second leg
13 :
| | 2 | Jason King | , | R/R |
| | 3 | Derek Sneddon | 2', 1, 1, 1, 3 | 8+1 |
| | 4 | Rene Bach | 3, 3, 3, 3, 2' | 14+1 |
| | 5 | Stuart Robson (guest) | 3, X, 2', 3, 3 | 11+1 |
| | 6 | Dakota North | 2', 3, X, N, N | 5+1 |
| | 7 | Adam McKinna | 3, 2', 1, 1, 0, 0 | 7+1 |
| Manager: George English |||
9 :
| | 2 | Hugh Skidmore | 1, 2, 0, 2', 1' | 6+2 |
| | 3 | Richard Hall | 0, 2, 1, 2, 1', 0 | 6+1 |
| | 4 | Josef Franc | , | R/R |
| | 5 | Josh Auty | 1, 2, 4^, 0 | 7 |
| | 6 | Casper Wortmann (guest) | 0, 0, 0, N | 0 |
| | 7 | Simon Lambert | 1, 0, 1', 3, 0, 1', 2 | 8+2 |
| Manager: Eric Boocock |||

### Promotion/relegation playoff

The promotion/relegation playoff was contested between the Newcastle Diamonds and the bottom Elite League team, Ipswich Witches. The Diamonds narrowly lost the first leg, by 44–46, despite leading at one point by 34-26 and missing regular riders Jason King, Mark Lemon and in-form reserve Dakota North. The Diamonds were heavily defeated at Ipswich by 64–32, leading to an aggregate defeat of 110–76.
First leg
12 :
| | 2 | Jason King | , | R/R |
| | 3 | Derek Sneddon | 1, Fx, 1, 1, 1 | 4 |
| | 4 | Rene Bach | 3, 3, 3, 3, 0 | 12 |
| | 5 | David Howe (guest) | 3, 2, 3, 2, 1' | 11+1 |
| | 6 | Jan Graversen (guest) | 0, 1', 0, 0 | 1+1 |
| | 7 | Adam McKinna | 2, 1, Fx, 1, 0, 0 | 4 |
| Manager: George English |||
12+1 :
| | 2 | Chris Slabon | Fx, N, N, N | 0 |
| | 3 | Danny King | 2, 3, 2, 3, 3 | 13 |
| | 4 | Aleš Dryml Jr. | 1', 0, 1', 1' | 3+3 |
| | 5 | Robert Miśkowiak | Fx, N, N, N | 0 |
| | 6 | Dawid Stachyra | 3, Fx, 1', 2, 2, 2', 2 | 12+2 |
| | 7 | itchie Hawkins | 1, 2, 2, F, 0, 1, 0 | 8+2 |
| Manager: |||
Second leg
11+1 :
| | 2 | Chris Slabon | 1, 2', 1', 2' | 6+3 |
| | 3 | Danny King | 3, 3, 1', 3 | 10+1 |
| | 4 | Aleš Dryml Jr. | 2', 0, 2, 2' | 6+2 |
| | 5 | Robert Miśkowiak | 2', 2', 2, 3 | 9+2 |
| | 6 | Dawid Stachyra | 2', 3, 1', 3, 3 | 12+2 |
| | 7 | Ritchie Hawkins | 3, 3, 2, 1, 1 | 10 |
| Manager: |||
13 :
| | 2 | Jason King | , | R/R |
| | 3 | Chris Mills (guest) | 0, 0, Fx, 0, 0 | 0 |
| | 4 | Rene Bach | 1, 1, 1, R | 3 |
| | 5 | Stuart Robson (guest) | 1, 1, 6^, 3, 0, R | 11 |
| | 6 | Simon Lambert (guest) | 1, 0, 0, 2, 1 | 4 |
| | 7 | Adam McKinna | 0, 0, 1', 0, 0 | 1+1 |
| Manager: George English |||

## Riders' Championship

Kenni Larsen won the Riders' Championship. The final was held on 26 September at Owlerton Stadium.
| Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos | 21 | 22 |
| 1 | (2) Kenni Larsen (ND) | 13 | 3 | | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | | | 13 | 2 | | 3 |
| 2 | (7) David Howe (SS) | 11 | | 2 | | | | | 2 | | | | | 3 | 3 | | | | | 1 | | | 11 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | (3) Ryan Fisher (EDI) | 11 | 2 | | | | | | 1 | | | | 2 | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | | 11 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 4 | (11) Rene Bach (ND) | 13 | | | 3 | | | | 3 | | 3 | | | | | 3 | | | | | | 1 | 13 | 1 | | 0 |
| 5 | (9) Josh Auty (SHE) | 10 | | | X | | 1 | | | | | | 3 | | | | | 3 | | 3 | | | 10 | 5 | 1 | |
| 6 | (6) Travis McGowan (GLA) | 9 | | 3 | | | | 2 | | | 1 | | | | | | | 2 | | | 1 | | 9 | 6 | 0 | |
| 7 | (1) Leigh Lanham (NW) | 7 | 1 | | | | 3 | | | | 0 | | | | 0 | | | | 3 | | | | 7 | 7 | | |
| 8 | (5) Lee Complin (BER) | 7 | | 1 | | | 0 | | | | | 2 | | | | | 1 | | | | | 3 | 7 | 8 | | |
| 9 | (12) Cory Gathercole (SOM) | 7 | | | 1 | | | | | 3 | | 1 | | | 2 | | | | | | F | | 7 | 9 | | |
| 10 | (16) Jason Lyons (BIR) | 6 | | | | 2 | | | | R | 2 | | | | | | 2 | | | 0 | | | 6 | 10 | | |
| 11 | (4) Taylor Poole (STO) | 6 | 0 | | | | | | | 1 | | | | 2 | | | | 1 | | | | 2 | 6 | 11 | | |
| 12 | (8) Linus Sundstrom (RH) | 6 | | 0 | | | | | | 2 | | | 1 | | | 1 | | | 2 | | | | 6 | 12 | | |
| 13 | (13) Gary Havelock (RED) | 6 | | | | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | 1 | | 0 | | | | | 2 | | 6 | 13 | | |
| 14 | (14) Tomas Topinka (KL) | 4 | | | | 3 | | 0 | | | | | 0 | | 1 | | | | | | | 0 | 4 | 14 | | |
| 15 | (10) Rusty Harrison (WOR) | 3 | | | 2 | | | 1 | | | | | | 0 | | | 0 | | 0 | | | | 3 | 15 | | |
| 16 | (15) Jordan Frampton (RH) | 1 | | | | 0 | | | 0 | | | 0 | | | | | | 0 | 1 | | | | 1 | 16 | | |
| Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos | 21 | 22 |
m - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance • t - exclusion for touching the tapes • x - other exclusion • e - retired or mechanical failure • f - fell • ns - non-starter • nc - non-classify
| gate A - inside | gate B | gate C | gate D - outside |

## Pairs

The Premier League Pairs Championship was held at Oaktree Arena on 9 July. The event was won by Sheffield Tigers.
Group A :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Birmingham | 22 | Lyons 11, Johnston 11 |
| 2 | Somerset | 20 | Gathercole 10, Parker 10 |
| 3 | Newcastle | 20 | Lemon 10, Larsen 10 |
| 4 | King's Lynn | 15 | Doolan 10, Smith 5 |
| 5 | Redcar | 13 | Sanchez 11, Wilson 2 |
Group B :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Sheffield | 24 | Auty 13, Ashworth 11 |
| 2 | Glasgow | 20 | Gracjzonek 11, McGowan 9 |
| 3 | Rye House | 18 | Neath 10, Frampton 8 |
| 4 | Scunthorpe | 18 | Karlsson 13, Howe 5 |
| 5 | Edinburgh | 10 | Fisher 5, Wolbert 5 |
Semi finals
* Birmingham bt Glasgow 6–3
* Sheffield bt Somerset 6–3
Final
* Sheffield bt Birmingham 7–2

## Fours

Birmingham Brummies won the Premier League Four-Team Championship, held on 15 August 2010, at the East of England Arena.
Group A :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Birmingham | 14 | Lyons 5, Sweetman 4, Summers 4, Johnston 1 |
| 2 | Sheffield | 13 | Ashworth 5, Franc 4, Hall 3, Lambert 1 |
| 3 | Newcastle | 12 | Lemon 6, Larsen 4, King 2, Bach 0 |
| 4 | Berwick | 9 | Rymel 4, Complin 2, Makovsky 2, Clews 1 |
Group B :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Somerset | 15 | Parker 6, Masters 5, Hawkins 2, Gathercole 2 |
| 2 | Edinburgh | 14 | Tully 5, Wethers 4, Fisher 3, Katajisto 2 |
| 3 | Scunthorpe | 14 | Karlsson 4, Aarnio 4, Howe 3, Wilkinson 3 |
| 4 | Rye House | 5 | Sundstrom 3, Neath 2, Ekberg 0, Kessler 0 |
Final :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Birmingham | 25 | Lyons 8, Sweetman 6, Summers 6, Johnston 5 |
| 2 | Edinburgh | 19 | Fisher 8, Tully 4, Wethers 4, Katajisto 3 |
| 3 | Somerset | 15 | Parker 6, Masters 5, Hawkins 2, Holder 2 |
| 4 | Sheffield | 13 | Franc 7, Hall 4, Ashworth 2, Lambert 0 |

## Final leading averages

| Rider | Team | Average |
| Ryan Fisher | Edinburgh | 10.01 |
| Kenni Larsen | Newcastle | 10.00 |
| Linus Sundström | Rye House | 9.84 |
| Kevin Doolan | Kings Lynn | 9.76 |
| Jason Lyons | Birmingham | 9.58 |
| Joe Screen | Glasgow | 9.49 |
| René Bach | Newcastle | 9.42 |
| Mark Lemon | Newcastle | 9.38 |
| Travis McGowan | Glasgow | 9.33 |
| Oliver Allen | King's Lynn | 8.36 |

## Riders & final averages

Berwick
* Adrian Rymel 8.66
* Marcin Rempała 8.57
* Michal Makovský 7.24
* Lee Complin 7.17
* Michał Rajkowski 6.55
* Paul Clews 6.46
* Craig Branney 5.62
* Jade Mudgway 4.69
* Anders Andersen 3.32
Birmingham
* Jason Lyons 9.58
* Chris Kerr 8.51
* Steve Johnston 8.49
* Richard Sweetman 8.37
* Aaron Summers 7.76
* Justin Sedgmen 7.40
* Klaus Jakobsen 5.04
* Kyle Newman 4.79
* Jake Anderson 2.63
Edinburgh
* Ryan Fisher 10.01
* Kevin Wolbert 8.53
* Matthew Wethers 8.18
* Kalle Katajisto 7.86
* Andrew Tully 7.78
* William Lawson 5.66
* Tobias Busch 4.88
* József Tabaka 4.46
* Max Dilger 2.93
* Arlo Bugeja 2.36
* Ashley Morris 2.36
* Cal McDade 2.09
Glasgow
* Joe Screen 9.49
* Travis McGowan 9.33
* James Grieves 7.94
* Josh Grajczonek 7.57
* Nick Morris 5.47
* John Branney 5.14
* Lee Dicken 4.42
* Jamie Courtney 3.16
* Jake Anderson 2.98
* Mitchell Davey 2.69
King's Lynn
* Kevin Doolan 9.76
* Oliver Allen 8.72
* Tomáš Topinka 8.21
* Joe Haines 7.32
* Linus Eklöf 7.29
* Kozza Smith 6.92
* Lasse Bjerre 6.71
* Chris Mills 5.97
* Casper Wortmann 5.47
* Adam Roynon 5.24
* Darren Mallett 4.85
* Cal McDade 2.45
Newcastle
* Kenni Larsen 10.00
* René Bach 9.42
* Mark Lemon 9.38
* Jason King 6.72
* Derek Sneddon 5.67
* Dakota North 5.40
* Adam McKinna 3.29
* Anders Andersen 2.54
Newport
* Leigh Lanham 8.30
* Kyle Legault 7.92
* Kim Nilsson 7.45
* Craig Watson 7.14
* Robin Aspegren 6.25
* Anders Mellgren 5.35
* Alex Davies 5.30
* Todd Kurtz 4.88
Redcar
* Gary Havelock 8.32
* Emiliano Sanchez 7.12
* Ben Wilson 6.56
* James Grieves 6.27
* Maks Gregorič 5.45
* Peter Juul 5.45
* Tomáš Suchánek 5.19
* Stuart Swales 5.04
* Henning Bager 4.69
* Jan Graversen 4.50
* Charles Wright 4.39
Rye House
* Linus Sundström 9.84
* Jordan Frampton 8.26
* Chris Neath 7.68
* Stefan Ekberg 6.95
* Luke Bowen 6.05
* Kyle Hughes 5.60
* Kurt Shields 4.00
* Robbie Kessler 3.40
* Lee Strudwick 2.38
* Paul Starke 2.27
Scunthorpe
* David Howe 8.38
* Magnus Karlsson 8.06
* Carl Wilkinson 7.57
* Tero Aarnio 6.91
* Joel Parsons 6.91
* Viktor Bergström 5.57
* Jerran Hart 5.17
* Jan Graversen 4.63
* Simon Lambert 4.04
Sheffield
* Ricky Ashworth 8.28
* Josh Auty 8.23
* Richard Hall 7.32
* Josef Franc 7.29
* Hugh Skidmore 6.36
* Paul Cooper 5.90
* Simon Lambert 5.16
* Arlo Bugeja 3.35
Somerset
* Shane Parker 8.40
* Cory Gathercole 7.75
* Sam Masters 7.17
* Ritchie Hawkins 6.50
* Christian Hefenbrock 6.00
* James Holder 5.15
* Luboš Tomíček Jr. 4.65
* Mark Baseby 2.52
* Kyle Howarth 1.94
Stoke
* Claus Vissing 7.39
* Lee Smart 6.66
* Taylor Poole 6.45
* Hynek Štichauer 6.45
* Luboš Tomíček Jr. 6.02
* Ricky Wells 5.98
* Klaus Jakobsen 5.73
* Ben Wilson 5.48
* Jan Graversen 5.45
* James Holder 3.73
* Frank Facher 3.52
* Michal Rajkowski 3.33
* Jeremia Thelaus 1.78
Workington
* Rusty Harrison 7.69
* Chris Schramm 7.54
* Craig Cook 7.47
* Peter Kildemand 7.27
* Andre Compton 6.97
* Richard Lawson 6.63
* John Branney 6.05
* Kenny Ingalls 5.81
* Casper Wortmann 5.75