# SGB Premiership 2022

The 2022 SGB Premiership was the 87th season of the top tier of British speedway and the 5th known as the SGB Premiership. Sheffield Tigers topped the regular season table and met Belle Vue Aces in the play off final but Belle Vue ran out the winners to claim their 13th league title.

## 2022 summary

The same six clubs as 2021 competed for the league championship, with Swindon once again sitting out due to the development of their stadium. The Rising Star scheme introduced in 2021, has been extended for the 2022 season, allowing clubs to select an additional Rising Star rider as a 'Number 8' for the season.
A new League Cup competition was introduced, with a regional group stage determining the finalists, the event was won by Sheffield Tigers. There was no place for the traditional Knockout Cup. Also re–introduced for the new season, was the SGB Premiership Pairs competition, but over six legs. The event was won by Ipswich Witches, with the sixth leg cancelled due to fixture congestion. However, the additional fixtures created an issue due to the suspension of fixtures during the Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II and the heavy rain during October. In retrospect additional events could have been added after the completion of the league and knockout cup fixtures.
Belle Vue brought in Robert Lambert as a late season injury replacement for Max Fricke and Lambert scored a 15-point maximum in the play off final 1st leg. The signing of Lambert was pivotal as Belle Vue held on to win the play offs on aggregate score, despite Sheffield winning the second leg. Sheffield gained some compensation for the defeat when easily beating King's Lynn in the League Cup final.

## Regular season

File:Robert Lambert.jpg League Table
| Pos. | Club | M | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | F | A | Pts | +/− |
| Pos. | Club | M | W | D | L | 4W | 3W | D | 1L | L | F | A | Pts | +/− |
| 1 | Sheffield Tigers | 20 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 913 | 845 | 46 | +68 |
| 2 | Ipswich Witches | 20 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 892 | 895 | 43 | -3 |
| 3 | Belle Vue Aces | 20 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 962 | 838 | 38 | +124 |
| 4 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 20 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 907 | 893 | 34 | +14 |
| 5 | Kings Lynn Stars | 20 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 901 | 899 | 27 | +2 |
| 6 | Peterborough Panthers | 20 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 782 | 987 | 13 | -205 |
A Fixtures
| Home \ Away | BEL | IPS | KLN | PET | SHF | WOL |
| Belle Vue Aces | | 48–42 | 48–32 | 64–26 | 58–32 | 51–39 |
| Ipswich Witches | 47–43 | | 46–44 | 45–45 | 43–47 | 46–44 |
| Kings Lynn Stars | 50–40 | 43–47 | | 51–39 | 41–49 | 55–35 |
| Peterborough Panthers | 36–54 | 50–39 | 46–44 | | 45–45 | 40–50 |
| Sheffield Tigers | 54–36 | 43–35 | 48–42 | 51–39 | | 46–44 |
| Wolverhampton Wolves | 49–41 | 42–48 | 53–37 | 53–37 | 54–36 | |
B Fixtures
| Home \ Away | BEL | IPS | KLN | PET | SHF | WOL |
| Belle Vue Aces | | 60–30 | 61–29 | 63–27 | 54–36 | 47–43 |
| Ipswich Witches | 50–40 | | 46–44 | 46–44 | 54–36 | 53–37 |
| Kings Lynn Stars | 55–35 | 43–47 | | 46–44 | 39–51 | 63–27 |
| Peterborough Panthers | 44–46 | 45–45 | 38–52 | | 28–32 | 42–48 |
| Sheffield Tigers | 57–33 | 54–36 | 50–40 | 51–39 | | 51–39 |
| Wolverhampton Wolves | 50–40 | 43–37 | 49–41 | 62–28 | 46–44 | |
League Scoring System

## Premiership play-offs
### Draw

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final |
| 1 | Sheffield Tigers | 47 | 61 | 108 | | | | | |
| 4 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 43 | 29 | 72 | | | | | |
| 4 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 43 | 29 | 72 | Sheffield Tigers | Sheffield Tigers | 39 | 50 | 89 |
| | | | | | Belle Vue Aces | Belle Vue Aces | 51 | 40 | 91 |
| 3 | Belle Vue Aces | 52 | 55 | 107 | Belle Vue Aces | Belle Vue Aces | 51 | 40 | 91 |
| 2 | Ipswich Witches | 38 | 35 | 73 | | | | | |
Home team scores are in bold Overall aggregate scores are in red

### Grand Final

First leg
| 10 October | Belle Vue Aces Robert Lambert 15 Matej Žagar 10 Brady Kurtz 10 Tom Brennan 7 Norick Blödorn 6 Charles Wright 3 Jye Etheridge 0 | 51–39 | Sheffield Tigers Adam Ellis 8 Tobiasz Musielak 8 Lewis Kerr 7 Justin Sedgmen 7 Kyle Howarth 4 Connor Mountain 3 Jack Holder 2 | National Speedway Stadium Referee(s): Christina Turnbull |
Second Leg
| 13 October | Sheffield Tigers Tobiasz Musielak 10 Lewis Kerr 9 Jack Holder 9 Adam Ellis 6 Justin Sedgmen 6 Kyle Howarth 5 Connor Mountain 5 | 50–40 | Belle Vue Aces Robert Lambert 10 Tom Brennan 9 Norick Blödorn 7 Matej Žagar 7 Brady Kurtz 5 Simon Lambert (guest) 2 Rider replacement | Owlerton Stadium Referee(s): Christina Turnbull |

## League Cup
### Group stages

Northern Group
Fixtures
| Home \ Away | BEL | SHF | WOL |
| Belle Vue Aces | | 44–46 | 42–48 |
| Sheffield Tigers | 53–37 | | 44–46 |
| Wolverhampton Wolves | 50–40 | 44–46 | |
Table
| Pos. | Club | M | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | F | A | Pts | +/− |
| Pos. | Club | M | W | D | L | 4W | 3W | D | 1L | L | F | A | Pts | +/− |
| 1 | Sheffield Tigers (Q) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 189 | 171 | 9 | +18 |
| 2 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 188 | 172 | 9 | +14 |
| 3 | Belle Vue Aces | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 163 | 197 | 0 | -34 |
Southern Group
Fixtures
| Home \ Away | IPS | KYN | PET |
| Ipswich Witches | | 44–46 | 40–50 |
| Kings Lynn Stars | 56–34 | | 47–43 |
| Peterborough Panthers | 53–37 | 42–48 | |
Table
| Pos. | Club | M | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | F | A | Pts | +/− |
| Pos. | Club | M | W | D | L | 4W | 3W | D | 1L | L | F | A | Pts | +/− |
| 1 | Kings Lynn Stars (Q) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 197 | 163 | 12 | +34 |
| 2 | Peterborough Panthers | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 188 | 172 | 8 | +16 |
| 3 | Ipswich Witches | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 155 | 205 | 0 | -50 |

### Final

The two group winners, the Kings Lynn Stars and the Sheffield Tigers both qualified for the final, which was won by Sheffield over two legs.
First Leg
| 17 October | King's Lynn Stars Thomas Jørgensen 11 Frederik Jakobsen 9 Josh Pickering 7 Richie Worrall 6 Richard Lawson 5 Nicolai Klindt 2 Jason Edwards 0 | 39–51 | Sheffield Tigers Lewis Kerr 11 Jack Holder 11 Tobiasz Musielak 10 Adam Ellis 9 Justin Sedgmen 5 Connor Mountain 5 Kyle Howarth 2 | Adrian Flux Arena Referee(s): Wayne Jarvis |
Second Leg
| 2 November | Sheffield Tigers Adam Ellis 10 Tobiasz Musielak 9 Connor Mountain 9 Kyle Howarth 7 Sam Masters (guest) 7 Lewis Kerr 5 James Wright (guest) 3 | 50–34 | King's Lynn Stars Richard Lawson 14 Richie Worrall 9 Thomas Jorgensen 3 Frederik Jakobsen 3 Jason Edwards 3 Tom Brennan (guest) 2 Nicolai Klindt r/r | Owlerton Stadium Referee(s): Chris Durno |

## Pairs Championship

Each of the six Premiership club were supposed to have staged a round of the pairs championship at their track, with the highest placed side after the six rounds declared Premiership Pairs Champions but Ipswich were declared winners after only five rounds were held. Teams tracked two of their top four riders, plus the Rising Star as a reserve, at each meeting. The highest placed side after the qualifying heats qualified for the final, with second and third competing in the semi-final.

### Standings

| Pos | Team | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | Tot |
| 1 | Ipswich Witches | 2 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 8 | x | 46 |
| 2 | Belle Vue Aces | 6 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 12 | x | 34 |
| 3 | Kings Lynn Stars | 12 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 0 | x | 26 |
| 4 | Sheffield Tigers | 8 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 2 | x | 26 |
| 5 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | x | 14 |
| 6 | Peterborough Panthers | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 6 | x | 14 |
red indicates home team, bold indicates winners

### Rounds

Extended content :
| Pos | Team | Pts |
| 1 | Sheffield Tigers | 26 |
| 2 | Belle Vue Aces | 24 |
| 3 | Kings Lynn Stars | 23 |
| 4 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 23 |
| 5 | Ipswich Witches | 21 |
| 6 | Peterborough Panthers | 18 |
| Team One | Team Two | Score | Result |
| Kings Lynn | Belle Vue | 7-2 | Pickering, Lawson, Kurtz, Fricke (F) |
| Team One | Team Two | Score | Result |
| Kings Lynn | Sheffield | 5-4 | Holder, Lawson, Pickering, Ellis (Fx) |
| Pos | Team | Pts |
| 1 | Sheffield Tigers | 29 |
| 2 | Belle Vue Aces | 24 |
| 3 | Ipswich Witches | 24 |
| 4 | Kings Lynn Stars | 23 |
| 5 | Peterborough Panthers | 21 |
| 6 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 14 |
| Team One | Team Two | Score | Result |
| Ipswich | Belle Vue | 6-3 | Doyle, Zagar, Batchelor, Kurtz |
| Team One | Team Two | Score | Result |
| Ipswich | Sheffield | 6-3 | Doyle, Ellis, Batchelor, Musielak |
| Pos | Team | Pts |
| 1 | Ipswich Witches | 27 |
| 2 | Kings Lynn Stars | 27 |
| 3 | Sheffield Tigers | 23 |
| 4 | Peterborough Panthers | 21 |
| 5 | Belle Vue Aces | 20 |
| 6 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 17 |
| Team One | Team Two | Score | Result |
| Sheffield | Kings Lynn | 6-3 | Holder, Pickering, Ellis, Lawson |
| Team One | Team Two | Score | Result |
| Ipswich | Sheffield | 5-4 | Holder, Doyle, King, Ellis |
| Pos | Team | Pts |
| 1 | Belle Vue Aces | 31 |
| 2 | Ipswich Witches | 27 |
| 3 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 24 |
| 4 | Kings Lynn Stars | 21 |
| 5 | Peterborough Panthers | 20 |
| 6 | Sheffield Tigers | 12 |
| Team One | Team Two | Score | Result |
| Ipswich | Wolverhampton | 6-3 | Doyle, Masters, Hume, Batchelor (X/2 Mins), Morris (FX) |
| Team One | Team Two | Score | Result |
| Ipswich | Belle Vue | 7-2 | Doyle, Batchelor, Fricke, Kurtz |

## Leading averages

| | Rider | Team | Average |
| 1 | Jason Doyle | Ipswich | 10.15 |
| 2 | Sam Masters | Wolverhampton | 9.14 |
| 3 | Tobiasz Musielak | Sheffield | 8.86 |
| 4 | Max Fricke | Belle Vue | 8.62 |
| | Matej Žagar | Belle Vue | 8.62 |
| 6 | Brady Kurtz | Belle Vue | 8.59 |
| 7 | Jack Holder | Sheffield | 8.56 |
| 8 | Chris Harris | Peterborough | 8.30 |
| 9 | Niels Kristian Iversen | King's Lynn | 8.10 |
| 10 | Adam Ellis | Sheffield | 7.97 |
* averages include league, play offs & league cup, min 6 matches

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

* Max Fricke 8.96
* Brady Kurtz (C) 8.76
* Matej Žagar 8.41
* Charles Wright 7.25
* Tom Brennan (Rising Star) 6.43
* Jye Etheridge 5.89
* Norick Blödorn 5.09
* Robert Lambert n/a

### Ipswich Witches

* Jason Doyle 10.53
* Rohan Tungate 7.83
* Troy Batchelor 6.98
* Danny King (C) 6.93
* Erik Riss 6.64
* Aaron Summers 6.00
* Ben Barker 5.25
* Danyon Hume (Number 8) 5.65
* Anders Rowe (Rising Star) 5.14
* Paul Starke 4.00

### King's Lynn Stars

* Nicolai Klindt 8.32
* Niels Kristian Iversen 8.00
* Josh Pickering (C) 7.45
* Frederik Jakobsen 7.45
* Richard Lawson 7.35
* Thomas Jørgensen 7.03
* Richie Worrall 6.83
* Lewis Kerr 5.16
* Jason Edwards (Rising Star) 3.39
* Jack Thomas (Number 8) 2.78

### Peterborough Panthers

* Chris Harris 8.14
* Benjamin Basso 6.91
* Michael Palm Toft 6.81
* Hans Andersen 5.73
* Scott Nicholls (C) 5.62
* Ulrich Østergaard 5.53
* Jordan Jenkins (Rising Star) 2.77
* Jordan Palin 1.88
* Jake Mulford (Number 8) 0.44

### Sheffield Tigers

* Tobiasz Musielak 9.04
* Jack Holder 8.67
* Adam Ellis 7.57
* Kyle Howarth (C) 6.77
* Craig Cook 6.00
* Lewis Kerr 5.56
* Connor Mountain (Rising Star) 5.26
* Stefan Nielsen 3.56
* Justin Sedgmen 4.75
* Dan Thompson (Number 8) 2.67
* Jake Allen 2.40

### Wolverhampton Wolves

* Sam Masters (C) 9.10
* Ryan Douglas 8.23
* Steve Worrall 7.79
* Luke Becker 7.60
* Nick Morris 7.33
* Leon Flint (Rising Star) 4.25
* Drew Kemp 3.65
* Joe Thompson (Number 8) 2.00