# 2001 Premier League speedway season

The 2001 Premier League speedway season was the second division of speedway in the United Kingdom and governed by the Speedway Control Bureau (SCB), in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA).

## Season summary

The League consisted of 15 teams for the 2001 season with the addition of a new teams, the Trelawny Tigers.
The League was run on a standard format with no play-offs and was won by Newcastle Diamonds.

## Final table

| Pos | | M | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | Bon | Tot |
| 1 | Newcastle Diamonds | 28 | 20 | 1 | 7 | 1327 | 1166 | 41 | 12 | 53 |
| 2 | Hull Vikings | 28 | 17 | 3 | 8 | 1377 | 1124 | 37 | 13 | 50 |
| 3 | Sheffield Tigers | 28 | 18 | 0 | 10 | 1378 | 1125 | 36 | 11 | 47 |
| 4 | Isle of Wight Islanders | 28 | 18 | 0 | 10 | 1374 | 1145 | 36 | 11 | 47 |
| 5 | Swindon Robins | 28 | 16 | 3 | 9 | 1331 | 1170 | 35 | 10 | 45 |
| 6 | Workington Comets | 28 | 16 | 2 | 10 | 1263 | 1256 | 34 | 8 | 42 |
| 7 | Exeter Falcons | 28 | 13 | 2 | 13 | 1290 | 1239 | 28 | 8 | 36 |
| 8 | Edinburgh Monarchs | 28 | 13 | 1 | 14 | 1257 | 1242 | 27 | 8 | 35 |
| 9 | Reading Racers | 28 | 12 | 3 | 13 | 1272 | 1250 | 27 | 6 | 33 |
| 10 | Arena Essex Hammers | 28 | 12 | 2 | 14 | 1230 | 1269 | 25 | 5 | 30 |
| 11 | Stoke Potters | 28 | 13 | 1 | 14 | 1196 | 1316 | 27 | 3 | 30 |
| 12 | Berwick Bandits | 28 | 10 | 1 | 17 | 1204 | 1317 | 21 | 4 | 25 |
| 13 | Glasgow Tigers | 28 | 10 | 0 | 18 | 1131 | 1369 | 20 | 3 | 23 |
| 14 | Trelawny Tigers | 28 | 6 | 1 | 21 | 1075 | 1447 | 13 | 2 | 15 |
| 15 | Newport Wasps | 28 | 6 | 1 | 21 | 1115 | 1385 | 13 | 1 | 14 |

## Fixtures & results

| Home \ Away | AE | BER | ED | EX | GLA | HV | IOW | ND | NW | RR | SHE | STO | SWI | TT | WOR |
| Arena Essex Hammers | | 57–32 | 51–39 | 51–39 | 48–39 | 43–47 | 52–38 | 43–47 | 61–29 | 45–45 | 47–43 | 56–33 | 47–43 | 57–33 | 43–47 |
| Berwick Bandits | 42–48 | | 51–39 | 51–39 | 55–35 | 49–41 | 43–47 | 41.5–48.5 | 52–38 | 55–35 | 49–41 | 57–33 | 40–50 | 49–41 | 58–32 |
| Edinburgh Monarchs | 56–34 | 53–37 | | 51–39 | 52–38 | 46–44 | 51–39 | 53–36 | 55–34 | 54–36 | 40–49 | 59–31 | 47–43 | 65–25 | 45–45 |
| Exeter Falcons | 56–34 | 55–39 | 50–42 | | 56–34 | 45–45 | 50–40 | 51–39 | 67–23 | 52–38 | 44–46 | 55–35 | 45–45 | 60–32 | 67–24 |
| Glasgow Tigers | 42–48 | 49–41 | 51–39 | 47–46 | | 33–57 | 43–47 | 46–44 | 52–38 | 44–46 | 42–49 | 50–40 | 37–53 | 49–41 | 40–50 |
| Hull Vikings | 53–37 | 57–33 | 42–30 | 64–26 | 61–29 | | 53–37 | 44–46 | 58–32 | 47–43 | 58–32 | 56–34 | 52–38 | 62–27 | 50–40 |
| Isle of Wight Islanders | 59–31 | 59–31 | 58–32 | 60–30 | 66–24 | 46–44 | | 57–33 | 59–31 | 52–38 | 56–34 | 49–41 | 51–39 | 64–26 | 57–33 |
| Newcastle Diamonds | 52–38 | 55–33 | 54–36 | 57–33 | 42–30 | 48–41 | 52–37 | | 56–34 | 49–41 | 54–36 | 51–35 | 57–33 | 59–31 | 48–42 |
| Newport Wasps | 55–37 | 45–45 | 49–40 | 48–42 | 42–47 | 42–48 | 47–43 | 44–46 | | 36–54 | 41–49 | 49–41 | 34–55 | 64–26 | 44–46 |
| Reading Racers | 48–42 | 49–41 | 50–40 | 43–47 | 55–35 | 45–45 | 46–44 | 42–48 | 51–39 | | 53–37 | 51–39 | 45–45 | 63–37 | 38–52 |
| Sheffield Tigers | 58–32 | 55–35 | 61–28 | 59–31 | 67–22 | 57–34 | 51–39 | 61–29 | 51–21 | 52–30 | | 58–34 | 57–33 | 63–26 | 53–37 |
| Stoke Potters | 49–41 | 64–27 | 52–38 | 51–38 | 45–44 | 45–45 | 53–36 | 45–44 | 55–35 | 48–42 | 53–36 | | 46–44 | 54–36 | 47–42 |
| Swindon Robins | 43–29 | 53–36 | 55–35 | 49–41 | 55–35 | 50–40 | 59–31 | 49–41 | 52–38 | 46–44 | 53–37 | 65–25 | | 51–39 | 45–45 |
| Trelawny Tigers | 47–43 | 52–38 | 41–49 | 37–53 | 43–47 | 44–46 | 34–58 | 45–45 | 47–43 | 42–48 | 48–42 | 62–28 | 50–40 | | 44–46 |
| Workington Comets | 55–35 | 48–42 | 47–43 | 55–35 | 43–47 | 47–43 | 44–45 | 43–47 | 50–40 | 47–43 | 46–44 | 50–40 | 46–44 | 61–29 | |

## Premier League Knockout Cup

The 2001 Premier League Knockout Cup was the 34th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams. Hull Vikings were the winners of the competition.
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 18/05 | Arena Essex | 45-45 | Reading |
| 21/05 | Reading | 48-42 | Arena Essex |
| 16/05 | Hull | 54-36 | Trelawny |
| 22/05 | Trelawny | 43-47 | Hull |
| 19/05 | Stoke | 56-34 | Isle of Wight |
| 29/05 | Isle of Wight | 47-42 | Stoke |
| 21/05 | Newcastle | 55-35 | Edinburgh |
| 18/05 | Edinburgh | 51-39 | Newcastle |
| 09/07 | Sheffield | 58-32 | Berwick |
| 19/05 | Berwick | 47-43 | Sheffield |
| 21/05 | Exeter | 64-26 | Newport |
| 24/06 | Newport | 47-43 | Exeter |
| 10/05 | Swindon | 70-20 | Glasgow |
| 20/05 | Glasgow | 45-42 | Swindon |
Quarter-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 09/07 | Reading | 50-40 | Exeter |
| 12/07 | Exeter | 51-39 | Reading |
| 04/07 | Hull | 57-33 | Stoke |
| 08/07 | Stoke | 41-48 | Hull |
| 09/07 | Newcastle | 56-34 | Sheffield |
| 12/07 | Sheffield | 47-43 | Newcastle |
| 05/07 | Swindon | 50-40 | Workington |
| 30/06 | Workington | 47-43 | Swindon |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 18/07 | Hull | 40-38 | Newcastle |
| 23/07 | Newcastle | 43-47 | Hull |
| 13/08 | Exeter | 52-38 | Swindon |
| 12/08 | Swindon | 51-39 | Exeter |

### Final

First leg
Second leg
Hull were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 105–75.

## Riders' Championship

Carl Stonehewer won the Riders' Championship for the second successive season. The final was held on 9 September at Brandon Stadium.
| Pos. | Rider | Pts | Total | SF | Final |
| 1 | Carl Stonehewer | 1 1 3 1 3 | 9 | 2 | 3 |
| 2 | Sean Wilson | 3 0 3 2 1 | 9 | 3 | 2 |
| 3 | Bjarne Pedersen | 2 3 1 3 3 | 12 | - | 1 |
| 4 | Simon Stead | 3 3 3 2 1 | 12 | - | 0 |
| 5 | James Grieves | 1 3 2 3 2 | 11 | 1 |
| 6 | Paul Fry | 3 2 1 3 2 | 11 | 0 |
| 7 | Paul Thorp | 3 2 3 | 8 |
| 8 | Steve Masters | 1 3 0 0 3 | 7 |
| 9 | Michael Coles | 0 1 0 3 3 | 7 |
| 10 | Robert Eriksson | 2 2 1 1 1 | 7 |
| 11 | Brett Woodifield | 2 ex 2 0 2 | 6 |
| 12 | Adrian Rymel | 2 1 0 2 0 | 5 |
| 13 | Ray Morton | 0 2 2 1 | 5 |
| 14 | Leigh Lanham | 1 ex 0 2 0 | 3 |
| 15 | Paul Pickering | 0 1 1 0 1 | 3 |
| 16 | Armando Castagna | ex 0 2 0 0 | 2 |
| 17 | Andrew Moore (res) | 2 | 2 |
| 18 | Ritchie Hawkins (res) | 1 | 1 |
* f=fell, r-retired, ex=excluded, ef=engine failure t=touched tapes

## Pairs

The Premier League Pairs Championship was held at Derwent Park on 14 July. The event was won by Workington Comets for the third successive season.
Group A
* Reading (Gjedde & Castagna)
* Sheffield (Wilson & Kessler)
* Exeter (Coles & Simmonds)
* Newport (Masters & Cunningham)
* Swindon (Fry & Kristensen)
Group B
* Workington (Stonehewer & Karlsson)
* Newcastle (Pedersen & Olsen)
* Isle of Wight (Morton & Bird)
* Arena Essex (White & Lanham)
* Edinburgh (Carr & Eriksson)
Final
* Workington (Stonehewer & Karlsson) bt Newcastle (Olsen & Pedersen)

## Fours

Workington Comets won the Premier League Four-Team Championship, which was held on 5 August 2001, at the East of England Arena.
Group A :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Sheffield | 19 | |
| 2 | Newcastle | 13 | |
| 3 | Hull | 11 | |
| 4 | Reading | 5 | Gjedde 2, Mullett 2, Castagna 1, Morris 0 |
Group B :
| Pos | Team | Pts |
| 1 | Isle of Wight | 16 |
| 2 | Workington | 12 |
| 3 | Edinburgh | 12 |
| 4 | Newport | 7 |
Final :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Workington | 22 | Stonehewer, Collins N |
| 2 | Newcastle | 21 | Pedersen B |
| 3 | Sheffield | 19 | Stead |
| 4 | Isle of Wight | 10 | Swain |

## Leading averages

| Rider | Team | Average |
| Sean Wilson | Sheffield | 10.39 |
| Carl Stonehewer | Workington | 10.29 |
| Bjarne Pedersen | Newcastle | 10.16 |
| Peter Carr | Edinburgh | 10.01 |
| Simon Stead | Sheffield | 9.98 |
| Ray Morton | Isle of Wight | 9.42 |
| Michael Coles | Exeter | 9.19 |
| Armando Castagna | Reading | 9.05 |
| Paul Thorp | Hull | 9.03 |
| Peter Ingvar Karlsson | Workington | 9.03 |

## Riders & final averages

Arena Essex
* Leigh Lanham 8.84
* Colin White 8.08
* Troy Pratt 7.67
* Shaun Tacey 7.20
* Lee Dicken 5.47
* Luke Clifton 4.00
* Andy Galvin 3.40
* Brent Collyer 3.24
* Lee Herne 2.91
* Barrie Evans 2.63
Berwick
* Adrian Rymel 7.05
* Scott Lamb 6.96
* Scott Robson 6.84
* Michal Makovský 6.73
* David Meldrum 6.58
* Wayne Carter 5.49
* Bevan Compton .27
* Josef Franc 5.25
* Will Beveridge 4.76
* David McAllan 2.88
Edinburgh
* Peter Carr 10.01
* Jan Andersen 8.03
* Robert Eriksson 7.83
* Daniel Andersson 7.01
* Christian Henry 5.15
* Blair Scott 5.08
* Ben Shields 4.73
* Derek Sneddon 3.77
* Rory Schlein 1.29
Exeter
* Michael Coles 9.19
* Mark Simmonds 8.05
* Lawrence Hare 7.74
* Seemond Stephens 7.62
* Bobby Eldridge 5.28
* Krister Marsh 5.02
* Matt Cambridge 4.13
* Jason Prynne 3.37
* David Osborn 0.47
Glasgow
* James Grieves 8.47
* Les Collins 8.07
* Emiliano Sanchez 7.25
* Mark Courtney 6.53
* Stuart Swales 5.33
* Henning Bager 4.92
* Simon Cartwright 4.33
* Aidan Collins 4.00
* Derek Sneddon 3.66
* Scott Courtney 1.71
Hull
* Paul Thorp 9.03
* Paul Bentley 8.49
* David Walsh 8.06
* Garry Stead 8.00
* Ross Brady 6.98
* Lee Dicken 6.58
* Jamie Smith 5.27
* Mike Smith 4.83
* Justin Elkins 3.05
Isle of Wight
* Ray Morton 9.42
* Danny Bird 8.79
* Adam Shields 8.61
* Davey Watt 6.47
* Sebastien Trésarrieu 6.46
* Scott Swain 6.16
* Glen Phillips 4.42
Newcastle
* Bjarne Pedersen 10.16
* Andre Compton 8.13
* Jesper Olsen 8.11
* Kevin Little 7.58
* Richard Juul 5.26
* Rob Grant Jr 5.02
* James Birkinshaw 4.25
* Grant MacDonald 3.11
Newport
* Anders Henriksson 8.95
* Glenn Cunningham 7.55
* Steve Masters 7.47
* Emil Lindqvist 6.92
* Scott Smith 6.32
* Chris Neath 6.30
* Krister Marsh 4.57
* Carl Wilkinson 4.50
* Tommy Palmer 4.48
* Nick Simmons 3.48
* Rob Finlow 1.88
Reading
* Armando Castagna 9.05
* Charlie Gjedde 8.94
* Phil Morris 8.42
* Dave Mullett 7.77
* Paul Clews 7.39
* Shane Colvin 5.38
* Tommy Palmer 3.51
* Chris Schramm 2.82
* Brendon McKay 0.94
Sheffield
* Sean Wilson 10.39
* Simon Stead 9.98
* Robbie Kessler 8.83
* Scott Smith 7.18
* Lee Complin 5.50
* Adam Allott 4.86
* Andrew Moore 4.81
* Lee Redmond 4.64
* Lee Hodgson 3.19
Stoke
* Jan Staechmann 8.85
* Paul Pickering 8.21
* Tony Atkin 7.26
* Mark Burrows 6.11
* Jon Armstrong 4.79
* Wayne Broadhurst 4.47
* Dean Felton 3.91
* Will Beveridge 3.41
* Grant MacDonald 3.06
* Neil Painter 1.37
Swindon
* Paul Fry 8.27
* Claus Kristensen 7.77
* Oliver Allen 7.73
* Alan Mogridge 7.63
* Martin Dixon 7.11
* Alun Rossiter 7.10
* Mark Steel 6.20
* Ritchie Hawkins 4.52
Trelawny
* Chris Harris 7.82
* Pavel Ondrašík 6.64
* Brett Woodifield 6.59
* Mark Courtney 6.21
* Graeme Gordon 5.55
* Kenny Olsson 5.00
* Richard Wolff 5.00
* Steffen Mell 4.20
* Gary Phelps 4.00
* Simon Phillips 3.55
* Lee Herne 3.28
Workington
* Carl Stonehewer 10.29
* Peter Ingvar Karlsson 9.03
* Neil Collins 7.67
* Mick Powell 7.51
* Rusty Harrison 7.25
* Lee Smethills 4.39
* James Mann 3.03
* David McAllan 2.66
* Craig Branney 1.55