# 1999 Premier League speedway season

The 1999 Premier League speedway season was the second division of speedway in the United Kingdom and governed by the Speedway Control Board (SCB), in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA).

## Season summary

The League consisted of 13 teams for the 1999 season with the addition of the Swindon Robins who dropped down from the Elite League and a new team, the Workington Comets who replaced the Hull Vikings and the Peterborough Panthers who moved up to the Elite League.
The League was run on a standard format with no play-offs and was won by Sheffield Tigers.

## Final table

| Pos | | M | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | Bon | Tot |
| 1 | Sheffield Tigers | 24 | 18 | 2 | 4 | 1229 | 930 | 38 | 12 | 50 |
| 2 | Newport Wasps | 24 | 16 | 1 | 7 | 1152 | 1023 | 33 | 9 | 42 |
| 3 | Edinburgh Monarchs | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 1151 | 1024 | 28 | 9 | 37 |
| 4 | Swindon Robins | 24 | 11 | 1 | 12 | 1110 | 1061 | 23 | 9 | 32 |
| 5 | Newcastle Diamonds | 24 | 11 | 1 | 12 | 1103 | 1066 | 23 | 8 | 31 |
| 6 | Exeter Falcons | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 1071 | 1087 | 26 | 5 | 31 |
| 7 | Berwick Bandits | 24 | 13 | 1 | 10 | 1024 | 1140 | 27 | 4 | 31 |
| 8 | Isle of Wight Islanders | 24 | 11 | 1 | 12 | 1085 | 1078 | 23 | 7 | 30 |
| 9 | Arena Essex Hammers | 24 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 1081 | 1081 | 25 | 5 | 30 |
| 10 | Stoke Potters | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 1026 | 1138 | 20 | 4 | 24 |
| 11 | Workington Comets | 24 | 8 | 1 | 15 | 1039 | 1132 | 17 | 3 | 20 |
| 12 | Glasgow Tigers | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 999 | 1160 | 18 | 1 | 19 |
| 13 | Reading Racers | 24 | 5 | 1 | 18 | 1004 | 1154 | 11 | 2 | 13 |

## Fixtures & results

| Home \ Away | AE | BER | ED | EX | GLA | IOW | ND | NW | RR | SHE | STO | SWI | WOR |
| Arena Essex Hammers | | 59–32 | 45–48 | 58–32 | 46–45 | 46–44 | 46–43 | 47–43 | 48–42 | 45–45 | 54–35 | 51–39 | 55–35 |
| Berwick Bandits | 47–42 | | 53–37 | 43–49 | 49–41 | 52–38 | 46–44 | 45–45 | 39–33 | 46–44 | 48–44 | 49–41 | 50–40 |
| Edinburgh Monarchs | 56–34 | 58–32 | | 59–31 | 48–41 | 63–27 | 46–50 | 56–33 | 49–40 | 58–32 | 65–25 | 62–28 | 53–37 |
| Exeter Falcons | 42–48 | 52–38 | 53–37 | | 62–27 | 50–40 | 50–40 | 46–44 | 55–35 | 50–40 | 52–38 | 45–44 | 59–31 |
| Glasgow Tigers | 46–44 | 46–43 | 49–43 | 46–44 | | 46–43 | 46–44 | 42–48 | 42–48 | 44–46 | 48–43 | 46–44 | 46–42 |
| Isle of Wight Islanders | 54–36 | 55–35 | 59–31 | 44–46 | 48–42 | | 41–49 | 48–42 | 51–38 | 43–48 | 53–36 | 46–43 | 55–35 |
| Newcastle Diamonds | 50–40 | 42–47 | 48–42 | 52–38 | 57–32 | 45–45 | | 44–48 | 54–36 | 44–46 | 53–37 | 46–44 | 54–38 |
| Newport Wasps | 48–42 | 62–28 | 54–38 | 51–39 | 47–46 | 42–48 | 49–41 | | 59–31 | 52–38 | 52–38 | 51–39 | 54–36 |
| Reading Racers | 43–47 | 43–47 | 51–39 | 50–40 | 53–38 | 43–47 | 49–44 | 42–48 | | 40–49 | 46–47 | 45–47 | 43–47 |
| Sheffield Tigers | 62–38 | 68–22 | 60–30 | 57–32 | 62–28 | 54–36 | 56–33 | 54–36 | 55–35 | | 56–34 | 61–29 | 49–41 |
| Stoke Potters | 46–44 | 59–33 | 39–52 | 58–31 | 50–39 | 48–45 | 48–43 | 43–47 | 47–37 | 43–47 | | 47–43 | 48–42 |
| Swindon Robins | 53–37 | 53–37 | 49–41 | 52–38 | 53–37 | 58–32 | 52–38 | 43–50 | 56–36 | 45–45 | 57–34 | | 54–39 |
| Workington Comets | 51–39 | 45–48 | 43–46 | 55–35 | 53–36 | 50–43 | 44–46 | 49–42 | 45–45 | 42–49 | 51–39 | 48–44 | |

## Premier League Knockout Cup

The 1999 Premier League Knockout Cup was the 32nd edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams. Edinburgh Monarchs were the winners of the competition.
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 17/05 | Reading | 53-37 | Glasgow |
| 23/05 | Glasgow | 37-46 | Reading |
| 21/05 | Edinburgh | 53-31 | Newcastle |
| 23/05 | Newcastle | 42-27 | Edinburgh |
| 23/05 | Newport | 47-43 | Stoke |
| 22/05 | Stoke | 46-44 | Newport |
| 20/05 | Sheffield | 52-38 | Isle of Wight |
| 18/05 | Isle of Wight | 42-48 | Sheffield |
| 24/05 | Exeter | 67-23 | Workington |
| 12/06 | Workington | 48-42 | Exeter |
Quarter-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 12/07 | Reading | 46-44 | Sheffield |
| 15/07 | Sheffield | 55-35 | Reading |
| 16/07 | Edinburgh | 57-33 | Newport |
| 04/07 | Newport | 53-37 | Edinburgh |
| 09/07 | Arena Essex | 55-35 | Swindon |
| 29/07 | Swindon | 53-37 | Arena Essex |
| 28/06 | Exeter | 63-37 | Berwick |
| 26/06 | Berwick | 49-40 | Exeter |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 20/08 | Edinburgh | 56-34 | Sheffield |
| 26/08 | Sheffield | 55-35 | Edinburgh |
| 20/08 | Arena Essex | 50-39 | Exeter |
| 23/08 | Exeter | 46-44 | Arena Essex |

### Final

| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 25/09 | Edinburgh | 54-36 | Arena Essex |
| 16/10 | Arena Essex | 49-41 | Edinburgh |
First leg
Second leg
Edinburgh were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 95–85.

## Riders' Championship

Sean Wilson won the Riders' Championship. The final was held on 12 September at Owlerton Stadium.
| Pos. | Rider | Pts | Total | SF | Final |
| 1 | Sean Wilson | 3 1 3 3 3 | 13 | - | 3 |
| 2 | Jesper Olsen | 2 3 3 3 2 | 13 | 3 | 2 |
| 3 | Craig Watson | 3 2 2 0 3 | 10 | 2 | 1 |
| 4 | Carl Stonehewer | 3 3 3 1 3 | 13 | - | 0 |
| 5 | Michael Coles | 3 1 1 3 3 | 11 | 1 |
| 6 | Paul Pickering | 2 3 3 2 1 | 11 | 0 |
| 7 | Glenn Cunningham | 2 2 2 1 2 | 9 |
| 8 | Peter Carr | ex 3 2 2 2 | 9 |
| 9 | Les Collins | 1 ex 2 2 2 | 7 |
| 10 | Anders Henriksson | 1 0 1 3 1 | 6 |
| 11 | Phil Morris | 1 1 1 2 0 | 5 |
| 12 | Paul Bentley | 1 2 0 1 1 | 5 |
| 13 | Leigh Lanham | ex 2 0 1 1 | 4 |
| 14 | James Grieves | 2 0 0 0 0 | 2 |
| 15 | Neville Tatum | 0 1 1 0 0 | 2 |
| 16 | David Meldrum | 0 0 0 0 0 | 0 |
* f=fell, r-retired, ex=excluded, ef=engine failure t=touched tapes

## Pairs

The Premier League Pairs Championship was held at Hayley Stadium on 25 July. The event was won by Workington Comets.
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Workington | 38 | Stonehewer 20, Werner 18 |
| 2 | Arena Essex | 31 | Lanham 18, White 13 |
| 3 | Newport | 28 | Smart 18, Watson 10 |
| 5 | Edinburgh | 24 | Grieves 20, Little 4 |
| u | Sheffield | ? | Wilson, Compton |
| u | Glasgow | ? | Collins, Sanchez |
| u | Newcastle | ? | Olsen, Eriksson |

## Fours

Sheffield Tigers won the Premier League Four-Team Championship, which was held on 29 August 1999, at the East of England Arena.
Group A :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | isle of Wight | 17 | Swain 6, Berge 5, Tatum 4, Carter 2 |
| 2 | Newport | 13 | Henriksson 5, Appleton 4, Watson 3, Smart 1 |
| 3 | Swindon | 12 | Bishop 5, Collins N 3, Masters 2, Cunningham 2 |
| 4 | Edinburgh | 6 | Little 4, Grieves 1, Carr P 1, Brady 0 |
Group B :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Sheffield | 16 | Compton 5, Wilson 4, Stead 4, Smith 3 |
| 2 | Arena Essex | 14 | Lanham 6, White 4, Lobb 2, Pratt 2 |
| 3 | Newcastle | 11 | Olsen 6, Walsh 3, Eriksson 2, Swales 0 |
| 4 | Glasgow | 7 | Collins L 4, Bentley 3, Beveridge 0, Felton 0 |
Final :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Sheffield | 28 | Smith 8, Compton 7, Stead 6, Wilson 5, Lee 2 |
| 2 | Newport | 24 | Watson 9, Smart 8, Henriksson 5, Appleton 2 |
| 3 | Isle of Wight | 10 | Lanham 3, White 3, Lobb 3, Pratt 1 |
| 4 | Arena Essex | 10 | Tatum 4, Carter 2, Berge 2, Swain 2 |

## Final leading averages

| Rider | Team | Average |
| Sean Wilson | Sheffield | 10.56 |
| Carl Stonehewer | Workington | 9.92 |
| Paul Bentley | Glasgow | 9.76 |
| Jesper Olsen | Newcastle | 9.68 |
| Peter Carr | Edinburgh | 9.59 |
| Craig Watson | Newport | 9.59 |
| Petri Kokko | Reading | 9.42 |
| Michael Coles | Exeter | 9.36 |
| Les Collins | Glasgow | 9.23 |
| Leigh Lanham | Arena Essex | 9.10 |

## Riders & final averages

Arena Essex
* Leigh Lanham 9.10
* Colin White 8.76
* Troy Pratt 7.19
* Gary Corbett 5.99
* Matt Read 5.37
* Roger Lobb 5.33
* John Wainwright 3.59
Berwick
* Scott Lamb 8.65
* Mick Powell 8.63
* Alan Mogridge 7.05
* Claus Kristensen 6.20
* David Meldrum 6.09
* Tom P. Madsen 6.04
* Wesley Waite 4.33
* Dean Felton 4.04
* Freddie Stephenson 3.35
* Phil Pickering 2.27
Edinburgh
* Peter Carr 9.59
* James Grieves 9.02
* Kevn Little 7.84
* Ross Brady 6.99
* Blair Scott 5.67
* Stewart McDonald 5.32
* David McAllan 4.06
* Jonathan Swales 2.88
* James Birkinshaw 2.52
* Justin Elkins 1.91
Exeter
* Michael Coles 9.36
* Mark Simmonds 8.03
* Graeme Gordon 7.75
* Lee Dicken 6.46
* Wayne Barrett 5.39
* Chris Harris 4.86
* Gary Lobb 4.03
* Chris Courage 2.24
Glasgow
* Paul Bentley 9.76
* Les Collins 9.23
* Mick Powell 8.16
* Emiliano Sanchez 7.14
* Will Beveridge 6.28
* Sean Courtney 4.48
* Brian Turner 3.59
* Stuart Coleman 2.25
* Jitendra Duffill 1.36
* Scott Courtney 1.14
Isle of Wight
* Neville Tatum 8.54
* Scott Swain 8.02
* Philippe Bergé 7.46
* Danny Bird 6.39
* Wayne Carter 5.74
* Tommy Palmer 5.70
* Nick Simmons 4.45
* Jeremy Barraud 2.67
* Glen Phillips 1.47
Newcastle
* Jesper Olsen 9.68
* Robert Eriksson 8.93
* David Walsh 8.82
* Stuart Swales 7.67
* Derrol Keats 5.75
* Paul Gould 5.60
* Jonathan Swales 3.89
* Anthony Barlow 3.55
* Steven Jones 3.51
Newport
* Craig Watson 9.59
* Anders Henriksson 9.02
* Emil Lindqvist 8.86
* Frank Smart 8.51
* Scott Pegler 6.61
* Bjorn Gustafsson 5.58
* Chris Neath 5.50
* Andrew Appleton 5.47
* Bobby Eldridge 3.75
Reading
* Petri Kokko 9.42
* Dave Mullett 9.04
* Per Wester 9.00
* Phil Morris 7.49
* Paul Clews 5.70
* Justin Elkins 5.59
* Jarno Kosonen 4.51
* Marc Norris 3.83
* Shane Colvin 2.35
* Peter Collyer 1.81
Sheffield
* Sean Wilson 10.56
* Andre Compton 9.00
* Scott Smith 8.05
* Simon Stead 7.76
* Paul Lee 5.96
* Simon Cartwright 5.54
* Peter Boast 3.69
* Adam Allott 3.00
Stoke
* Paul Pickering 9.03
* Mark Burrows 6.55
* Paul Fry 6.47
* Tony Atkin 6.21
* Jon Armstrong 5.92
* Joachim Kugelmann 5.44
* Rene Aas 5.01
* Rob Clarence 3.51
* Wayne Broadhurst 3.41
Swindon
* Glenn Cunningham 8.81
* Neil Collins 8.13
* Steve Masters 7.96
* Oliver Allen 5.67
* Seemond Stephens 5.45
* Steve Bishop 5.16
* Krister Marsh 4.92
Workington
* Carl Stonehewer 9.92
* Brent Werner 7.70
* Peter Ingvar Karlsson 6.36
* Grant MacDonald 6.00
* Barry Campbell 5.12
* Peter Scully 5.00
* Geoff Powell 4.44
* Darren Groves 4.34
* Wayne Broadhurst 3.07
* James Birkinshaw 2.74
* Mark Blackwell 2.21