# 2009 Elite League speedway season

The 2009 Elite League speedway season (also known as the Sky Sports Elite League for sponsorship reasons) was the 75th season of the top division of UK speedway and the 13th since its establishment as the Elite League in 1997.

## Summary

The first fixtures of the season took place on 30 March and the season ended on 12 October. The Poole Pirates were the defending champions from 2008.
Leigh Adams had a stellar season, he once again topped the league averages and became the Australian Champion for the 10th time. He also won the Elite League Riders Championship and nearly led Swindon to a title success, before losing in the play off final to Wolverhampton Wolves. Wolves continued their success of recent years courtesy of heavy scoring throughout the season by Freddie Lindgren, Peter Karlsson and their new signing Tai Woffinden.
Lee Richardson top scored for the Lakeside Hammers during the season and the team claimed their first top tier trophy in their history when winning the Knockout Cup.

## League table

* Key:
* Championship play-offs
* Relegation play-offs
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

### 'A' Fixtures

| Home \ Away | BV | COV | EAS | IPS | LH | PET | PP | SWI | WOL |
| Belle Vue Aces | | 36–53 | 57–39 | 45–44 | 49–44 | 44–46 | 45–43 | 40–50 | 54–42 |
| Coventry Bees | 53–42 | | 55–38 | 55–36 | 47–43 | 44–39 | 50–43 | 43–47 | 45–45 |
| Eastbourne Eagles | 54–42 | 49–41 | | 52–40 | 55–41 | 50–43 | 51–44 | 50–41 | 45–47 |
| Ipswich Witches | 49–40 | 44–46 | 53–37 | | 46–44 | 48–45 | 51–41 | 38–53 | 51–40 |
| Lakeside Hammers | 51–42 | 48–42 | 57–36 | 54–42 | | 54–41 | 47–46 | 53–42 | 47–42 |
| Peterborough Panthers | 54–39 | 59–35 | 53–40 | 53–40 | 43–50 | | 53–38 | 46–44 | 41–49 |
| Poole Pirates | 46–44 | 32–63 | 36–36 | 59–33 | 52–41 | 52–41 | | 49–41 | 39–54 |
| Swindon Robins | 59–34 | 56–39 | 49–41 | 64–28 | 54–36 | 53–40 | 56–39 | | 50–42 |
| Wolverhampton Wolves | 59–35 | 50–40 | 55–39 | 53–39 | 52–41 | 58–37 | 58–34 | 53–41 | |

### 'B' Fixtures

| Home \ Away | BV | COV | EAS | IPS | LH | PET | PP | SWI | WOL |
| Belle Vue Aces | | 49–43 | 49–41 | 44–52 | 46–44 | 45–43 | 53–42 | 41–49 | 37–57 |
| Coventry Bees | 50–40 | | 45–45 | 46–44 | 54–40 | 49–41 | 46–43 | 41–49 | 47–43 |
| Eastbourne Eagles | 41–49 | 52–44 | | 45–45 | 50–43 | 44–46 | 41–48 | 40–50 | 39–51 |
| Ipswich Witches | 56–37 | 48–42 | 55–35 | | 39–53 | 60–36 | 57–38 | 42–48 | 49–41 |
| Lakeside Hammers | 60–33 | 45–45 | 55–37 | 51–42 | | 60–33 | 45–45 | 48–45 | 42–48 |
| Peterborough Panthers | 58–38 | 59–34 | 48–42 | 54–42 | 51–39 | | 55–38 | 47–43 | 51–45 |
| Poole Pirates | 44–46 | 43–46 | 44–46 | 53–40 | 45–45 | 49–41 | | 43–47 | 46–44 |
| Swindon Robins | 56–39 | 54–39 | 51–41 | 55–37 | 43–47 | 62–30 | 55–40 | | 51–39 |
| Wolverhampton Wolves | 53–39 | 54–39 | 50–42 | 49–41 | 50–43 | 56–40 | 54–38 | 47–43 | |

## Championship play-offs

Semi-finals
Leg 1
Leg 2
Grand final
First leg
14+1 :
| | 2 | Nicolai Klindt | 1, 1, 0, 3 | 5 |
| | 3 | Adam Skornicki | 3, 3, 1', 3 | 10+1 |
| | 4 | Tai Woffinden | F, 2', 2, 3 | 7+1 |
| | 5 | Peter Karlsson | 2, 3, 3, 2', 0 | 10+1 |
| | 6 | Chris Kerr | 3, 0, 0 | 3 |
| | 7 | Ty Proctor | 1, F, 1, 2', 1 | 5+1 |
| Manager: Peter Adams |||
8 :
| | 2 | Ryan Fisher | 0, 0, 3, 1' | 4+1 |
| | 3 | Travis McGowan | 1', 1', 0, 0 | 2+2 |
| | 4 | Simon Stead | 2, 2, 1, 4^ | 9 |
| | 5 | Matej Zagar | 3, 2, 3, 0^, 1' | 9+1 |
| | 6 | Paul Hurry | 0, 0, 0 | 0 |
| | 7 | Morten Risager | 2, 1, 2', 1, 0 | 6+1 |
| Manager: Alun Rossiter |||
Second leg
12+1 :
| | 3 | Travis McGowan | 1', 1, 3, 2' | 7+2 |
| | 2 | Ryan Fisher | 2, 0, 1', 2 | 5+1 |
| | 4 | Simon Stead | 0, 3, 2, 2 | 7 |
| | 5 | Matej Zagar | 3, 2, 3, 1', 3 | 12+1 |
| | 6 | Cory Gathercole | 1, 0, 1 | 2 |
| | 7 | Morten Risager | 3, 0, 2', 1', 1' | 7+3 |
| Manager: Alun Rossiter |||
10 :
| 2 | Nicolai Klindt | 0, 1', 0, 0 | 1+1 |
| 3 | Adam Skornicki | 1, 1, 1, 6^ | 9 |
| 4 | Tai Woffinden | 3, 3, 0, 3, 1 | 10 |
| 5 | Peter Karlsson | 2, 2, 3, 0 | 7 |
| 6 | Chris Kerr | 0, 0, 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Ty Proctor | 2, 1', 1, 0, 0 | 4+1 |
Wolverhampton were declared Elite League Champions, on Aggregate 95-90.

## Knockout Cup

The 2009 Elite League Knockout Cup was the 71st edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams.
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 29/05 | Ipswich | 45-48 | Belle Vue |
| 20/04 | Belle Vue | 53-40 | Ipswich |
Quarter-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 26/03 | Peterborough | 43-47 | Coventry |
| 27/03 | Coventry | 53-37 | Peterborough |
| 26/03 | Swindon | 57-36 | Wolverhampton |
| 06/04 | Wolverhampton | 53-40 | Swindon |
| 27/03 | Lakeside | 57-38 | Eastbourne |
| 28/03 | Eastbourne | 50-43 | Lakeside |
| 24/06 | Poole | 44-49 | Belle Vue |
| 27/06 | Belle Vue | 54-41 | Poole |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 21/08 | Coventry | 51-39 | Belle Vue |
| 05/10 | Belle Vue | 48-42 | Coventry |
| 12/06 | Lakeside | 49-41 | Swindon |
| 11/06 | Swindon | 44-46 | Lakeside |

### Final

First leg
Second leg
The Lakeside Hammers were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 108-77.

## Riders' Championship

Leigh Adams won the Riders' Championship. The final was held at Brandon Stadium on 2 October.
| Pos. | Rider | Pts | Total | SF | Final |
| 1 | Leigh Adams | 3 3 3 0 3 | 12 | 2 | 3 |
| 2 | Chris Harris | 2 3 2 3 3 | 13 | x | 2 |
| 3 | Chris Holder | 3 1 3 3 3 | 13 | x | 1 |
| 4 | Freddie Lindgren | 2 3 3 2 1 | 11 | 3 | 0 |
| 5 | Edward Kennett | 3 3 1 1 2 | 10 | 1 | |
| 6 | Scott Nicholls | 2 2 3 1 3 | 11 | 0 | |
| 7 | Matej Žagar | 2 0 2 3 2 | 9 | | |
| 8 | Niels Kristian Iversen | 3 2 1 2 1 | 9 | | |
| 9 | Hans Andersen | 1 2 2 2 1 | 8 | | |
| 10 | Robert Miśkowiak | 1 1 0 3 2 | 7 | | |
| 11 | Adam Skórnicki | 1 0 2 2 | 5 | | |
| 12 | Mads Korneliussen | 1 2 1 0 0 | 4 | | |
| 13 | Davey Watt | 1 0 1 1 0 | 3 | | |
| 14 | Jonas Davidsson | 0 0 2 0 0 | 2 | | |
| 15 | James Wright | 0 1 0 0 | 1 | | |
| 16 | Josh Auty | 0 1 | 1 | | |
| 17 | Joe Haines (res) | 0 1 | 1 | | |

## Pairs

The Elite League Pairs Championship was held at the Arlington Stadium on 8 August and was won by Poole Pirates.
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Lakeside | 24 | Richardson 19, Davidsson 9 |
| 2 | Poole | 22 | Andersen 19, Holder 13 |
| 3 | Coventry | 21 | Harris 15, Kennett 10 |
| 4 | Eastbourne | 21 | Watt 20, Bridger 10 |
| 5 | Wolves | 19 | Lindgren 11, Karlsson 8 |
| 6 | Peterborough | 18 | Iversen 12 Bjerre 6 |
| 7 | Ipswich | 15 | Batchelor 8, Nicholls 7 |
| 8 | Swindon | 11 | Adams 9, McGowan 2 |
| 9 | Belle Vue | 8 | Wright J 4, Risager 4 |
Semi finals
* Eastbourne 5 Lakeside 4 - Richardson, Watt, Bridger, Davidsson
* Poole 5 Coventry 4 - Harris, Holder, Andersen, Kennett
Final
* Poole 5 Eastbourne 4 - Watt, Holder, Andersen, Bridger

## Final leading averages

| Rider | Team | Average |
| Freddie Lindgren | Wolverhampton | 10.64 |
| Leigh Adams | Swindon | 10.33 |
| Hans Andersen | Poole | 9.77 |
| Matej Žagar | Swindon | 9.57 |
| Scott Nicholls | Ipswich | 9.39 |
| Jarosław Hampel | Ipswich | 9.30 |
| Chris Holder | Poole | 9.19 |
| Peter Karlsson | Wolverhampton | 9.19 |
| Lee Richardson | Lakeside | 8.86 |
| Chris Harris | Coventry | 8.74 |

## Riders & final averages

Belle Vue
* Jason Crump 11.48 (5 matches only)
* Krzysztof Kasprzak 8.67
* Kevin Doolan 7.09
* Patrick Hougaard 6.65
* Charlie Gjedde 6.41
* Henning Bager 6.40
* James Wright 6.38
* Ulrich Østergaard 6.12
* Morten Risager 6.11
* Steve Boxall 4.18
* Joel Parsons 2.95
* Luboš Tomíček Jr. 2.15
Coventry
* Chris Harris 8.74
* Edward Kennett 8.58
* Scott Nicholls 8.28
* Ben Barker 7.68
* Rory Schlein 7.59
* Oliver Allen 6.65
* Jordan Frampton 4.72
* Josh Auty 4.30
* Filip Šitera 4.24
* Ricky Wells 2.72
Eastbourne
* Davey Watt 7.63
* Lewis Bridger 7.46
* Simon Gustafsson 6.86
* Cameron Woodward 6.64
* Lukáš Dryml 6.09
* David Norris 5.65
* Ricky Kling 5.08
* Chris Schramm 3.90
Ipswich
* Scott Nicholls 9.39
* Jarosław Hampel 9.30
* Troy Batchelor 8.00
* Robert Miśkowiak 8.27
* Danny King 7.40
* Piotr Świderski 6.23
* Tobias Kroner 6.11
* Morten Risager 4.86
* Dawid Stachyra 4.64
* Leigh Lanham 4.21
* Carl Wilkinson 4.16
Lakeside
* Lee Richardson 8.86
* Jonas Davidsson 8.72
* Adam Shields 8.46
* Piotr Świderski 8.36
* Joonas Kylmäkorpi 6.78
* Kauko Nieminen 6.26
* Stuart Robson 5.23
* Phil Morris 4.97
* Robert Mear 3.78
Peterborough
* Kenneth Bjerre 8.26
* Niels Kristian Iversen 8.12
* Mads Korneliussen 6.88
* Kenneth Hansen 6.80
* Aleš Dryml Jr. 5.71
* Henning Bager 5.50
* Claus Vissing 5.02
Poole
* Hans N. Andersen 9.77
* Chris Holder 9.19
* Bjarne Pedersen 8.31
* Joe Screen 7.07
* Daniel Davidsson 4.31
* Leon Madsen 4.00
* Paul Hurry 3.85
* Tomasz Piszcz 3.79
* Steve Boxall 3.41
* Ben Wilson 3.15
* Łukasz Jankowski 2.14
Swindon
* Leigh Adams 10.33
* Matej Žagar 9.57
* Simon Stead 7.38
* Troy Batchelor 7.22
* Ryan Fisher 7.12
* Travis McGowan 6.88
* Morten Risager 6.59
* Cory Gathercole 6.31
* Jurica Pavlic 6.00
* Krzysztof Stojanowski 4.36
* Paul Hurry 4.12
Wolverhampton
* Freddie Lindgren 10.64
* Peter Karlsson 9.19
* Tai Woffinden 8.30
* Adam Skórnicki 7.27
* Ty Proctor 6.03
* Nicolai Klindt 5.88
* Chris Kerr 2.77
* Hynek Štichauer 1.88