# 2000 Premier League speedway season

The 2000 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 14 teams for the 2000 season with the addition of the Hull Vikings who dropped down from the Elite League.
The League was run on a standard format with no play-offs and was won by Exeter Falcons.

## Fixtures & results

| Home \ Away | AE | BER | ED | EX | GLA | HV | IOW | ND | NW | RR | SHE | STO | SWI | WOR |
| Arena Essex Hammers | | 49–41 | 43–47 | 51–38 | 51–39 | 48–42 | 46–43 | 44–46 | 53–24 | 49–41 | 61–29 | 48–42 | 50–41 | 45–44 |
| Berwick Bandits | 53–37 | | 52–37 | 44–46 | 46–44 | 48–42 | 47–43 | 49–41 | 56–34 | 49–41 | 51–39 | 44–46 | 42–48 | 49–41 |
| Edinburgh Monarchs | 60–30 | 52–37 | | 57–32 | 57–34 | 46–44 | 54–36 | 48–44 | 55–35 | 53–40 | 53–39 | 52–38 | 46–43 | 48–39 |
| Exeter Falcons | 70–21 | 52–38 | 59–31 | | 74–16 | 62–28 | 62–28 | 51–39 | 72–18 | 67–22 | 60–30 | 53–37 | 57–33 | 60–31 |
| Glasgow Tigers | 59–31 | 46–44 | 47–46 | 45–45 | | 39–51 | 50–40 | 54–39 | 44–46 | 49–41 | 33–33+ | 51–39 | 44–46 | 47–43 |
| Hull Vikings | 55–34 | 51–41 | 43–47 | 46–44 | 48–42 | | 54–37 | 45–42 | 50–40 | 48–41 | 45–44 | 48–42 | 51–39 | 45–44 |
| Isle of Wight Islanders | 50–39 | 53–37 | 45–45 | 50–40 | 54–36 | 44–46 | | 46.5–43.5 | 54–36 | 51–39 | 42–48 | 48–42 | 44–46 | 44–46 |
| Newcastle Diamonds | 65–25 | 62–28 | 49–41 | 49–41 | 43–47 | 45–45 | 49–40 | | 50–40 | 44–39 | 47–43 | 43–47 | 49–41 | 42–46 |
| Newport Wasps | 52–39 | 51–42 | 61–29 | 47–43 | 51–41 | 43–47 | 49–41 | 52–40 | | 50–40 | 43–47 | 49–41 | 40–50 | 45–45 |
| Reading Racers | 57–33 | 50–40 | 49–44 | 46–44 | 43–47 | 39–53 | 48–41 | 43–47 | 46–44 | | 45–45 | 47–43 | 32–58 | 39–50 |
| Sheffield Tigers | 62–29 | 59–31 | 54–39 | 59–31 | 60–30 | 50–43 | 57–33 | 48–44 | 54–36 | 51–39 | | 48–44 | 56–34 | 48–42 |
| Stoke Potters | 56–34 | 49–41 | 47–46 | 43–47 | 49–43 | 45–45 | 45–45 | 54–36 | 45–44 | 49–41 | 50–40 | | 48–42 | 52–37 |
| Swindon Robins | 57–33 | 46–44 | 54–36 | 48–42 | 66–24 | 50–42 | 50–40 | 49–41 | 60–30 | 62–28 | 49–41 | 52–38 | | 46–44 |
| Workington Comets | 59–31 | 51–39 | 46–44 | 46–43 | 45–45 | 46–44 | 54–36 | 51–39 | 61–29 | 51–39 | 48–41 | 54–35 | 52–39 | |

## Final table

| Pos | | M | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | Bon | Tot |
| 1 | Exeter Falcons | 26 | 15 | 1 | 10 | 1335 | 1003 | 31 | 13 | 44 |
| 2 | Swindon Robins | 26 | 18 | 0 | 8 | 1249 | 1094 | 36 | 8 | 44 |
| 3 | Hull Vikings | 26 | 16 | 2 | 8 | 1201 | 1142 | 33 | 9 | 42 |
| 4 | Sheffield Tigers | 26 | 16 | 4 | 9 | 1226 | 1102 | 32 | 10 | 42 |
| 5 | Workington Comets | 26 | 15 | 2 | 9 | 1261 | 1114 | 32 | 10 | 42 |
| 6 | Edinburgh Monarchs | 26 | 15 | 1 | 10 | 1213 | 1140 | 31 | 8 | 39 |
| 7 | Stoke Potters | 26 | 12 | 2 | 12 | 1166 | 1178 | 26 | 5 | 31 |
| 8 | Newcastle Diamonds | 26 | 11 | 1 | 14 | 1178 | 1157 | 23 | 7 | 30 |
| 9 | Glasgow Tigers | 26 | 10 | 2 | 14 | 1096 | 1232 | 22 | 5 | 27 |
| 10 | Newport Wasps | 26 | 10 | 1 | 15 | 1089 | 1245 | 21 | 5 | 26 |
| 11 | Isle of Wight Islanders | 26 | 8 | 2 | 16 | 1128 | 1208 | 18 | 6 | 24 |
| 12 | Berwick Bandits | 26 | 10 | 0 | 16 | 1133 | 1210 | 20 | 3 | 23 |
| 13 | Arena Essex Hammers | 26 | 11 | 0 | 15 | 1054 | 1272 | 22 | 1 | 23 |
| 14 | Reading Racers | 26 | 7 | 1 | 18 | 1075 | 1262 | 15 | 2 | 17 |

## Premier League Knockout Cup

The 2000 Premier League Knockout Cup was the 33rd edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams. Swindon Robins were the winners of the competition.
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 05/06 | Reading | 43-47 | Swindon |
| 08/06 | Swindon | 46-44 | Reading |
| 05/06 | Exeter | 50-40 | Isle of Wight |
| 06/06 | Isle of Wight | 42-47 | Exeter |
| 07/06 | Hull | 48-42 | Sheffield |
| 08/06 | Sheffield | 45-45 | Hull |
| 10/06 | Stoke | 48-42 | Newcastle |
| 11/06 | Newcastle | 43-47 | Stoke |
| 10/06 | Workington | 40-31 | Newport |
| 11/06 | Newport | 48-42 | Workington |
| 10/06 | Edinburgh | 43-29 | Arena Essex |
| 09/06 | Arena Essex | 48-42 | Edinburgh |
Second round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 13/07 | Swindon | 49-41 | Berwick |
| 15/07 | Berwick | 48-42 | Swindon |
| 10/07 | Exeter | 64-26 | Glasgow |
| 09/07 | Glasgow | 50-40 | Exeter |
| 12/07 | Hull | 42-48 | Stoke |
| 15/07 | Stoke | 41-48 | Hull |
| 15/07 | Workington | 50-40 | Edinburgh |
| 14/07 | Edinburgh | 44-46 | Workington |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 01/10 | Swindon | 48-23 | Exeter |
| 07/08 | Exeter | 46-44 | Swindon |
| 25/08 | Hull | 49-41 | Workington |
| 05/08 | Workington | 48-42 | Hull |

### Final

First leg
Second leg
Swindon were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 101–79.

## Riders' Championship

Carl Stonehewer won the Riders' Championship. The final was held on 10 September at Owlerton Stadium.
| Pos. | Rider | Pts | Total | SF | Final |
| 1 | Carl Stonehewer | 3 3 2 3 3 | 14 | - | 3 |
| 2 | Peter Carr | 1 2 1 2 3 | 9 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | Paul Pickering | 3 3 2 3 3 | 14 | - | 1 |
| 4 | Sean Wilson | 3 3 3 1 3 | 13 | 3 | 0 |
| 5 | Paul Thorp | 0 3 2 3 1 | 9 | 1 |
| 6 | Alan Mogridge | 2 2 3 3 2 | 12 | 0 |
| 7 | Andre Compton | 2 1 3 0 2 | 8 |
| 8 | Robbie Kessler | 3 1 ex 2 2 | 8 |
| 9 | Paul Fry | 2 2 2 2 0 | 8 |
| 10 | Les Collins | 1 1 1 3 1 | 7 |
| 11 | Michael Coles | 1 2 1 0 1 | 5 |
| 12 | Anders Henriksson | ex 0 1 1 2 | 4 |
| 13 | Colin White | 2 0 0 1 1 | 4 |
| 14 | Phil Morris | 0 1 2 ex 0 | 3 |
| 15 | Robert Eriksson | 1 ex ex | 1 |
| 16 | Ray Morton | 0 ex | 0 |
| 17 | Adam Allott | 0 1 0 0 | 1 |
* ex=excluded

## Pairs

The Premier League Pairs Championship was held at Derwent Park on 8 July. The event was won by Workington Comets for the second successive season. The meeting was subject to heavy rain, which forced a shortened version of the event.
Group A :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Workington | 14 | Stonehewer 8, Powell 6 |
| 2 | Isle of Wight | 8 | Morton 8, Bird 0 |
| 3 | Swindon | 8 | Smart 6, Fry 2 |
| 4 | Newcastle | 8 | Pedersen 6, Compton 2 |
| 5 | Newport | 7 | Neath 5, Howe 2 |
Group B :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Edinburgh | 12 | Carr P 6, Eriksson 6 |
| 2 | Sheffield | 11 | Wilson 7, Kessler 4 |
| 3 | Hull | 9 | Stead 7, Thorp 2 |
| 4 | Berwick | 8 | Bentley 6, Mogridge 2 |
| 5 | Exeter | 5 | Coles 3, Simmons 2 |
Semi finals
* Workington 4: Sheffield 3
* Isle of Wight 4: Edinburgh 3
Final
* Workington 7: Isle of Wight 2

## Fours

Sheffield Tigers won the Premier League Four-Team Championship for the second successive season. The final was held on 6 August 2000, at the East of England Arena.
Group A :
| Pos | Team | Pts |
| 1 | Swindon | 14 |
| 2 | Sheffield | 13 |
| 3 | Newcastle | 12 |
| 4 | Workington | 9 |
Group B :
| Pos | Team | Pts |
| 1 | Berwick | 17 |
| 2 | Isle of Wight | 14 |
| 3 | Edinburgh | 10 |
| 4 | Exeter | 7 |
Final :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Sheffield | 30 | Wilson, Kessler, Lee. Stead |
| 2 | Isle of Wight | 16 | |
| 3 | Swindon | 14 | |
| 4 | Berwick | 12 | |

## Leading averages

| Rider | Team | Average |
| Peter Carr | Edinburgh | 10.28 |
| Sean Wilson | Sheffield | 10.27 |
| Ray Morton | Isle of Wight | 10.09 |
| Carl Stonehewer | Workington | 9.89 |
| Bjarne Pedersen | Newcastle | 9.70 |
| Robert Eriksson | Edinburgh | 9.31 |
| Michael Coles | Exeter | 9.26 |
| Alan Mogridge | Berwick | 9.07 |
| Paul Fry | Swindon | 8.89 |
| Armando Castagna | Reading | 8.88 |

## Riders & final averages

Arena Essex
* Colin White 8.12
* Troy Pratt 7.72
* Jan Pedersen 6.55
* Savalas Clouting 6.44
* Gary Corbett 5.85
* Matt Read 5.60
* Brent Collyer 5.43
* Justin Elkins 5.10
* David Mason 3.93
* Luke Clifton 2.80
* Barrie Evans .2.65
* Jon Underwood 2.26
Berwick
* Alan Mogridge 9.07
* Paul Bentley 8.21
* Scott Lamb 7.45
* David Meldrum 7.17
* Jörg Pingel 7.03
* Scott Smith 6.91
* Dean Felton 4.16
* Freddie Stephenson 3.49
* Steven McAllister 2.00
* Wesley Waite 1.14
Edinburgh
* Peter Carr 10.28
* Robert Eriksson 9.31
* Kevin Little 6.46
* Ross Brady 5.48
* Blair Scott 5.20
* Christian Henry 4.30
* Will Beveridge 3.74
* Jonathan Swales 2.00
Exeter
* Michael Coles 9.26
* Mark Simmonds 7.79
* Seemond Stephens 7.77
* Chris Harris 7.05
* Roger Lobb 7.05
* Bobby Eldridge 6.76
* Graeme Gordon 6.20
* Wayne Barrett 3.00
Glasgow
* Les Collins 8.55
* James Grieves 7.97
* Mark Courtney 7.14
* Emiliano Sanchez 6.50
* Richard Juul 6.32
* Aidan Collins 4.58
* Rusty Harrison 4.39
* Sean Courtney 4.00
* Scott Courtney 2.97
Hull
* Paul Thorp 8.79
* Garry Stead 8.25
* Lee Dicken 7.15
* Paul Smith 6.89
* Rene Aas 6.10
* Mike Smith 5.51
* Jamie Smith 3.03
* Wesley Waite 1.38
Isle of Wight
* Ray Morton 10.09
* Danny Bird 6.96
* Scott Swain 6.93
* Adam Shields 6.78
* Richard Juul 5.59
* Glen Phillips 4.28
* Tommy Palmer 4.00
* Adrian Newman 3.09
Newcastle
* Bjarne Pedersen 9.70
* Jesper Olsen 8.20
* Stuart Swales 7.57
* Andre Compton 7.43
* Grant MacDonald 5.27
* Will Beveridge 5.00
* Paul Macklin 3.74
* Rob Grant Jr 3.63
* Krister Marsh 3.62
* Darren Pearson 3.51
* Jamie Smith 3.20
Newport
* Anders Henriksson 8.68
* Ben Howe 8.27
* Andrew Appleton 7.21
* Chris Neath 6.92
* Jon Armstrong 4.74
* Craig Taylor 4.68
* Nathan Murray 4.17
* Chris Courage 3.32
* Lee Herne 2.51
Reading
* Armando Castagna 8.88
* Phil Morris 8.44
* Per Wester 6.96
* Paul Clews 6.25
* Krister Marsh 5.61
* Shane Colvin 3.93
* Marc Norris 3.61
* Lee Herne 2.67
Sheffield
* Sean Wilson 10.27
* Robbie Kessler 8.72
* Simon Stead 8.31
* Paul Lee 5.74
* Adam Allott 4.85
* Simon Cartwright 4.64
* James Birkinshaw 3.65
* Andrew Moore 3.19
Stoke
* Paul Pickering 8.78
* David Walsh 7.75
* Mark Burrows 6.92
* Tony Atkin 6.20
* Wayne Broadhurst 4.53
* Paul Macklin 2.56
* Steven McAllister 2.29
Swindon
* Paul Fry 8.89
* Frank Smart 8.79
* Neil Collins 7.32
* Claus Kristensen 7.13
* Martin Dixon 6.70
* Oliver Allen 6.58
* Mark Steel 5.21
* Nathan Murray 4.32
Workington
* Carl Stonehewer 9.89
* Brent Werner 8.74
* Peter Ingvar Karlsson 8.69
* Mick Powell 8.62
* Lee Smethills 5.22
* Barry Campbell 4.80
* Adrian Newman 3.36
* Geoff Powell 3.19
* James Mann 2.34
* Jamie Swales 1.03