# 1995 Premier League speedway season

The 1995 Premier League season was the 61st season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom. It was also the first for the new league, and the first of two seasons in which British speedway was competed as a single division.

## Summary

The gulf in quality of teams was highlighted because of the merging of the two leagues, with Eastbourne Eagles winning the title 56 points clear of bottom club Exeter Falcons. Eastbourne had been an easy runner-up the previous year to runaway winners Poole Pirates and retained four of their riders Martin Dugard, Dean Barker, Stefan Dannö and Stefan Andersson, which provided enough firepower to seal the Championship. Poole finished mid-table but were missing Craig Boyce who had switched to Swindon Robins.
Bradford Dukes won their fourth Knockout Cup in the last five years. Former World Champion Gary Havelock guided Bradford to the Cup success and also picked up the Premier League Riders Championship.

## Final table

| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | BP | Pts |
| 1 | Eastbourne Eagles | 40 | 28 | 3 | 9 | 18 | 77 |
| 2 | Bradford Dukes | 40 | 25 | 2 | 13 | 17 | 69 |
| 3 | Cradley Heath Heathens | 40 | 25 | 1 | 14 | 17 | 68 |
| 4 | Peterborough Panthers | 40 | 25 | 0 | 15 | 12 | 62 |
| 5 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 40 | 23 | 0 | 17 | 14 | 60 |
| 6 | Ipswich Witches | 40 | 23 | 0 | 17 | 13 | 59 |
| 7 | Glasgow Tigers | 40 | 21 | 1 | 18 | 14 | 57 |
| 8 | Belle Vue Aces | 40 | 20 | 1 | 19 | 14 | 55 |
| 9 | Edinburgh Monarchs | 40 | 20 | 4 | 16 | 10 | 54 |
| 10 | Arena Essex Hammers | 40 | 21 | 0 | 19 | 10 | 52 |
| 11 | Swindon Robins | 40 | 20 | 3 | 17 | 9 | 52 |
| 12 | Poole Pirates | 40 | 18 | 2 | 20 | 9 | 47 |
| 13 | Reading Racers | 40 | 17 | 4 | 19 | 9 | 47 |
| 14 | Sheffield Tigers | 40 | 19 | 0 | 21 | 9 | 47 |
| 15 | Coventry Bees | 40 | 17 | 1 | 22 | 8 | 43 |
| 16 | Hull Vikings | 40 | 17 | 2 | 21 | 4 | 40 |
| 17 | Oxford Cheetahs | 40 | 16 | 1 | 23 | 6 | 39 |
| 18 | Long Eaton Invaders | 40 | 14 | 4 | 22 | 7 | 39 |
| 19 | King's Lynn Stars | 40 | 14 | 4 | 22 | 6 | 38 |
| 20 | Middlesbrough Bears | 40 | 10 | 2 | 28 | 2 | 24 |
| 21 | Exeter Falcons | 40 | 8 | 3 | 29 | 2 | 21 |
M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points

### Fixtures & results

| Home \ Away | AE | BV | BD | COV | CH | EAS | ED | EX | GLA | HV | IPS | KL | LON | MID | OX | PET | PP | RR | SHE | SWI | WOL |
| Arena Essex Hammers | | 60–36 | 53–42 | 49–47 | 49–47 | 45–51 | 61–35 | 66–30 | 55–41 | 63–33 | 49–47 | 53–43 | 55–41 | 55–41 | 54–42 | 57–39 | 51–45 | 61–35 | 56–40 | 54–42 | 45–51 |
| Belle Vue Aces | 57–39 | | 57–38 | 56–40 | 46–50 | 48–48 | 62–34 | 59–37 | 55–41 | 64–32 | 58–38 | 57–39 | 54–42 | 57–39 | 53–43 | 59–37 | 58–37 | 55–41 | 55–40 | 59–36 | 54–42 |
| Bradford Dukes | 58–38 | 64–32 | | 49–47 | 47–49 | 53–43 | 61–35 | 58–38 | 54–42 | 58–38 | 56–40 | 66–30 | 59–36 | 69–26 | 59–37 | 54–41 | 58–38 | 59–37 | 63–33 | 55–41 | 57–39 |
| Coventry Bees | 54–42 | 50–46 | 45–51 | | 52–44 | 50–46 | 48–48 | 59–37 | 50–45 | 49–47 | 49–47 | 53–43 | 51–44 | 59–37 | 47–49 | 52–44 | 46–50 | 62–33 | 54–41 | 43–53 | 55–41 |
| Cradley Heath Heathens | 50–46 | 55–41 | 53–43 | 51–45 | | 56–39 | 53–43 | 60–36 | 59–37 | 61–34 | 47–49 | 58–37 | 55–41 | 63–33 | 62–34 | 56–40 | 55–41 | 55–41 | 62–34 | 47–49 | 55–41 |
| Eastbourne Eagles | 59–36 | 49–46 | 55–41 | 53–43 | 50–43 | | 54–42 | 59–37 | 64–32 | 60–36 | 50–46 | 51–45 | 54–40 | 55–40 | 53–43 | 59–36 | 52–44 | 58–38 | 63–33 | 60–36 | 51–45 |
| Edinburgh Monarchs | 50–46 | 53–43 | 48–48 | 49–46 | 50–46 | 46–49 | | 63–33 | 62–34 | 56–40 | 51–45 | 50–46 | 48–48 | 52–44 | 49–47 | 51–45 | 56–40 | 51–45 | 67–29 | 54–42 | 50–46 |
| Exeter Falcons | 53–43 | 57–39 | 41–55 | 45–51 | 39–56 | 51–45 | 37–59 | | 55–41 | 52–44 | 43–53 | 48–48 | 48–48 | 56–40 | 52–44 | 40–55 | 45–51 | 48–48 | 46–50 | 46–50 | 50–46 |
| Glasgow Tigers | 57–39 | 51–45 | 53.5–42.5 | 51–45 | 50–46 | 54–41 | 49–47 | 68–28 | | 49–47 | 60–36 | 63–33 | 62–34 | 60–36 | 56–40 | 55–41 | 64–32 | 59–37 | 55–40 | 56–40 | 52–44 |
| Hull Vikings | 46–50 | 46–50 | 54–42 | 51–45 | 48–48 | 49–47 | 49–47 | 51–45 | 48–48 | | 51–45 | 53–43 | 55–41 | 51–43 | 50–46 | 54–42 | 53–43 | 56–40 | 57–39 | 55–41 | 51–45 |
| Ipswich Witches | 54–42 | 44–52 | 54–42 | 49–47 | 48–47 | 60–36 | 52–44 | 60–36 | 49–47 | 68–28 | | 53–43 | 57–39 | 57–38 | 63–33 | 51–45 | 50–45 | 62–33 | 59–37 | 46–50 | 52–44 |
| King's Lynn Stars | 46–50 | 51–45 | 52–44 | 46–50 | 47–49 | 48–48 | 61–35 | 54–42 | 62–33 | 54–42 | 49–47 | | 54–42 | 57–39 | 49–45 | 45–51 | 46–49 | 46–50 | 58–38 | 48–48 | 57–38 |
| Long Eaton Invaders | 50–46 | 58–38 | 46–49 | 55–40 | 47–49 | 55–41 | 53–43 | 56–40 | 55–41 | 37–59 | 52–44 | 42–54 | | 63–33 | 48–48 | 44–52 | 52–44 | 56–40 | 59–37 | 40–56 | 45–51 |
| Middlesbrough Bears | 46–0 | 52–44 | 42–54 | 53–43 | 49–47 | 45–51 | 42–44 | 55–41 | 45–50 | 58–38 | 42–54 | 54–42 | 48–48 | | 57–39 | 52–43 | 47–48 | 53–43 | 55–41 | 48–48 | 44–52 |
| Oxford Cheetahs | 53–43 | 50–46 | 54–42 | 51–45 | 50–45 | 42–53 | 47–49 | 61–35 | 52–43 | 54–42 | 45–51 | 53–43 | 56–40 | 57–39 | | 45–51 | 45–50 | 54–42 | 62–34 | 56–40 | 51–45 |
| Peterborough Panthers | 51–45 | 52–43 | 57–39 | 50–46 | 52–44 | 53–43 | 65.5–30.5 | 63–33 | 50–46 | 58–37 | 52–43 | 55–41 | 62–34 | 58–38 | 59–37 | | 56–39 | 52–44 | 54–42 | 54–42 | 53–43 |
| Poole Pirates | 57–39 | 58–38 | 42–54 | 49–47 | 44–51 | 48–48 | 55–41 | 51–45 | 56–40 | 61–35 | 55–41 | 56–39 | 47–49 | 64–32 | 57–39 | 43–53 | | 47–49 | 59–36 | 47–49 | 51–45 |
| Reading Racers | 53–43 | 51–45 | 48–48 | 52–44 | 50–45 | 46–50 | 49–47 | 53–42 | 55–41 | 59–37 | 39–57 | 48–48 | 52–44 | 55–41 | 54–42 | 66–30 | 48–48 | | 61–35 | 56–40 | 47–49 |
| Sheffield Tigers | 67–29 | 59–37 | 49–47 | 56–40 | 49–47 | 44–52 | 63–33 | 53–43 | 55–41 | 49–47 | 59–37 | 61–35 | 64–32 | 73–23 | 62–34 | 50–46 | 49–47 | 51–44 | | 47–49 | 55–41 |
| Swindon Robins | 56–40 | 49–46 | 45–51 | 53–43 | 53–43 | 47–48 | 48–48 | 53–43 | 50–46 | 53–43 | 51–45 | 46–50 | 43–51 | 63–33 | 53–43 | 53–43 | 51–45 | 45–51 | 58–38 | | 44–51 |
| Wolverhampton Wolves | 58–38 | 39–33 | 53–43 | 49–47 | 47–49 | 43–53 | 52–44 | 64–32 | 52–44 | 61–35 | 49–47 | 61–35 | 55–41 | 50–46 | 61–35 | 53–42 | 59–37 | 53–43 | 70–26 | 53–42 | |

## Premier League Knockout Cup

The 1995 Speedway Star Knockout Cup was the 57th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams but the first to be known as the Premier League Knockout Cup. Bradford Dukes were the winners of the competition.
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 21/04 | Peterborough | 64-42 | Ipswich |
| 20/04 | Ipswich | 65-44 | Peterborough |
| 22/04 | Eastbourne | 52-54 | Arena Essex |
| 21/04 | Arena Essex | 56-53 | Eastbourne |
| 23/04 | Glasgow | 63-43 | Middlesbrough |
| 27/04 | Middlesbrough | 43-64 | Glasgow |
| 18/05 | Sheffield | 63-43 | Long Eaton |
| 19/04 | Long Eaton | 54-52 | Sheffield |
| 21/04 | Oxford | 72-36 | Poole |
| 19/04 | Poole | 54-51 | Oxford |
Second round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 20/07 | Ipswich | 52-56 | Reading |
| 17/07 | Reading | 46-59 | Ipswich |
| 15/07 | Bradford | 70-38 | Wolverhampton |
| 05/07 | Kings Lynn | 55-53 | Coventry |
| 17/06 | Coventry | 65-43 | Kings Lynn |
| 14/06 | Cradley Heath | 59-53 | Glasgow |
| 09/06 | Edinburgh | 46-61 | Hull |
| 05/06 | Exeter | 47-57 | Swindon |
| 05/06 | Wolverhampton | 58-46 | Bradford |
| 04/06 | Glasgow | 54-53 | Cradley Heath |
| 03/06 | Swindon | 55-50 | Exeter |
| 31/05 | Hull | 59-49 | Edinburgh |
| 02/06 | Belle Vue | 68-36 | Sheffield |
| 01/06 | Sheffield | 61-46 | Belle Vue |
| 02/06 | Arena Essex | 58-48 | Oxford |
| 29/05 | Oxford | 58.5-47.5 | Arena Essex |
Quarter-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 10/08 | Ipswich | 57-50 | Coventry |
| 05/08 | Bradford | 72-35 | Hull |
| 26/07 | Coventry | 58-49 | Ipswich |
| 26/07 | Hull | 54-41 | Bradford |
| 22/07 | Cradley Heath | 61-47 | Oxford |
| 22/07 | Swindon | 57-50 | Belle Vue |
| 21/07 | Belle Vue | 68-38 | Swindon |
| 21/07 | Oxford | 54-52 | Cradley Heath |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 13/09 | Coventry | 52-55 | Bradford |
| 02/09 | Bradford | 58-50 | Coventry |
| 19/08 | Cradley Heath | 49-57 | Belle Vue |
| 18/08 | Belle Vue | 59-48 | Cradley Heath |

### Final

First leg
Second leg
Bradford Dukes were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 111-97.

## Riders' Championship

Gary Havelock won the Premier League Riders Championship. It was held at Abbey Stadium, Swindon on 14 October.
| Pos. | Rider | Heat Scores | Total | SF | Final |
| 1 | Gary Havelock | 3 2 3 2 | 10 | x | 3 |
| 2 | Billy Hamill | 0 3 3 3 | 9 | 3 | 2 |
| 3 | Jason Crump | 3 3 3 2 | 11 | x | 1 |
| 4 | Leigh Adams | 3 3 3 2 | 11 | x | 0 |
| 5 | Greg Hancock | 2 2 2 3 | 9 | 2 | x |
| 6 | Peter Karlsson | 1 3 2 3 | 9 | 1 | x |
| 7 | Sam Ermolenko | 3 2 2 0 | 7 | | |
| 8 | Craig Boyce | 3 1 1 2 | 7 | | |
| 9 | Paul Fry | 1 1 2 3 | 7 | | |
| 10 | Shane Parker | 2 1 1 3 | 7 | | |
| 11 | Brian Andersen | 2 2 2 1 | 7 | | |
| 12 | Chris Louis | 2 0 3 1 | 6 | | |
| 13 | Lars Gunnestad | 1 3 1 1 | 6 | | |
| 14 | Jimmy Nilsen | 2 2 1 1 | 6 | | |
| 15 | Mike Faria | 3 2 0 0 | 5 | | |
| 16 | Steve Johnston | 2 3 0 0 | 5 | | |
| 17 | Ryan Sullivan | 1 0 3 1 | 5 | | |
| 18 | Paul Thorp | 0 1 1 3 | 5 | | |
| 19 | Stefan Andersson | 1 0 2 2 | 5 | | |
| 20 | Charles Ermolenko | 0 0 1 2 | 3 | | |
| 21 | Frede Schott | 0 1 0 1 | 2 | | |
| 22 | Dave Mullett | 1 0 0 0 | 1 | | |
| 23 | Bobby Ott | 0 1 0 0 | 1 | | |
| 24 | Greg Bartlett | 0 0 0 0 | 0 | | |

## Fours

Cradley Heathens won the Premier League Four-Team Championship, which was held on 6 August 1995, at the East of England Arena.
Group A :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Cradley | 16 | Cross 6, Hancock 5, Hamill 3, Smith 1, Forsgren 1 |
| 2 | Arena Essex | 13 | Hurry 5, Larsen 5, Mogridge 2, Adams 1 |
| 3 | Edinburgh | 11 | Andersen 3, McKinna 3, Lamb 3, Faria 2 |
| 4 | King's Lynn | 7 | Ott 4, Brhel 2, Topinla 1, Grayling 0 |
Group B :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Peterborough | 18 | Sullivan 6, Pedersen 5, Tesar 5, Poole 2, Clausen 0 |
| 2 | Bradford | 14 | Screen 6, Havelock 5, Wilson 2, Stead 1 |
| 3 | Wolverhampton | 9 | Ermolenko 4, Carter 2, Karlsson 1, White 1, Juul 1 |
| 4 | Hull | 7 | Steachmann 5, Thorp 1, Smith 1, Crabtree 0, Grahame 0 |
Final :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Cradley | 21 | Cross 8, Hamill 8, Hancock 3, Smith 2 |
| 2 | Peterborough | 20 | Poole 7, Sullivan 7, Tesar 6, Pedersen 0, Clausen 0 |
| 3 | Bradford | 19 | Screen 6, Havelock 5, Wilson 5, Pickering 3 |
| 4 | Arena Essex | 11 | Hurry 5, Adams 4, Larsen 2, Mogridge 0 |

## Leading final averages

| Rider | Team | Average |
| Billy Hamill | Cradley Heath | 10.91 |
| Joe Screen | Bradford | 10.82 |
| Chris Louis | Ipswich | 10.52 |
| Peter Karlsson | Wolverhampton | 10.50 |
| Jason Crump | Poole | 10.44 |
| Greg Hancock | Cradley Heath | 10.42 |
| Sam Ermolenko | Wolverhampton | 10.37 |
| Gary Havelock | Bradford | 10.25 |
| Martin Dugard | Eastbourne | 10.22 |
| Craig Boyce | Swindon | 9.99 |
| Leigh Adams | Arena Essex | 9.96 |
| Lars Gunnestad | Poole | 9.94 |
| Mark Loram | Exeter | 9.78 |
| Brian Andersen | Coventry | 9.53 |
| Dean Barker | Eastbourne | 9.35 |
| Jason Lyons | Belle Vue | 9.06 |
| Bobby Ott | Kings Lynn | 8.98 |
| Paul Thorp | Hull | 8.97 |
| David Norris | Reading | 8.90 |
| Ryan Sullivan | Peterborough | 8.85 |

## Riders & final averages

Arena Essex
* Leigh Adams 9.96
* Josh Larsen 8.09
* Paul Hurry 7.45
* Jan Pedersen 6.20
* Christer Rohlén 6.08
* Alan Mogridge 5.82
* Mikael Teurnberg 5.11
* Robert Ledwith 4.68
* Paul Whittaker 2.69
Belle Vue
* Jason Lyons 9.06
* Chris Manchester 8.35
* Frede Schött 7.86
* Niklas Klingberg 7.75
* Peter Carr 5.92
* Louis Carr 4.71
* Max Schofield 4.69
* John Jørgensen 2.74
* Kevin Little 3.50
* Neil Evitts 3.20
Bradford
* Joe Screen 10.82
* Gary Havelock 10.25
* Sean Wilson 8.12
* Garry Stead 6.86
* Paul Pickering 5.40
* Tony Atkin 3.90
* Darren Pearson 3.76
* Simon Green 3.33
Coventry
* Brian Andersen 9.53
* John Jørgensen 8.56
* Andy Smith 6.68
* Paul Bentley 6.51
* Shaun Tacey 5.49
* Stuart Robson 5.31
* Darren Spicer 4.05
Cradley Heath
* Billy Hamill 10.91
* Greg Hancock 10.42
* Simon Cross 9.01
* Jonathan Forsgren 5.44
* Scott Smith 5.17
* Steve Knott 4.08
* John Wilson 2.01
* David Clarke 1.24
Eastbourne
* Martin Dugard 10.22
* Dean Barker 9.35
* Stefan Dannö 8.71
* Stefan Andersson 7.80
* Darren Shand 4.68
* Stefan Ekberg 4.42
* Scott Swain 3.75
Edinburgh
* Mike Faria 8.26
* Les Collins 6.87
* Scott Lamb 6.78
* Jan Andersen 6.75
* Robert Eriksson 6.69
* Kenny McKinna 6.40
* Lawrence Hare 5.59
* Robert Larsen 3.54
Exeter
* Mark Loram 9.78
* Paul Fry 6.56
* Petr Vandírek 6.00
* Mark Simmonds 5.62
* Antonín Šváb Jr. 5.42
* Bořivoj Hádek 4.67
* Scott Pegler 4.04
* Graeme Gordon 2.13
Glasgow
* David Walsh 8.53
* Charles Ermolenko 8.48
* Shane Bowes 7.11
* Jesper Olsen 6.34
* James Grieves 6.26
* Sean Courtney 5.60
* Mick Powell 5.43
Hull
* Paul Thorp 8.97
* Jan Stæchmann 8.20
* Alan Grahame 7.15
* Nigel Crabtree 7.04
* Graham Jones 4.68
* Paul Smith 4.35
* Andre Compton 3.59
* Anthony Barlow 1.00
* Lee Dicken 0.71
Ipswich
* Chris Louis 10.52
* Jeremy Doncaster 8.26
* Ben Howe 7.34
* Scott Nicholls 6.01
* Leigh Lanham 5.99
* Savalas Clouting 5.75
* Emmerson Fairweather 4.22
King's Lynn
* Bobby Ott 8.98
* Tomáš Topinka 8.75
* Morten Andersen 8.18
* Bohumil Brhel 6.92
* Troy Pratt 5.43
* Darren Grayling 3.82
* Jason Gage 3.50
* David Clarke 3.16
* Chris Readshaw 2.15
Long Eaton
* Jan Stæchmann 10.10
* Ronnie Correy 8.84
* Steve Johnston 7.61
* Carl Stonehewer 7.22
* Martin Dixon 6.81
* Richard Hellsen 5.45
* Brent Werner 5.13
* Eric Monaghan 4.58
* Andre Pollehn 4.00
* Mark Burrows 3.06
Middlesbrough
* Shane Parker 8.54
* Róbert Nagy 6.55
* Scott Robson 6.18
* Martin Vinther 5.94
* Mike Smith 5.67
* Stuart Swales 4.69
* Stewart McDonald 3.73
* Martin Peterca 2.26
Oxford
* Jimmy Nilsen 8.36
* Armando Castagna 7.72
* Daniel Andersson 7.55
* Michael Coles 5.93
* Martin Goodwin 5.79
* Rene Madsen 4.81
* Davd Steen 4.81
Peterborough
* Ryan Sullivan 8.85
* Zdeněk Tesař 8.38
* Mick Poole 8.15
* Ronni Pedersen 6.53
* Hans Clausen 6.12
* Jens Rasmussen 5.11
* Marián Jirout 4.97
Poole
* Jason Crump 10.44
* Lars Gunnestad 9.94
* Steve Schofield 8.26
* Alun Rossiter 6.83
* Steve Masters 3.83
* Martin Willis 3.35
* Justin Elkins 3.01
* Jason Bunyan 2.06
Reading
* Marvyn Cox 9.44
* David Norris 8.90
* Dave Mullett 8.31
* Tony Olsson 7.74
* Ray Morton 7.01
* Petri Kokko 5.97
* Phil Morris 5.02
* Jason Gage 3.00
* Lee Richardson 1.29
Sheffield
* Greg Bartlett 7.31
* Zoltán Adorján 7.23
* Roman Matoušek 6.91
* George Štancl 6.84
* Neil Collins 6.82
* Rene Aas 5.91
* Will Beveridge 2.93
* Mike Hampson 2.50
Swindon
* Brian Karger 8.66
* Mark Thorpe 8.36
* Peter Nahlin 7.92
* Gary Chessell 6.12
* Glenn Cunningham 5.59
* Patrik Olsson 4.49
* Martin Willis 2.63
* John Jefferies 1.38
Wolverhampton
* Peter Karlsson 10.50
* Sam Ermolenko 10.37
* Richard Juul 5.94
* Jacob Olsen 5.61
* Wayne Carter 5.10
* Colin White 4.99
* Stephen Morris 4.00
* Craig Taylor 2.71
* David Clarke 2.09