1998 Premier League speedway season
League | Premier League |
---|---|
Champions | Peterborough Panthers |
Knockout Cup | Reading Racers |
Young Shield | Isle of Wight Islanders |
Individual | Glenn Cunningham |
Pairs | Peterborough Panthers |
Fours | Peterborough Panthers |
Highest average | Nicki Pedersen |
Division/s above | 1998 Elite League |
Division/s below | 1998 Conference League |
The 1998 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 1998 season with the following the closure of the Long Eaton Invaders and the decision of the Oxford Cheetahs to compete in the Elite League. The addition of the Peterborough Panthers who dropped down from the Elite League limited the reduction in numbers.
The League was run on a standard format with no play-offs and was won by Peterborough.[1]
Final table
Pos | M | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | Bon | Tot | |
1 | Peterborough Panthers | 24 | 16 | 2 | 6 | 1206 | 945 | 34 | 12 | 46 |
2 | Reading Racers | 24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 1130 | 989 | 32 | 10 | 42 |
3 | Exeter Falcons | 24 | 14 | 1 | 9 | 1134 | 1023 | 31 | 7 | 38 |
4 | Hull Vikings | 24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 1098 | 1037 | 30 | 6 | 36 |
5 | Sheffield Tigers | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 1088 | 1064 | 26 | 7 | 33 |
6 | Isle of Wight Islanders | 24 | 11 | 2 | 11 | 1095 | 1055 | 24 | 8 | 32 |
7 | Glasgow Tigers | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 1085 | 1065 | 26 | 6 | 32 |
8 | Newport Wasps | 24 | 11 | 3 | 10 | 1067 | 1081 | 25 | 7 | 32 |
9 | Edinburgh Monarchs | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 1078 | 1077 | 22 | 7 | 29 |
10 | Newcastle Diamonds | 24 | 10 | 3 | 11 | 1041 | 1109 | 23 | 3 | 26 |
11 | Arena Essex Hammers | 24 | 8 | 2 | 14 | 995 | 1139 | 18 | 2 | 20 |
12 | Berwick Bandits | 24 | 7 | 1 | 17 | 982 | 1173 | 15 | 2 | 17 |
13 | Stoke Potters | 24 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 956 | 1198 | 6 | 1 | 7 |
Leading averages
Rider | Team | Average |
---|---|---|
Nicki Pedersen | Newcastle | 9.97 |
Carl Stonehewer | Sheffield | 9.93 |
Lee Richardson | Reading | 9.60 |
Paul Thorp | Hull | 9.56 |
Glenn Cunningham | Peterborough | 9.55 |
Dave Mullett | Reading | 9.48 |
Petri Kokko | Reading | 9.36 |
Mick Powell | Glasgow | 9.32 |
Jan Andersen | Peterborough | 9.29 |
Peter Carr | Edinburgh | 9.26 |
Premier League Knockout Cup
The 1998 Premier League Knockout Cup was the 31st edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams. Reading Racers were the winners of the competition.[2][3][4]
Northern Group
Pos | Team | Played | W | D | L | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Berwick Bandits | 11 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 15 |
2 | Sheffield Tigers | 12 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 15 |
3 | Glasgow Tigers | 12 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 15 |
4 | Edinburgh Monarchs | 11 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 11 |
5 | Newcastle Diamonds | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
6 | Hull Vikings | 12 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 8 |
7 | Stoke Potters | 8 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
Southern Group
Pos | Team | Played | W | D | L | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Peterborough Panthers | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 14 |
2 | Reading Racers | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 11 |
3 | Arena Essex Hammers | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 10 |
4 | Exeter Falcons | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 10 |
5 | Isle of Wight Islanders | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 9 |
6 | Newport Wasps | 10 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 4 |
Semi Finals
Date | Team One | Score | Team Two |
---|---|---|---|
20/07 | Reading | 56-34 | Sheffield |
16/07 | Sheffield | 45-45 | Reading |
14/08 | Peterborough | 56-34 | Berwick |
22/08 | Berwick | 42-48 | Peterborough |
Final
First leg
Peterborough Panthers Philippe Bergé 10 Simon Stead 9 David Howe 8 Glenn Cunningham 5 Nigel Sadler 5 Brett Woodifield 4 Oliver Allen 3 | 44 – 46 | Reading Racers Lee Richardson 14 Petri Kokko 12 Paul Clews 7 Dave Mullett 5 Jusin Elkins 5 Phil Morris 2 Krister Marsh 1 |
---|---|---|
[5] |
Second leg
Reading Racers Lee Richardson 18 Dave Mullett 10 Petri Kokko 10 Krister Marsh 8 Paul Clews 7 Jusin Elkins 4 Phil Morris R/R | 57 – 33 | Peterborough Panthers Leigh Lanham (guest) 11 Brett Woodifield 9 Philippe Bergé 5 Nigel Sadler 5 Ross Brady 3 Oliver Allen 0 David Howe 0 |
---|---|---|
[5] |
Reading were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 103–77.
See also
References
- ^ "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - MODERN ERA (1991-PRESENT)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
- ^ "1998 Premier League Knockout Cup". Speedway archive.
- ^ "Racers on verge of cup triumph". Reading Evening Post. 21 September 1998. Retrieved 1 October 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Super Racers are the KO Cup Winners". Reading Evening Post. 22 September 1998. Retrieved 1 October 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ a b "1998 KO cup final" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 30 September 2021.