1997 Premier League speedway season

British motorcycle speedway season February 2024 February 2024 Premier League Champions Reading Racers Knockout Cup Edinburgh Monarchs Young Shield Exeter Falcons Individual Peter Carr Pairs Long Eaton Invaders Fours Long Eaton Invaders Dave Mullett 1997 Elite League 1997 Conference League 1994 1998 The 1997 Premier League speedway season was the second division of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom and governed by the Speedway Control Board (SCB), in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA). Restructure A restructure of British speedway took place, with the Premier League becoming the second division and a new Elite League becoming the top division. During the two previous seasons (1995 and 1996) there had been only one division of British speedway also called the Premier League, this confused matters because the Premier League was now only a second-tier competition. Season summary The Premier League was consisted of 14 teams for the 1997 season, running on a standard format with no play-offs. The Young Shield was introduced as an end of season cup competition for the top eight teams in the league standings.Wheelie Good Trophy for Champs Reading Evening Post 30 June 1997 10 December 2021 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002472/19970630/336/0049 British Newspaper Archive subscription https://www.speedwaygb.co.uk/historyarchive History Archive Official British Speedway website 10 December 2021 A new team Skegness Braves, created by Peter Oakes, entered speedway for the first time but withdrew mid-season.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000769/19961107/108/0108 Speedway bosses aim for Elite Era Coventry Evening Telegraph 7 November 1996 British Newspaper Archive subscription 21 February 2025 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000332/19961113/038/0038 Speedway revival Lincolnshire Echo 13 November 1996 British Newspaper Archive subscription 21 February 2025 Reading Racers won the title.https://www.speedwaygb.co.uk/history/leaguetables1991-present BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - MODERN ERA (1991-PRESENT) Official British Speedway website 11 September 2021 Final table Pos M W D L F A Pts Bon Tot1 Reading Racers 26 22 0 4 1323 1011 44 13 572 Long Eaton Invaders 26 18 1 7 1227 1107 37 11 483 Edinburgh Monarchs 26 17 1 8 1235 1102 38 8 434 Newcastle Diamonds 26 15 0 11 1201 1134 30 8 385 Exeter Falcons 26 14 0 12 1213 1125 28 6 346 Glasgow Tigers 26 12 2 10 1158 1179 26 6 327 Arena Essex Hammers 26 12 0 14 1157 1179 24 7 318 Isle of Wight Islanders* 26 12 0 14 1149 1184 24 7 319 Hull Vikings 26 13 0 13 1134 1195 26 5 3110 Sheffield Tigers 26 12 0 14 1116 1219 24 5 2911 Oxford Cheetahs 26 9 0 17 1116 1219 18 6 2412 Stoke Potters 26 8 2 16 1111 1122 18 3 2113 Berwick Bandits 26 7 1 18 1105 1223 15 4 1914 Newport Wasps 26 7 1 18 1095 1241 15 2 17 replaced Skegness Braves mid-seasonIs this the end for the Braves? Boston Target 25 June 1997 14 July 2023 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003951/19970625/064/0064 British Newspaper Archive subscription Fixtures & results main FBR grey AE BER ED EX GLA HV IOW LE ND NW OX RR SHE STO Arena Essex Hammers 53–36 40–49 55–35 57–33 49–41 54–36 43–47 48–42 51–38 48–42 39–51 60–30 44–46 Berwick Bandits 43–47 50–40 43–47 45–45 43–47 42–48+ 41–49 54–35 59–31 48–42 37–53 50–39 56–34 Exeter Falcons 53–37 51–39 52–38 72–18 55–34 57–33 65–25 54–36 61–29 55–35 39–51 49–41 50–40 Edinburgh Monarchs 54–36 46–44 54–36 53–37 59–31 53–36+ 45–45 44–4 55–35 58–32 46–44 64–26 48–42 Glasgow Tigers 50–40 48–41 44–46 55–35 51–39 55–35 42–48 53–37 52–38 64–26 49–41 52–38 52–38 Hull Vikings 48–42 55–32 46–44 60–30 53–36 51–39 50–40 44–46 48–42 49–41 41–49 53–37 42–48 Isle of Wight Islanders 59–30 49–40 53–36 57–33 47–43 58–32 41–49 51–39 38–52 52–38 59–29 43–47 53–37 Long Eaton Invaders 53–37 51–39 59–31 50–40 52–37 57–32 50–40 52–38 52–37 51–38 46–44 55–35 46–44 Newcastle Diamonds 55–35 48–42 48–42 56–34 50–40 53–37 57–33 52–38 53–37 49–41 41–48 60–30 42–47 Newport Wasps 43–47 39–50 39–51 50–40 48–42 43–46 57–33 51–39 43–47 50–40 41–49 49–41 45–45 Oxford Cheetahs 56–34 55–34 44–46 54–36 40–50 53–37 41–49 46–43 50–39 52–38 43–47 52–38 51–38 Reading Racers 49–41 64–26 50–40 54–36 62–28 48–40 61–29 55–35 52–38 52–38 54–36 59–31 61–29 Sheffield Tigers 48–42 62–18 44–46 49–40 53–37 43–46 50–40 47–42 48–41 46–44 50–40 44–46 49–41 Stoke Potters 42–48 45–43 43–47 32–58 45–45 57–32 51–38 37–53 37–53 52–38 62–28 39–50 40–50 complete https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1997fixtures.pdf Speedway Researcher 1997 fixtures & results 3 July 2024 + as Skegness Premier League Knockout Cup The 1997 Premier League Knockout Cup was the 30th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams and the first with the name Premier League Knockout Cup. Edinburgh Monarchs were the winners of the competition.https://edinburghspeedway.blogspot.com/2014/02/premier-league-ko-cup-1997.html 1997 Premier League Knockout Cup Speedway archive During 1995 and 1996 the British League merged and ran as one newly named Premier League, which therefore meant that the second tier of speedway in the United Kingdom was the 1995 Academy League season, followed one year later by the 1996 Speedway Conference League season. First round Northern Group Pos Team Played W D L Pts1 Hull Vikings 11 7 1 3 152 Edinburgh Monarchs 12 6 1 5 133 Newcastle Diamonds 12 6 1 5 134 Sheffield Tigers 12 6 0 6 125 Berwick Bandits 12 5 1 6 116 Stoke Potters 11 5 0 6 107 Glasgow Tigers 12 4 0 8 8 Southern Group Pos Team Played W D L Pts1 Oxford Cheetahs 10 6 3 1 152 Reading Racers 10 7 1 2 153 Long Eaton Invaders 10 6 2 2 144 Arena Essex Hammers 10 4 2 4 105 Exeter Falcons 10 2 0 8 46 Skegness Braves 10 1 0 9 2 Semi-finals Date Team one Score Team two04/07 Edinburgh 51-39 Reading21/07 Reading 48-42 Edinburgh29/06 Oxford 51-39 Hull09/07 Hull 46-43 Oxford Final First leg 29 August 1997 Oxford CheetahsNeville Tatum 13Philippe Bergé 11Lawrence Hare 11Mikael Teurnberg 6Jeremy Luckhurst 2Anthony Barlow 0Darren Andrews R/R 43 – 47 https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1997fixtures.pdf 1997 KO cup final Speedway Researcher 30 September 2021https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/edinburgh1997.pdf Edinburgh results 1997 Speedway Researcher 30 September 2021 Edinburgh MonarchsPeter Carr 12Robert Eriksson 10Kenny McKinna 10Paul Gould 7Blair Scott 6Barry Campbell 2Neil Hewitt 0 Oxford Stadium Second leg 30 August 1997 Edinburgh MonarchsKenny McKinna 13Peter Carr 12Robert Eriksson 11Blair Scott 5Paul Gould 3Barry Campbell 3Neil Hewitt R/R 47 – 43 Oxford CheetahsPhilippe Bergé 15Neville Tatum 12Lawrence Hare 8Mikael Teurnberg 4William Beveridge 4Anthony Barlow 0Jeremy Luckhurst R/R Armadale Stadium Edinburgh were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 94–86. Young Shield End of season competition for the top eight league teams First Round Team one Team two ScoreEdinburgh Glasgow 49–40, 48–42Newcastle Exeter 46–44, 22–68Reading Isle of Wight 60–30, 53–37Arena Essex Long Eaton 45–44, 42–48 Semi-final Team one Team two ScoreReading Exeter 47–43, 37–53Long Eaton Edinburgh 55–35, 42–48 Final Team one Team two ScoreLong Eaton Exeter 51–39, 32–57 Riders' Championship Peter Carr won the Riders' Championship. The final was held on 13 September at Brandon Stadium.Champions Reading Evening Post 15 September 1997 24 June 2023 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002472/19970915/533/0056 British Newspaper Archive subscription Pos. Rider Pts Total SF Final1 ENG Peter Carr 2 2 0 2 39332 ENG Glenn Cunningham 0 2 3 3 2 10223 SWE Robert Eriksson 2 2 3 2 r 9214 AUS Brett Woodifield 3 1 3 1 3 11305 ENG Dave Mullett 1 3 3 3 2 1216 ENG Neville Tatum 3 3 2 3 1 1217 ENG Leigh Lanham 3 3 fex 2 1 9 08 ENG Stuart Robson 1 1 1 3 3 909SCO Scott Lamb 2 1 2 1 3 910 ENG Carl Stonehewer 3 1 1 1 2 811 ENG Les Collins 1 3 1 0 2 712 ENG Scott Smith 0 0 2 2 1 513 ENG Neil Collins 2 0 2 0 0 414 ENG Troy Pratt 0 2 1 0 0 315 ENG Paul Bentley 1 0 0 1 1 316 SWE Anders Henriksson 0 fex - - - 017 ENG David Housley (res) - - 0 - 0 018 ENG Nick Simmons (res) - - - 0 - 0 f=fell, r-retired, ex=excluded, ef=engine failure t=touched tapes Pairs The Premier League Pairs Championship was held at Oxford Stadium on 26 September. The event was won by Long Eaton Invaders.https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/longeaton1997.pdf 1997 season results Speedway Researcher 27 May 2023https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3ml4PzuXXo Speedway Premier League Pairs 26/09/1997 YouTube 27 May 2023 PosTeamPtsRiders1Long Eaton33 Stonehewer 18, Dixon 152Reading 31 Richardson 19, Mullett 123Exeter 28Coles 21, Lanham 74Oxford 26Hare 20, Tatum 65Sheffield 26 Kessler 18, Smith 86Glasgow 23Powell 13, Collins 107Edinburgh 22Carr P 17, McKinna 5 Fours Long Eaton Invaders won the Premier League Four-Team Championship, which was held on 3 August 1997, at the East of England Arena.Monarchs are right out of luck Daily Record 4 August 1997 6 July 2023 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003741/19970804/036/0036 British Newspaper Archive subscription https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/longeaton1997.pdf 1997 Long Eaton results Speedway Researcher 6 July 2023 FinalPosTeamPtsRiders1 Long Eaton 28Lee 7, Stonehewer 7, Werner 7, Dixon 6, Elkins 1 2 Edinburgh 23 Carr P 12, Eriksson 6, McKinna K 4, Gould 13 Oxford 17Hare 6, Teurnberg 4, Berge 4, Tatum 34 Berwick9 Lamb 4, Little 2, Pingel 1, Kosonen 1, Meldrum 1 Final leading averages Rider Team Average ENG Dave MullettReading10.47 ENG Carl StonehewerLong Eaton10.39 ENG Glenn CunninghamReading9.92 ENG Peter CarrEdinburgh9.88 ENG Martin DixonLong Eaton9.81 SCO Kenny McKinnaEdinburgh9.73 GER Robbie KesslerSheffield9.76 ENG Alan GrahameHull9.75 SWE Robert ErikssonEdinburgh9.46 ENG Les Collins Stoke9.44 Riders and final averages Arena Essex 22em Troy Pratt 8.65 Jan Pedersen 8.42 Colin White 7.22 Tommy Palmer 7.08 David Mason 4.07 John Wainwright 4.00 Paul Lydes-Uings 2.44 Berwick 22em Scott Lamb 8.57 Jörg Pingel 7.21 Kevin Little 7.18 Mike Smith 6.65 Richard Juul 6.54 David Meldrum 4.97 David Blackburn 4.54 Michael Lowrie 3.91 Edinburgh 22em Peter Carr 9.88 Kenny McKinna 9.73 Robert Eriksson 9.46 Jarno Kosonen 6.63 Paul Gould 4.45 Barry Campbell 3.85 Blair Scott 3.68 Neil Hewitt 2.35 Exeter 22em Michael Coles 8.83 Leigh Lanham 8.76 Frank Smart 7.28 Peter Jeffery 7.14 Graeme Gordon 6.18 Gary Lobb 3.52 Paul Fudge 2.86 Glasgow 22em Neil Collins 9.02 Mick Powell 8.32 Stewart McDonald 7.47 Sean Courtney 6.91 Will Beveridge 4.44 Grant MacDonald 3.28 Hull 22em Alan Grahame 9.75 Stuart Robson 8.37 Scott Robson 7.55 Peter Scully 6.49 Lee Dicken 5.01 Brian Turner 2.91 Richard Emson 1.95 Isle of Wight/Skegness 22em Shaun Tacey 8.23 Brett Woodifield 7.63 Nigel Sadler 6.73 Mark Simmonds 6.44 Wayne Carter 6.20 Jason Bunyan 5.71 Paul Clews 3.75 Gavin Hedge 2.70 Lee Dixon 1.14 Long Eaton 22em Carl Stonehewer 10.39 Martin Dixon 9.81 Brent Werner 9.27 Justin Elkins 5.06 Paul Lee 4.21 Mark Burrows 4.00 Dean Felton 2.39 Bobby Eldridge 2.18 Newcastle 22em Paul Bentley 8.81 Jesper Olsen 8.57 Richard Juul 7.73 Stuart Swales 7.13 Glyn Taylor 5.92 Andre Compton 3.80 Brian Turner 3.78 James Birkinshaw 2.00 Newport 22em Paul Fry 8.75 Anders Henriksson 8.24 Craig Watson 7.72 Scott Pegler 6.12 Martin Willis 4.14 Roger Lobb 3.55 Oxford 22em Neville Tatum 9.14 Lawrence Hare 8.46 Philippe Bergé 8.35 Mikael Teurnberg 7.34 Jason Bunyan 4.41 Jeremy Luckhurst 3.37 Krister Marsh 2.67 Anthony Barlow 2.27 Darren Andrews 1.37 Reading 22em Dave Mullett 10.47 Glenn Cunningham 9.92 David Steen 7.75 Lee Richardson 6.73 Paul Pickering 6.50 Krister Marsh 2.43 Bobby Eldridge 2.00 Sheffield 22em Robbie Kessler 9.76 Scott Smith 8.95 Mirko Wolter 7.94 Rene Aas 6.89 Steve Knott 5.45 Peter Boast 3.70 Derrol Keats 3.33 Mike Hampson 3.10 James Birkinshaw 3.02 Stoke 22em Les Collins 9.44 Phil Morris 6.53 Craig Taylor 6.17 Chris Cobby 5.87 Tony Atkin 5.83 Mark Burrows 4.42 Jon Armstrong 2.00 See also List of United Kingdom Speedway League Champions Knockout Cup (speedway) References Category:Speedway Premier League Category:1997 in speedway Category:1997 in British motorsport