SGB Championship 2023
League | SGB Championship |
---|---|
No. of competitors | 9 |
Champions | Glasgow Tigers |
Knockout Cup | Scunthorpe Scorpions |
BSN Series | Poole Pirates |
Pairs | Glasgow Tigers |
Riders' Championship | Charles Wright |
Highest average | Ryan Douglas |
Division/s above | SGB Premiership |
Division/s below | SGB National League |
The 2023 SGB Championship season (sponsored by Cab Direct[1] ) was the 76th season of the second tier of British Speedway and the 6th known as the SGB Championship.[2] The British Speedway Network (BSN) streamed 35 matches live for the second year running.[3]
Summary
[edit ]Nine clubs competed in the Championship in 2023,[2] with Edinburgh Monarchs remaining in the league despite problems surrounding their home venue.[4] The only change to the league was Leicester Lions, who left for the higher league of the SGB Premiership 2023.[5]
The league format was the same as in 2022, with each team racing against each other twice (home and away), meaning a total of 16 fixtures each during the season. The points system was revamped and simplified, with teams scoring two points for a win (home or away), with a bonus point scored for an aggregate win. A 'Super Heat' was also introduced in the event of a tied meeting, with the winners scoring two league points and the losers gaining one point.
The top six teams qualified for the playoffs, however they were split into two groups of three, with the winners of each qualifying for the Grand Final. Finally, the points limit for team construction was reduced from 42 to 40 points.[6]
Glasgow Tigers won the title for the first time 2011, while Scunthorpe Scorpions claimed the knockout cup.[7] Poole Pirates had been looking to secure an unprecedented third consecutive double of league and cup, however they lost in both finals. However, Poole did win the BSN Series, an early season competition.[8]
League
[edit ]Regular season
[edit ]League table
Pos. | Club | M | Home | Away | F | A | B | Pts | +/− | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | SHL | L | W | SHL | L | ||||||||
1 | Poole Pirates | 16 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 818 | 622 | 7 | 35 | +196 |
2 | Oxford Cheetahs | 16 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 791 | 647 | 8 | 34 | +144 |
3 | Glasgow Tigers (C) | 16 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 772 | 614 | 5 | 31 | +148 |
4 | Scunthorpe Scorpions | 16 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 758 | 657 | 6 | 23 | +101 |
5 | Redcar Bears | 16 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 719 | 702 | 4 | 23 | +17 |
6 | Edinburgh Monarchs | 16 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 662 | 758 | 3 | 15 | -96 |
7 | Birmingham Brummies | 16 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 629 | 791 | 2 | 10 | -162 |
8 | Berwick Bandits | 16 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 641 | 797 | 1 | 7 | -156 |
9 | Plymouth Gladiators | 16 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 621 | 813 | 0 | 4 | -192 |
Fixtures & results
Home \ Away | BER | BIR | EDI | GLA | OXF | PLY | POL | RED | SCU |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Berwick | 40–50 | 44–46 | 36–53 | 44–46 | 52–38 | 40–50 | 46–44 | 47–43 | |
Birmingham | 48–42 | 36–54 | 36–53 | 36–54 | 50–40 | 36–54 | 44–46 | 35–55 | |
Edinburgh | 49–41 | 38–34 | 39–51 | 37–52 | 60–29 | 35–55 | 43–47 | 36–54 | |
Glasgow | 63–27 | 64–26 | 49–41 | 51–39 | 55–35 | 46–44 | 51–39 | 38–28 | |
Oxford | 53–37 | 55–35 | 54–36 | 52–38 | 59–31 | 52–38 | 52–38 | 50–40 | |
Plymouth | 45–44 | 42–47 | 44–46 | 42–48 | 42–47 | 44–46 | 41–49 | 49–41 | |
Poole | 54–36 | 57–33 | 59–31 | 53–37 | 51–39 | 64–26 | 52–38 | 49–41 | |
Redcar | 57–33 | 46–44 | 58–32 | 33–39 | 48–42 | 48–41 | 45–45 | 48–42 | |
Scunthorpe | 58–32 | 51–39 | 51–39 | 54–36 | 45–45 | 57–32 | 43–47 | 55–35 |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Play Offs
[edit ]Six of the nine teams qualified for the play offs, including sixth placed Edinburgh who lost 10 of their 16 matches.[11]
Group A
Fixtures
Home \ Away | EDI | POL | SCU |
---|---|---|---|
Edinburgh | 36–54 | 36–54 | |
Poole | 55–35 | 45–45 | |
Scunthorpe | 59–31 | 40–50 |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Table
Pos. | Club | M | Home | Away | F | A | B | Pts | +/− | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | SHL | L | W | SHL | L | ||||||||
1 | Poole Pirates (Q) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 204 | 156 | 2 | 10 | +48 |
2 | Scunthorpe Scorpions | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 198 | 162 | 1 | 6 | +36 |
3 | Edinburgh Monarchs | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 138 | 222 | 0 | 0 | -84 |
Group B
Fixtures
Table
Pos. | Club | M | Home | Away | F | A | B | Pts | +/− | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | SHL | L | W | SHL | L | ||||||||
1 | Glasgow Tigers (Q) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 198 | 162 | 2 | 8 | +36 |
2 | Oxford Cheetahs | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 188 | 172 | 1 | 7 | +16 |
3 | Redcar Bears | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 154 | 206 | 0 | 0 | -52 |
Grand final
[edit ]First leg
Chris Harris 14
Benjamin Basso 10
Tom Brennan 9
Vadim Tarasenko 9
Lee Complin 9
Ace Pijper 1
Claus Vissing r/r 52–38 Poole Pirates
Richard Lawson 9
Steve Worrall 9
Zach Cook 8
Ben Cook 6
Kyle Newman 4
Joe Thompson 2
Anders Rowe r/r Ashfield Stadium
Referee(s):
David Watters
Second leg
Ben Cook 11
Steve Worrall 10
Zach Cook 8
Kyle Newman 8
Richard Lawson 7
Joe Thompson 3
Anders Rowe r/r 47–43 Glasgow Tigers
Chris Harris 14
Vadim Tarasenko 9
Tom Brennan 9
Benjamin Basso 5
Lee Complin 4
Ace Pijper 2
Claus Vissing r/r Poole Stadium
Referee(s):
David Watters
Knockout Cup
[edit ]The 2023 SGB Championship Knockout Cup was the 55th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams and the 6th edition under the SGB Championship Knockout Cup name.
Home team scores are in bold
Overall aggregate scores are in red
Final
[edit ]First Leg
Ryan Douglas 13
Drew Kemp 10
Michael Palm Toft 8
Jake Allen 6
Simon Lambert 6
Connor Mountain 3
Nathan Ablitt 1 47–43 Poole Pirates
Zach Cook 14
Richard Lawson 10
Ben Cook 6
Steve Worrall 6
Joe Thompson 4
Kyle Newman 3
Anders Rowe r/r Eddie Wright Raceway
Referee(s):
Michael Breckon
Second Leg
Richard Lawson 10
Ben Cook 8
Zach Cook 8
Kyle Newman 8
Steve Worrall 7
Joe Thompson 3
Anders Rowe 1 45–45 Scunthorpe Scorpions
Simon Lambert 12
Drew Kemp 10
Ryan Douglas 9
Connor Mountain 7
Jake Allen 4
Michael Palm Toft 3
Nathan Ablitt 0 Poole Stadium
Referee(s):
Christina Turnbull
BSN Series
[edit ]Scottish Group [16]
Fixtures
Table
Pos. | Club | M | Home | Away | F | A | B | Pts | +/− | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | SHL | L | W | SHL | L | ||||||||
1 | Glasgow Tigers (Q) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 202 | 157 | 2 | 8 | +45 |
2 | Berwick Bandits | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 170 | 189 | 1 | 5 | -19 |
3 | Edinburgh Monarchs | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 167 | 193 | 0 | 2 | -26 |
Northern Group
Fixtures
Home \ Away | BIR | RED | SCU |
---|---|---|---|
Birmingham | 38–52 | 41–49 | |
Redcar | 49–41 | 49–41 | |
Scunthorpe | 55–35 | 50–40 |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Table
Pos. | Club | M | Home | Away | F | A | B | Pts | +/− | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | SHL | L | W | SHL | L | ||||||||
1 | Scunthorpe Scorpions (Q) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 195 | 165 | 2 | 8 | +30 |
2 | Redcar Bears (Q) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 190 | 170 | 1 | 7 | +20 |
3 | Birmingham Brummies | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 155 | 205 | 0 | 0 | -50 |
Southern Group
Fixtures
Table
Pos. | Club | M | Home | Away | F | A | B | Pts | +/− | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | SHL | L | W | SHL | L | ||||||||
1 | Poole Pirates (Q) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 206 | 152 | 2 | 8 | +54 |
2 | Oxford Cheetahs | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 182 | 177 | 1 | 5 | +5 |
3 | Plymouth Gladiators | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 150 | 209 | 0 | 2 | -59 |
Knockout stages
[edit ]Home team scores are in bold
Overall aggregate scores are in red
Grand Final
[edit ]First leg
Steve Worrall 14
Richard Lawson 13
Ben Cook 11
Zach Cook 8
Anders Rowe 7
Kyle Newman 5
Adam Roynon 4 62–28 Glasgow Tigers
Chris Harris 7
Benjamin Basso 7
Claus Vissing 5
Ace Pijper 5
Tom Brennan 4
Marcin Nowak 0
Lee Complin 0 Poole Stadium
Referee(s):
Christina Turnbull
Second leg
Benjamin Basso 12
Tom Brennan 11
Marcin Nowak 8
Chris Harris 7
Lee Complin 6
Claus Vissing 3
Ace Pijper 1 48–42 Poole Pirates
Steve Worrall 12
Ben Cook 10
Richard Lawson 8
Kyle Newman 4
Adam Roynon 3
Anders Rowe 3
Zach Cook 2 Ashfield Stadium
Referee(s):
Barbara Horley
Pairs Championship
[edit ]The 2023 edition of the SGB Championship Pairs took place on Friday 1 September, at Oxford Stadium, Oxford. It was won by Glasgow Tigers, who beat defending champions Redcar Bears in the final.
Qualifying heats
Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Redcar Bears | 25 | Charles Wright 14, Danny King 11 |
2 | Oxford Cheetahs | 25 | Lewis Kerr 15, Sam Masters 10 |
3 | Glasgow Tigers | 23 | Chris Harris 12, Benjamin Basso 11 |
4 | Poole Pirates | 17 | Ben Cook 11, Richard Lawson 6 |
5 | Scunthorpe Scorpions | 17 | Ryan Douglas 13, Simon Lambert 4 |
6 | Berwick Bandits | 15 | Jye Etheridge 8, Leon Flint 7 |
7 | Edinburgh Monarchs | 14 | Josh Pickering 12, Luke Killeen 2 |
8 | Birmingham Brummies | 14 | Justin Sedgmen 12, Troy Batchelor 2 |
9 | Plymouth Gladiators | 12 | Kyle Howarth 8, Max Perry 4 |
Semi-finals
Team One | Team Two | Score | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Redcar | Poole | 7-2 | Wright 4, King 3, Lawson 2, Cook 0 |
Team One | Team Two | Score | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Glasgow | Oxford | 5-4 | Masters 4, Harris 3, Basso 2, Kerr 0 |
Final
Team One | Team Two | Score | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Glasgow | Redcar | 6-3 | Basso 4, Wright 3, Harris 2, King 0 |
Riders' Championship
[edit ]The 2023 edition of the SGB Championship Riders Championship was held on 27 August, at the Ecco Arena in Redcar. The event was won by Charles Wright on his home track.[19]
Pos. | Rider | Pts | Total | SF | Final |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | England Charles Wright (Redcar) | 1 2 2 3 3 | 11 | 2 | 3 |
2 | England Chris Harris (Glasgow) | 2 1 3 3 3 | 12 | x | 2 |
3 | Australia Ben Cook (Poole) | 3 2 3 3 2 | 12 | x | 1 |
4 | England Danny King (Redcar) | 3 3 2 2 2 | 12 | 3 | 0 |
5 | England Lewis Kerr (Oxford) | 3 1 3 2 1 | 10 | 1 | |
6 | England Richard Lawson (Poole) | 2 0 1 3 3 | 9 | 0 | |
7 | Australia Ryan Douglas (Scunthorpe) | 2 2 2 fx 2 | 8 | ||
8 | England Richie Worrall (Plymouth) | 1 3 3 1 0 | 8 | ||
9 | Australia Rory Schlein (Berwick) | 2 3 1 1 0 | 7 | ||
10 | England Leon Flint (Berwick) | 0 3 2 2 0 | 7 | ||
11 | Australia Justin Sedgmen (Birmingham) | 3 0 0 1 2 | 6 | ||
12 | Australia Jake Allen (Scunthorpe) | 1 1 1 0 2 | 5 | ||
13 | Italy Paco Castagna (Edinburgh) | 0 1 0 2 1 | 4 | ||
14 | Australia Troy Batchelor (Birmingham) | 0 2 0 1 1 | 4 | ||
15 | Australia Kye Thomson (Edinburgh) | 1 0 1 0 1 | 3 | ||
16 | England Craig Cook (Edinburgh) | r tm - - - | 0 | ||
17 | England Luke Harrison (res) | 0 0 | 0 | ||
18 | England Sam McGurk (res) | 0 0 | 0 |
- f=fell, r=retired, ex=excluded tm=two minute warning excluded
Leading averages
[edit ]Rider | Team | Average | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Ryan Douglas | Scunthorpe | 10.09 |
2 | Sam Masters | Oxford | 9.80 |
3 | Charles Wright | Redcar | 9.66 |
4 | Scott Nicholls | Oxford | 9.54 |
5 | Chris Harris | Glasgow | 9.47 |
6 | Benjamin Basso | Glasgow | 9.45 |
7 | Richard Lawson | Poole | 9.37 |
8 | Craig Cook | Edinburgh | 9.08 |
9 | Danny King | Redcar | 8.58 |
10 | Josh Pickering | Edinburgh | 8.55 |
- averages include league, play offs, knockout cup & bsn series, min 6 matches
Squads & final averages
[edit ]Berwick Bandits
- Australia Rory Schlein 8.23
- England Leon Flint (C) 7.05
- Australia Jye Etheridge 6.41
- Denmark Thomas Jørgensen 6.23
- Denmark Jonas Knudsen 5.74
- Denmark Hans Andersen 5.38
- Australia Jacob Hook 4.85
- England Connor Coles 4.51
- England Steve Boxall 3.64
- Scotland Greg Blair 2.46
- Wales Nathan Stoneman 1.33
Birmingham Brummies
- Australia Justin Sedgmen (C) 7.74
- Australia Nick Morris [21] 7.53
- Australia Troy Batchelor 7.35
- England Alfie Bowtell 5.43
- England Paul Starke 4.40
- England Stefan Nielsen 3.05
- England Sam Hagon 3.02
- Australia Ty Proctor 3.00
- England James Wright 2.86
Edinburgh Monarchs
- England Craig Cook 9.08
- Australia Josh Pickering (C) 8.55
- Australia Kye Thomson 6.57
- Italy Michele Paco Castagna 6.11
- Norway Lasse Fredriksen 4.71
- Denmark Bastian Borke 4.50
- England Kyle Bickley 3.39
- England Max Clegg 3.06
- Australia Dayle Wood 1.00
Glasgow Tigers
- England Chris Harris 9.47
- Denmark Benjamin Basso 9.45
- Russia /Poland Vadim Tarasenko 8.51
- England Tom Brennan (C) 7.91
- Denmark Claus Vissing 7.45
- Poland Marcin Nowak 6.37
- England Lee Complin 4.56
- Scotland Ace Pijper 3.18
Oxford Cheetahs
- Australia Sam Masters 9.80
- England Scott Nicholls (C) 9.54
- England Lewis Kerr 8.54
- England Jordan Jenkins 6.69
- Australia Cameron Heeps 5.71
- England Henry Atkins 4.70
- England Ashton Boughen 4.00
- Australia Luke Killeen 3.27
- England Ryan Kinsley 2.36
Plymouth Gladiators
- England Ben Barker 7.84
- England Richie Worrall 7.77
- England Kyle Howarth (C) 7.61
- Australia James Pearson 5.84
- England Dan Gilkes 5.79
- England Ben Morley 3.06
- New Zealand Jake Turner 2.49
- England Ben Trigger 2.07
Poole Pirates
- England Richard Lawson 9.37
- England Steve Worrall (C) 8.38
- Australia Ben Cook 8.29
- Australia Zach Cook 8.03
- England Anders Rowe 6.67
- England Kyle Newman 6.63
- England Adam Roynon 5.01
- England Joe Thompson 4.86
Redcar Bears
- England Charles Wright (C) 9.66
- England Danny King 8.58
- Germany Erik Riss 6.76
- England Jason Edwards 6.08
- England Danyon Hume 5.76
- Australia Connor Bailey 5.65
- England Jake Mulford 3.44
Scunthorpe Scorpions
- Australia Ryan Douglas 10.09
- Australia Jake Allen 7.94
- Denmark Michael Palm Toft 7.85
- England Simon Lambert (C) 7.04
- England Connor Mountain 6.69
- England Drew Kemp 6.64
- England Nathan Ablitt 3.13
See also
[edit ]References
[edit ]- ^ "Cab Direct Announced as New Sponsor of the British Speedway Championship". Cab Direct. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ a b "Championship plans for 23". British Speedway. 5 November 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
- ^ "Championship continues BSN Partnership & unveils the BSN Series". British Speedway. 28 November 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
- ^ "MONARCHS REIGN SET TO CONTINUE WITH ARMADALE STADIUM REPRIEVE". Edinburgh Monarchs Speedway. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
- ^ "Lions moving up in 2023". Leicester Speedway. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
- ^ "British Speedway AGM statement". SCB. 17 November 2022.
- ^ "Scunthorpe Scorpions beat Poole Pirates to win 2023 Knockout Cup". Bournemouth Daily Echo. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
- ^ "BSN Series Final". British Speedway. 21 July 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
- ^ "2023 Championship Table, Fixtures & Results - British Speedway Official Website". 9 December 2021.
- ^ "2023 Championship table". British Speedway. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
- ^ "Groups for Championship Play-Offs". 9 September 2023.
- ^ "Glasgow Tigers vs Poole Pirates scorecard" (PDF). Speedway GB.
- ^ "Poole Pirates vs Glasgow Tigers scorecard" (PDF). Speedway GB.
- ^ "Scunthorpe Scorpions vs Poole Pirates scorecard" (PDF). Speedway GB.
- ^ "Poole Pirates vs Scunthorpe Scorpions scorecard" (PDF). Speedway GB.
- ^ "BSN Series". British Speedway. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
- ^ "Poole Pirates vs Glasgow Tigers scorecard" (PDF). Speedway GB.
- ^ "Glasgow Tigers vs Poole Pirates scorecard" (PDF). Speedway GB.
- ^ "Charles Wright's thrilling battle to be champion". Cumbria Crack. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ "2023 Championship Declarations – British Speedway Official Website".
- ^ "SCB Statement: Nick Morris". 17 August 2023.