The SGB Premiership 2019 was the 85th season of the top division, called the SGB Premiership, of the British speedway championship. Two teams from the 2018 season, Leicester Lions and Somerset Rebels, dropped down to the next league down, the SGB Championship, and were replaced in the league by Ipswich Witches and Peterborough Panthers.
Background The league ran between March and October 2019 and had seven teams participating. The line-up of teams changed from the previous 2018 league season with both Leicester Lions and Somerset Rebels dropping down into the SGB Championship and being replaced by two 2018 SGB Championship teams, Ipswich Witches and Peterborough Panthers. Rye House Rockets who withdrew from the 2018 season, did not re-enter the league. Poole Pirates were the defending champions after winning the title in 2018. BT Sport continued its TV coverage of the SGB Premiership in 2019.
At the Speedway AGM in November 2018, a number of changes were made to the rules and regulations for 2019. The biggest change was the introduction of fixed race nights: all Premiership meetings would be held on either a Monday or Thursday. Riders in teams must have achieved a minimum average of 3.00 to be able to race in the league, although the team points limit remained at 42.50.
League results Teams face each other four times: twice home and away. The first of the home and away meetings are called the 'A' fixtures, and the second are the 'B' fixtures.
A Fixtures
B Fixtures
League table Final table, up to and including Wednesday 18 September
Club Home Away 1 Poole Pirates 24 10 0 2 1 4 2 2 3 1101 1041 52 +60 2 Swindon Robins 24 11 1 0 2 0 0 6 4 1156 1003 50 +153 3 Wolverhampton Wolves 24 9 1 2 2 1 0 4 5 1096 1051 43 +45 4 Ipswich Witches 24 9 0 3 2 0 2 3 5 1055 1092 42 -37 5 Belle Vue Aces 24 9 1 2 2 1 0 2 7 1076 1066 41 +10 6 King's Lynn Stars 24 9 1 2 0 0 1 1 10 1073 1085 31 -12 7 Peterborough Panthers 24 5 1 6 0 1 0 1 10 970 1189 20 -219
Play-offs
Home team scores are in boldOverall aggregate scores are in red
Semi-finals
Grand final
Premiership Supporters Cup The 2019 Knockout Cup (branded as the Premiership Supporters Cup) was the 77th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams.
Northern Group
The Wolverhampton Wolves Vs Peterborough Panthers fixture was not restaged after one postponement, and one abandonment.
Northern Group TableFinal table, up to and including Monday 22 April
Club Home Away 1 Belle Vue Aces 4 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 190 170 9 +20 2 Wolverhampton Wolves 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 132 138 4 -6 3 Peterborough Panthers 3 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 128 142 3 -14
Southern Group
The Poole Pirates Vs King's Lynn Stars fixture was not restaged after it was postponed twice
Southern Group TableFinal table, up to and including Thursday 27 June
Club Home Away 1 Swindon Robins 6 2 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 292 248 13 +44 2 Ipswich Witches 6 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 280 260 10 +20 3 Poole Pirates 5 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 215 235 9 -20 4 King's Lynn Stars 5 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 203 247 6 -44
Grand final
SGB Premiership Shield
Leading averages Final SGB Premiership Averages Rider Team Average Jason Doyle Swindon9.89 Troy Batchelor Swindon 9.36 Max Fricke Belle Vue 9.23 Kenneth Bjerre Belle Vue 8.47 Robert Lambert King's Lynn 8.32 Rasmus Jensen Swindon 8.32 Craig Cook King's Lynn 8.28 Niels-Kristian Iversen Ipswich 8.25 Brady Kurtz Poole 8.25 Sam Masters Wolverhampton 8.19 Jack Holder Poole 8.14 Nicolai Klindt Poole 8.11 Josh Grajczonek Poole 8.04
Official Speedway GB Green Sheets Averages
Riders and final averages Belle Vue Aces
9.23 8.47 6.84 6.40 5.65 5.38 5.00 4.96 4.77 0.00
27 June Aarnio replaced Ricky Wells in the Belle Vue Aces team30 July Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen 5.65 replaced the injured Tero Aarnio in the Belle Vue Aces team23 August Jye Etheridge replaced the injured Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen in the Belle Vue Aces team
Ipswich Witches
8.25 7.44 7.34 7.05 6.46 6.27 5.93 5.62 5.19 3.60
7 June Edward Kennett replaced David Bellego in the Ipswich Witches team27 August Niels-Kristian Iversen and James Sarjeant replaced Edward Kennett and Krystian Pieszczek in the Ipswich Witches team
King's Lynn Stars
8.32 8.28 7.17 6.92 6.51 6.47 5.65 5.40 3.87 2.53
28 May Craig Cook and Simon Lambert replaced Kasper Andersen and the injured Erik Riss in the King's Lynn Stars team 27 June Broc Nicol and Erik Riss replaced Simon Lambert and Ty Proctor in the King's Lynn Stars team 17 July Nicklas Porsing replaced the planned signed rider Broc Nicol due to his injuries in the King's Lynn Stars team
Peterborough Panthers
7.22 6.97 6.11 5.91 6.13 5.65 5.57 5.50 4.83 4.40 4.00 3.50
18 January Chris Harris is released from his Peterborough Panthers contract27 March Craig Cook is released from his Peterborough Panthers contract30 March Aaron Summers signed for Peterborough Panthers21 May Josh Bates and Scott Nicholls replaced Ben Barker and Lasse Bjerre in the Peterborough Panthers team 27 June Ty Proctor replaced the injured Bradley Wilson-Dean in the Peterborough Panthers team14 August Jason Garrity replaced the injured Josh Bates in the Peterborough Panthers team27 August Ulrich Østergaard replaced the injured Aaron Summers in the Peterborough Panthers team
Poole Pirates
8.25 8.14 8.11 8.04 6.09 5.37 5.33 4.58 4.19
17 July Ricky Wells replaced Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen in the Poole Pirates team 27 August Thomas H. Jonasson replaced the injured Richie Worrall in the Poole Pirates team
Swindon Robins
9.89 9.36 8.32 7.27 7.05 5.87 4.30 4.24 4.00 2.33 1.33 0.00
23 May Ellis Perks replaced James Shanes in the Swindon Robins team 2 May Rasmus Jensen replaced Dawid Lampart in the Swindon Robins team 5 June Zach Wajtknecht stood down from the Swindon Robins team with Stefan Nielsen replacing him19 June David Bellego replaced the injured Tobiasz Musielak in the Swindon Robins team 10 July Claus Vissing replaced the injured Stefan Nielsen in the Swindon Robins team 16 July Tobiasz Musielak replaced David Bellego in the Swindon Robins team
Wolverhampton Wolves
8.35 8.19 7.71 7.50 6.79 6.53 5.89 5.64 3.26
14 March Scott Nicholls replaced the injured Jacob Thorssell in the Wolverhampton Wolves team 21 May Jacob Thorssell replaced Scott Nicholls in the Wolverhampton Wolves team 29 June Ryan Douglas replaced Ashley Morris in the Wolverhampton Wolves team
See also List of United Kingdom speedway league champions Knockout Cup (speedway)
References