1996 Premier League speedway season

The 1996 Premier League season was the 62nd season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom. It was also the second and last edition of two seasons, in which British speedway was competed as a single division. In addition there was a Conference League.[1][2]

1996 Premier League speedway season
LeaguePremier League
ChampionsWolverhampton Wolves
Knockout CupWolverhampton Wolves
IndividualSam Ermolenko
FoursOxford Cheetahs
Highest averageBilly Hamill
Division/s below1996 Conference League

As from 1997 the Elite League would be the top division and the Premier League would be the second division.

Team changes

Cradley Heathens and Stoke Potters merged for the 1996 season and Arena Essex Hammers dropped out of the league with the promotion moving to Hackney Wick Stadium and racing as the London Lions. The Glasgow Tigers and Edinburgh Monarchs effectively merged because the Edinburgh promotion raced at Shawfield Stadium under the name the Scottish Monarchs. Oxford reverted back to their traditional name of Cheetahs, after ditching the unpopular Silver Machine and King's Lynn Stars did not participate during 1996.

Summary

Many Glasgow Tigers fans refused to support what they saw as their team of old rivals, and although Monarchs fans initially travelled to Glasgow, crowd numbers soon fell. Cradley & Stoke, despite having the American stars Billy Hamill and Greg Hancock finishing first and second in the averages, could only manage fifth place in the league. Cradley Heath were disbanded after the season following the closure of Dudley Wood Stadium, their home venue.[3] Oxford reverted back to their popular name of Cheetahs and

The one league set up only lasted for 1995 and 1996, due to the huge disparity between the teams. Wolverhampton Wolves won the title for the second time in six years, with American Ronnie Correy being the sole survivor of the 1991 winning team. In a strange coincidence a new set of two brothers helped Wolves win the title, back in 1991 it was the Ermolenko brothers but now it was the Swedish Karlsson brothers. Peter Karlsson and Mikael Karlsson both scored heavily and ended the season with averages around the 10 mark.[4][5]

Final table
Pos Team PL W D L BP Pts
1 Wolverhampton Wolves 36 29 0 7 18 76
2 Peterborough Panthers 36 23 0 13 15 61
3 Eastbourne Eagles 36 23 1 12 12 59
4 Swindon Robins 36 22 2 12 12 58
5 Cradley & Stoke Heathens 36 21 1 14 13 56
6 Belle Vue Aces 36 21 1 14 12 55
7 Hull Vikings 36 20 3 13 11 54
8 Ipswich Witches 36 20 0 16 12 52
9 London Lions 36 20 0 16 11 51
10 Coventry Bees 36 16 2 18 10 44
11 Bradford Dukes 36 16 0 20 9 41
12 Scottish Monarchs 36 16 0 20 5 37
13 Oxford Cheetahs 36 12 4 20 8 36
14 Poole Pirates 36 13 2 21 5 33
15 Exeter Falcons 36 13 2 21 4 32
16 Middlesbrough Bears 36 11 1 14 6 29
17 Long Eaton Invaders 36 12 0 24 4 28
18 Sheffield Tigers 36 13 0 23 2 28
19 Reading Racers 36 11 1 24 2 25

PL = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; BP = Bonus Points Pts = Total Points

Fixtures & results
Home \ Away BV BD COV CH EAS EX HV IPS LL LE MID OX PET PP RR SHE SM SWI WOL
Belle Vue Aces 51–45 53–43 57–39 58–38 62–34 56–40 51–45 58–38 55–41 63–33 54–42 59–37 54–42 67–29 41–28 60–36 47–49 43–53
Bradford Dukes 51–45 43–53 51–45 46–50 51–45 53–42 55–41 46–50 43–29 62–34 45–51 42–54 55–41 57–39 56–40 61–35 57–39 52–44
Coventry Bees 59–37 42–54 50–46 51–45 58–38 64–32 54–42 45–51 57–39 52–44 55–41 46–50 41–55 60–36 73–20 62–34 44–52 54–41
Cradley & Stoke Heathens 46–50 53–43 56–40 44–52 54–42 46–50 43–53 60–36 56–40 55–41 53–42 58–38 60–36 52–43 56–40 55–41 53–43 43–52
Eastbourne Eagles 56–40 62–33 55–41 46–50 62–34 57–38 53–43 56–38 58–38 58–38 58–38 51–45 55–41 52–44 58–38 52–43 52–44 45–50
Exeter Falcons 56–39 53–43 51–45 49–47 48–48 43–53 57–39 46–50 46–50 52–44 48–48 52–44 57–39 44–52 60–36 54–42 51–45 52–44
Hull Vikings 52–43 49–47 58–37 48–48 59–37 60–36 58–38 52–41 53–43 54–42 55–41 55–41 61–35 63–33 63–33 54–42 54–41 47–49
Ipswich Witches 55–41 52–43 50–46 58–38 55–41 64–32 66–30 52–44 58–38 61–35 52–44 50–46 50–46 57–39 65–31 66–30 59–37 50–46
London Lions 47–49 52–44 51–45 49–47 43–51 57–39 46–50 56–40 52–43 60–36 40–32 50–46 50–46 53–43 62–28 45–51 64–32 50–46
Long Eaton Invaders 49–47 50–46 55–41 45–50 46–50 53–43 40–56 50–46 49–47 52–44 49–47 42–48 46–50 59–37 56–39 53–43 45–51 45–51
Middlesbrough Bears 59–37 54–42 48–48 37–59 39–56 44–52 56–39 49–47 55–40 64–32 46–49 48–47 57–38 56–40 63–33 61–35 47–49 43–53
Oxford Cheetahs 45–51 47–48 45–51 43–53 41–54 56–40 48–48 50–46 43–53 55–41 63–33 51–45 57–39 45–49 52–42 55–41 48–48 43–53
Peterborough Panthers 59–37 61–35 56–40 51–45 57–39 60–36 55–41 54–42 50–46 59–37 59–37 55–41 55–41 70–26 62–34 56–40 50–46 56–40
Poole Pirates 51–45 55–41 48–48 40–56 53–43 52–44 57–39 53–43 45–51 53–43 51–45 48–48 46–50 53–42 54–42 51–45 34–44 45–51
Reading Racers 48–48 44–52 50–46 42–54 46–49 56–40 54–42 47–49 50.5–45.5 52–44 53–43 43–53 46–50 55–40 53–43 44–52 53–43 45–51
Sheffield Tigers 42–54 53–25 54–42 42–54 51–45 56–40 52–44 52–44 47–49 50–46 55–41 41–55 50–46 53–43 54–42 50–46 52–44 46–50
Scottish Monarchs 46–50 53–43 42–54 39–57 49–46 70–26 51–45 49–46 57–39 52–44 57–39 53–43 54–42 59–37 61–35 63–33 53–43 38–58
Swindon Robins 60–36 49–46 52–43 51–45 59–37 53–43 48–48 56–39 53–43 55–41 68–28 53–43 56–40 52–44 56–40 61–35 56–40 52–44
Wolverhampton Wolves 58–37 60–36 55–40 53–43 53–41 65–31 53–42 60–36 61–35 53–42 72–24 65–31 56–40 64–31 56–40 57–38 65–31 59–37
Source: [6]
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Premier League Knockout Cup

The 1996 Speedway Star Knockout Cup was the 58th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams and the second with the name Premier League Knockout Cup. Wolverhampton Wolves were the winners of the competition. The following season the tier one teams would compete in the Elite League Knockout Cup and the Premier League Knockout Cup would be for tier two teams.[7]

The cup was won by Wolverhampton despite the fact that they had to ride their home fixture at Long Eaton Stadium due to Monmore Green undergoing work to the greyhound track.[8]

First round

Date Team one Score Team two
20/04Bradford65-31Sheffield
18/04Sheffield42-54Bradford
24/04Hull56-40Middlesbrough
23/05Middlesbrough50-45Hull
04/05Swindon51-45Oxford
26/04Oxford50-46Swindon

Second round

Date Team one Score Team two
20/05Wolverhampton56-39Ipswich
23/05Ipswich53-43Wolverhampton
24/05Belle Vue53-43Cradley Heath
13/07Cradley Heath52-44Belle Vue
25/05Bradford57-39Edinburgh
22/05Edinburgh44-52Bradford
29/05Long Eaton56-40Hull
31/05Hull47-49Long Eaton
26/04Peterborough59-37Coventry
25/05Coventry40-56Peterborough
23/05Hackney54-42Reading
13/05Reading40-56Hackney
20/05Exeter45-51Poole
26/06Poole44-52Exeter
27/05Swindon59-37Eastbourne
25/05Eastbourne56-39Swindon

Quarter-finals

Date Team one Score Team two
19/08Wolverhampton48-48Belle Vue
23/08Belle Vue48-48Wolverhampton
24/08Bradford62-34Long Eaton
28/08Long Eaton50-45Bradford
23/08Peterborough52-44Hackney
15/08Hackney51-45Peterborough
09/09Exeter52-44Swindon
17/08Swindon48-48Exeter
09/09Wolverhampton51-45Belle Vue
13/09Belle Vue49-46Wolverhampton

Semi-finals

Date Team one Score Team two
23/09Wolverhampton59-37Bradford
28/09Bradford54-42Wolverhampton
13/09Peterborough61-35Exeter
23/09Exeter48-48Peterborough

Final

First leg

Wolverhampton Wolves
Peter Karlsson 14
Mikael Karlsson 12
Ronnie Correy 12
George Štancl 7
Stewart McDonald 7
Jamies Grieves 6
Craig Taylor 0		58 - 38Peterborough Panthers
Jason Crump 13
Ryan Sullivan 10
Marián Jirout 7
Rene Madsen 4
Scott Swain 2
Zdeněk Tesař 2
Anders Nielsen 0
[9]

Second leg

Peterborough Panthers
Brian Andersen (guest) 12
Jason Crump 11
Ryan Sullivan 11
Marián Jirout 6
Rene Madsen 6
Scott Swain 5
Anders Nielsen 3		54 - 42Wolverhampton Wolves
Mikael Karlsson 16
Peter Karlsson 8
Ronnie Correy 8
George Štancl 4
Stewart McDonald 4
Jamies Grieves 2
Craig Taylor 0
[10]

Wolverhampton Wolves were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 100-92.

Riders' Championship

Sam Ermolenko won the Premier League Riders Championship, held at Odsal Stadium on 19 October. It was the third time that Ermolenko had won the Riders' Championship trophy but the most fortunate. He had qualified for the semi finals with just 7 points and then won the final when Chris Louis was leading on the final lap before suffering an engine failure.[11]

Pos.RiderTotalSFFinal
1 Sam Ermolenko723
2 Jason Crump1232
3 Leigh Adams1021
4 Chris Louis113ef
5 Armando Castagna81
6 Jimmy Nilsen81
7 Brian Andersen70
8 Peter Karlsson70
9 Joe Screen7
10 Craig Boyce6
11 Mark Loram6
12 Mike Faria6
13 Sean Wilson4
14 Martin Dugard4
15 Steve Johnston4
16 Billy Hamill3
17 Chris Manchester3
18 Tomáš Topinka3
19 Jan Staechmann3
20 Shane Parker1
  • ef=engine failure

Fours

Oxford Cheetahs won the Premier League Four-Team Championship, which was held on 4 August 1996, at the East of England Arena.[12]

Final
Pos Team Pts Riders
1Oxford23Cox 7, Brhel 7, Topinka 7, Hare 3
2Peterborough17Crump 8, Jirout 6, Swain 2, Nielsen 1
3Hull16Ott 6, Grahame 4, Thorp 3, Morton 3
4Ipswich16Louis 6, Doncaster 6, Howe 3, Clouting 1

Leading final averages
Rider Team Average
Billy HamillCradley & Stoke10.67
Greg HancockCradley & Stoke10.55
Chris LouisIpswich10.29
Jason CrumpPeterborough10.20
Peter KarlssonWolverhampton10.14
Leigh AdamsLondon10.09
Martin DugardEastbourne10.08
Sam ErmolenkoSheffield9.73
Mikael KarlssonWolverhampton9.71
Ronnie CorreyWolverhampton9.62
Joe ScreenBradford9.57
Gary HavelockBradford9.55
Brian AndersenCoventry9.46
Craig BoycePoole9.38
Mark LoramExeter9.28
Chris ManchesterBelle Vue9.27
Jimmy NilsenSwindon9.22
Lars GunnestadPoole9.13
Kelvin TatumLondon9.07
Ryan SullivanPeterborough9.01

Riders & final averages

Belle Vue

Bradford

Coventry

Cradley & Stoke

Eastbourne

Exeter

Hull

Ipswich

London

Long Eaton

Middlesbrough

Oxford

Peterborough

Poole

Reading

Scottish Monarchs

Sheffield

Swindon

Wolverhampton

See also

References
  1. "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive. Archived from the original on 5 June 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  2. "HISTORY ARCHIVE". British Speedway. Archived from the original on 29 June 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  3. "Heathens at Stoke:End of Another Era". Cradley Speedway. Archived from the original on 22 June 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  4. "1996 league tables". Speedway GB. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  5. "SPEEDWAY GB – British Speedway Official Website". Archived from the original on 30 December 2006. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
  6. "1996 fixtures & results" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  7. "1996 Premier League Knockout Cup". Speedway archive. Archived from the original on 21 June 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  8. "It's the big one". Nottingham Evening Post. 9 October 1996. Retrieved 30 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. "Speedway". Reading Evening Post. 10 October 1996. Retrieved 27 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. "Wolves make it a double". Sports Argus. 19 October 1996. Retrieved 30 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. "American ace survives late drama". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. 21 October 1996. Retrieved 7 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. "Cheetahs race to four team title". Hull Daily Mail. 5 August 1996. Retrieved 5 July 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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