SGB Championship 2022

The 2022 SGB Championship season is the 75th season of the second tier of British Speedway and the 5th known as the SGB Championship.

SGB Championship 2022

League	SGB Championship
No. of competitors	10
Champions	Poole Pirates
Knockout Cup	Poole Pirates
Pairs	Redcar Bears
Riders' Championship	Sam Masters
Jubilee League	suspended
Highest average	Sam Masters
Division/s above	SGB Premiership
Division/s below	SGB National League
← 2021 2023 →

Summary

Eleven clubs competed in the Championship in 2022, with Oxford returning to the sport after a 15-year absence.^[1] The Eastbourne Eagles and the Kent Kings did not compete in the 2022 edition, with the Kings riding in the National Development League as The Royals, and Eastbourne not riding at all.

Alongside the league and Knockout Cup, a new Summer competition was added in form of a group stage before a three team final at Sheffield. The tournament was called 'The Championship Jubilee League' which was eventually suspended until the 2023 season. However the additional fixtures created an issue due to the suspension of fixtures during the Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II and the heavy rain during October. In retrospect an additional event could have been added after the completion of the league and cup fixtures. Poole Pirates dominated the season again and successfully defended their league and knockout cup double crown.^[2][3]

Newcastle Diamonds withdrew from the Championship and closed their doors on June 21. Their results were expunged from the League and they were withdrawn from the Knockout Cup and Jubilee League.^[4]

Berwick

Birmingham

Edinburgh

Glasgow

Leicester

Newcastle

Oxford

Plymouth

Poole

Redcar

Scunthorpe

Locations of the 2022 SGB Championship teams

League

^[5]

Regular Season

League Table

Pos.	Club	M	Home			Away					F	A	Pts	+/−
			W	D	L	4W	3W	D	1L	L
1	Leicester Lions (SF)	18	9	0	0	3	2	0	1	3	875	742	46	+133
2	Glasgow Tigers (SF)	18	8	1	0	2	2	0	1	4	876	744	40	+132
3	Poole Pirates (QF)	18	7	1	1	2	1	2	2	2	866	752	39	+114
4	Plymouth Gladiators (QF)	18	8	0	1	0	1	1	3	4	825	793	32	+32
5	Edinburgh Monarchs (QF)	18	7	0	2	1	1	0	4	3	806	803	32	+3
6	Redcar Bears (QF)	18	7	0	2	1	1	0	2	5	783	829	30	-46
7	Scunthorpe Scorpions	18	8	0	1	0	0	0	2	7	786	832	26	-46
8	Berwick Bandits	18	5	1	3	1	0	0	1	7	810	809	21	+1
9	Oxford Cheetahs	18	4	0	5	0	1	0	2	6	741	878	17	-137
10	Birmingham Brummies	18	4	0	5	0	1	0	1	7	716	902	16	-188

NOTE: Newcastle's results were expunged from the table on 28-06-22 following their withdrawal from the 2022 Championship.

• (SF) = Qualification for the League Play-off Semi Finals
• (QF) = Qualification for the League Play-off Quarter Finals

Fixtures & Results

Home \ Away	BER	BIR	EDI	GLA	LEI	OXF	PLY	POL	RED	SCU
Berwick		58–32	56–34	42–48	41–49	59–31	59–30	45–45	43–47	57–33
Birmingham	48–42		40–50	33–57	38–52	43–47	46–44	35–55	50–40	49–41
Edinburgh	50–40	52–36		39–51	39–50	48–42	48–42	49–41	48–41	49–41
Glasgow	56–34	56–34	46–44		56–34	53–37	49–41	45–45	57–33	59–31
Leicester	55–35	62–28	47–42	52–38		55–35	48–41	48–42	60–30	62–28
Oxford	40–50	42–48	44–46	46–44	43–47		50–40	42–48	47–43	49–40
Plymouth	49–41	46–44	48–42	54–36	60–30	55–35		53–37	39–51	48–42
Poole	49–41	54–36	49–41	51–39	43–47	58–32	45–45		55–34	55–35
Redcar	53–37	50–40	45–39	44–46	48–42	47–43	48–42	40–50		46–44
Scunthorpe	60–30	54–36	51–39	50–40	55–35	54–36	42–48	45–44	47–43

Source: ^[6]
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

League Scoring System

• Home loss by any number of points = 0
• Home draw = 1
• Home win by any number of points = 3
• Away loss by 7 points or more = 0
• Away loss by 6 points or less = 1
• Away draw = 2
• Away win by between 1 and 6 points = 3
• Away win by 7 points or more = 4

Play-offs

	Quarter Finals							Semi Finals							Final
	3	Poole Pirates	60	50	110
	4	Plymouth Gladiators	30	40	70			3	Poole Pirates	60	50	110
								2	Glasgow Tigers	30	39	69
															3	Poole Pirates	49	52	101
	5	Edinburgh Monarchs	54	41	95										1	Leicester Lions	41	38	79
	6	Redcar Bears	36	49	85			5	Edinburgh Monarchs	36	37	73
								1	Leicester Lions	53	53	106

Home team scores are in bold
Overall aggregate scores are in red

Grand Final

First Leg

26 October	[7]	Poole Pirates Richard Lawson 12 Zach Cook 10 Steve Worrall 9 Danny King 8 Ben Cook 5 Drew Kemp 4 Nathan Ablitt 1	49–41	Leicester Lions Scott Nicholls (guest) 9 Nick Morris 9 Richie Worrall 8 Connor Mountain 5 Joe Thompson 5 Dan Thompson 4 Max Clegg 1	Poole Stadium Referee(s): Mick Bates

Second Leg

4 November	[8]	Leicester Lions Nick Morris 7 Connor Mountain 6 Kyle Howarth 6 Richie Worrall 6 Joe Thompson 5 Max Clegg 5 Dan Thompson 3	38–52	Poole Pirates Richard Lawson 14 Steve Worrall 11 Zach Cook 9 Ben Cook 8 Danny King 8 Drew Kemp 2 Nathan Ablitt 0	Adrian Flux Arena Referee(s): Jim McGregor

Knockout Cup

The 2022 SGB Championship Knockout Cup was the 54th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams and the 5th edition under the SGB Championship Knockout Cup name.^[9]

Bracket

	Round One							Quarter Finals							Semi Finals							Final
	Newcastle Diamonds		41	32	73
	Edinburgh Monarchs		49	58	107
								Edinburgh Monarchs		53	37	91
								Glasgow Tigers		32	52	89
	Glasgow Tigers
	Bye
															Edinburgh Monarchs		47	35	83
															Redcar Bears		43	54	97
	Oxford Cheetahs		47	39	86
	Redcar Bears		43	51	94
								Redcar Bears		51	56	107
								Berwick Bandits		39	34	73
	Berwick Bandits
	Bye
																						Redcar Bears		41	38	79
																						Poole Pirates		48	52	100
	Plymouth Gladiators
	Bye
								Plymouth Gladiators		'42	32	74
								Poole Pirates		48	58	106
	Poole Pirates
	Bye
															Poole Pirates		44	60	104
															Leicester Lions		46	30	76
	Leicester Lions		64	30	94
	Birmingham Brummies		26	30	56
								Leicester Lions		58	45	101
								Scunthorpe Scorpions		32	45	77
	Scunthorpe Scorpions
	Bye

Home team scores are in bold
Overall aggregate scores are in red

Final

First Leg

7 October	[10]	Redcar Bears Charles Wright 14 Erik Riss 9 Kyle Newman 9 Lewis Kerr 7 Kasper Andersen 2 Jordan Jenkins 2 Jason Edwards 1	41–48	Poole Pirates Danny King 11 Ben Cook 11 Zach Cook 8 Richard Lawson 7 Steve Worrall 5 Nathan Ablitt 3 Drew Kemp 2	Ecco Arena

Second Leg

12 October	[11]	Poole Pirates Richard Lawson 13 Ben Cook 9 Zach Cook 9 Steve Worrall 9 Danny King 6 Drew Kemp 6 Nathan Ablitt 0	52–38	Redcar Bears Erik Riss 11 Lewis Kerr 6 Kyle Newman 6 Kasper Andersen 4 Jason Edwards 4 Jordan Jenkins 4 Kye Thomson (guest) 3	Poole Stadium

Jubilee League

The three group winners were supposed to have met in a three-leg final, with each side hosting a leg. However, following the death of the Queen, the competition was initially suspended and then following fixture congestion and weather problems it was decided to hold the final the following season. The decision to hold the final seemed odd because Glasgow had pulled out and Leicester had moved leagues. It was eventually cancelled.^[12]

Group stage

Scottish Group

Fixtures

Home \ Away	BER[13]	EDB[14]	GLA[15]
Berwick Bandits[16]		44–46	41–46
Edinburgh Monarchs[17]	51–39		50–40
Glasgow Tigers[18]	65–25	53–37

Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Table

Pos.	Club	M	Home			Away					F	A	Pts	+/−
			W	D	L	4W	3W	D	1L	L
1	Glasgow Tigers (Q)	4	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	204	153	9	+51
2	Edinburgh Monarchs	4	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	184	176	9	+8
3	Berwick Bandits	4	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	2	149	208	0	-49

Northern Group

Fixtures

Home \ Away	LEI[19]	RED[20]	SCU[21]
Leicester Lions[22]		51–39	56–34
Redcar Bears[23]	51–39		47–43
Scunthorpe Scorpions[24]	46–44	50–40

Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Table

Pos.	Club	M	Home			Away					F	A	Pts	+/−
			W	D	L	4W	3W	D	1L	L
1	Leicester Lions (Q)	4	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	190	170	7	+20
2	Scunthorpe Scorpions	4	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	173	187	7	-14
3	Redcar Bears	4	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	177	183	6	-6

Southern Group

Fixtures

Home \ Away	BRM[25]	OXF[26]	PLY[27]	POL[28]
Birmingham Brummies[29]		46–44	52–38	34–56
Oxford Cheetahs[30]	56–34		56–34	45–45
Plymouth Gladiators[31]	57–32	45–45		39–51
Poole Pirates[32]	59–31	48–42	62–28

Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Table

Pos.	Club	M	Home			Away					F	A	Pts	+/−
			W	D	L	4W	3W	D	1L	L
1	Poole Pirates (Q)	6	3	0	0	2	0	1	0	0	321	219	19	+102
2	Oxford Cheetahs	6	2	1	0	0	0	1	2	0	288	252	11	+36
3	Birmingham Brummies	6	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	3	229	310	6	-81
4	Plymouth Gladiators	6	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	3	241	298	4	-57

Pairs Championship

The 2022 edition of the SGB Championship Pairs Championship took place on Friday 12 August, at Oxford Stadium, Oxford.

Result

Group A[33] Pos Club Riders Pts 1st Leicester (Q) Richie Worrall & Nick Morris 26 2nd Glasgow (Q) Benjamin Basso & Danyon Hume 21 3rd Scunthorpe James Wright & Simon Lambert 16 4th Edinburgh Paco Castagna & Kye Thomsen 15 5th Birmingham Justin Sedgman & James Pearson 12

Group B[33] Pos Club Riders Pts 1st Redcar (Q) Charles Wright & Lewis Kerr 25 2nd Poole (Q) Steve Worrall & Danny King 22 3rd Berwick Chris Harris & Jye Etheridge 22 4th Oxford Scott Nicholls & Aaron Summers 13 5th Plymouth Adam Roynon & Ben Morley 8

Semi Finals

Team One	Team Two	Score	Result
Poole	Leicester	6-3	S.Worrall, Morris, King, R.Worrall
Redcar	Glasgow	5-4	Basso, Wright, Kerr, Hume

Final

Team One	Team Two	Score	Result
Redcar	Poole	7-2	Wright, Kerr, King, Worrall (R)

Riders Championship

The 2022 edition of the SGB Championship Riders Championship took place on Wednesday 24 August, at Poole Stadium, Poole.^[34]

Placing	Rider	Total	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	Pts	Pos	21	22
1	(12) Sam Masters (EDI)	12			3					1		3			2						3		12	1	-	1st
2	(6) Danny King (PP)	10		3				3			0							2			2		10	2	1st	2nd
3	(3) Lewis Kerr (RED)	10	3						2				1				3				1		10	4	2nd	3rd
4	(4) Ryan Douglas (SS)	12	2							2				3				3				2	12	2	-	4th
5	(8) Richard Lawson (PP)	10		1						3			2			2			2				10	6	3rd	-
6	(5) Nick Morris (LEI)	10		2			3					1					1					3	10	5	4th	-
7	(15) Josh Pickering (EDI)	9				1			3			2						0	3				9	7	-	-
8	(11) Charles Wright (RED)	9			2				1		2					3						1	9	8	-	-
9	(9) Scott Nicholls (OXF)	9			1		2						3					1		2			9	9	-	-
10	(7) Chris Harris (BER)	7		0					0					1	3					3			7	10	-	-
11	(16) Kyle Howarth (LEI)	7				3				0	3						0			1			7	11	-	-
12	(13) Troy Batchelor (OXF)	6				2	1							2		1					0		6	12	-	-
13	(10) Justin Sedgmen (BIR)	4			0			2						0			2		0				4	13	-	-
14	(17) Ben Cook (PP)	2									1								1				2	14
15	(14) Tom Brennan (GLA)	1				0		1					0		0							0	1	15	-	-
16	(1) Michael Palm Toft (PLY)	1	1				0				-				-				-				1	16	-	-
17	(18) Zach Cook (PP)	1													1								1	17
18	(2) Leon Flint (BER)	0	0					0				0				0				0			0	18	-	-
Placing	Rider	Total	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	Pts	Pos	21	22

m - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance • t - exclusion for touching the tapes • x - other exclusion • e - retired or mechanical failure • f - fell • ns - non-starter • nc - non-classify

gate A - inside

gate B

gate C

gate D - outside

Leading averages

Final Averages - SGB Championship, Knockout Cup, Jubilee League and Play-Off Matches only.

	Rider	Team	Average
1	Sam Masters	Edinburgh	10.15
2	Richard Lawson	Poole	9.92
3	Ryan Douglas	Scunthorpe	9.85
4	Josh Pickering	Edinburgh	9.34
5	Danny King	Poole	9.08
6	Nick Morris	Leicester	9.06
7	Kyle Howarth	Leicester	9.02
=8	Chris Harris	Berwick	8.98
=8	Craig Cook	Glasgow	8.98
=8	Steve Worrall	Poole	8.98

Squads & final averages

Berwick Bandits

• Chris Harris (C) 8.98
• Leon Flint 7.05
• Jye Etheridge 6.76
• Ricky Wells 6.61
• Jonas Knudsen 6.59
• Theo Pijper 5.52
• Ty Proctor 4.97
• Nathan Stoneman 2.63
• Greg Blair 2.22

Birmingham Brummies

• Adam Ellis 8.13
• Justin Sedgmen 7.34
• Claus Vissing 5.85
• James Shanes 5.48
• Ashley Morris (C) 5.38
• Stefan Nielsen 5.06
• Josh Auty 3.76
• James Pearson 2.94

Edinburgh Monarchs

• Sam Masters (C) 10.15
• Josh Pickering 9.34
• Kye Thomson 7.10
• Michele Paco Castagna 6.25
• Lasse Fredriksen 4.42
• James Sarjeant 4.19
• Jacob Hook 3.21

Glasgow Tigers

• Craig Cook (C) 8.98
• Benjamin Basso 8.30
• Ulrich Østergaard 7.42
• Tom Brennan 7.40
• Danyon Hume 6.55
• Broc Nicol 5.93
• Connor Bailey 5.55

Leicester Lions

• Nick Morris 9.06
• Kyle Howarth (C) 9.02
• Richie Worrall 8.87
• Connor Mountain 6.27
• Dan Thompson 5.63
• Max Clegg 5.51
• Anders Rowe 5.00
• Joe Thompson 4.68

Oxford Cheetahs

• Scott Nicholls (C) 8.62
• Aaron Summers 8.39
• Troy Batchelor 7.82
• Dillon Ruml 5.60
• Paul Starke 5.52
• Jack Thomas 5.28
• Cameron Heeps 5.26
• Josh MacDonald 2.00
• Luke Killeen 0.40

Plymouth Gladiators

• Ben Barker 8.89
• Hans Andersen (C) 7.70
• Michael Palm Toft 7.41
• Dan Gilkes 6.59
• Alfie Bowtell 5.75
• Lee Complin 4.91
• Ben Morley 4.81
• Henry Atkins 2.95
• Connor Coles 2.86
• Harry McGurk 0.86

Poole Pirates

• Richard Lawson 9.92
• Danny King (C) 9.08
• Steve Worrall 8.98
• Ben Cook 7.59
• Zach Cook 7.13
• Drew Kemp 5.96
• Nathan Ablitt 1.95

Redcar Bears

• Erik Riss 8.95
• Charles Wright (C) 8.73
• Lewis Kerr 7.95
• Kyle Newman 6.00
• Kasper Andersen 5.72
• Jordan Jenkins 5.34
• Jason Edwards 4.67
• Kyle Bickley 1.80

Scunthorpe Scorpions

• Ryan Douglas 9.85
• Tero Aarnio 7.20
• Jake Allen 7.09
• Anders Rowe 6.29
• Simon Lambert (C) 5.88
• Zaine Kennedy 5.86
• James Wright 5.47
• Jordan Palin 5.36
• Adam Roynon 4.35
• Ryan Kinsley 2.62

See also

• List of United Kingdom speedway league champions
• Knockout Cup (speedway)