2008 Elite League speedway season

The 2008 Elite League (also known as the Sky Sports Elite League for sponsorship reasons) is the 12th since its establishment in 1997. The first fixtures of the season took place on 29 March and the season ended on 27 October. The Coventry Bees were the defending champions from 2007.[1][2]

2008 Elite League speedway season
LeagueSky Sports Elite League
Season2008
ChampionsPoole Pirates
Knockout CupEastbourne Eagles
Pairs ChampionshipCoventry Bees
Craven ShieldCoventry Bees
Riders Championship Jason Crump
Highest average Jason Crump
(10.80)
Division/s below2008 Premier League
2008 Conference

Summary

New rules introduced for 2008 included three points for an away win compared to two points in 2007, and the removal of the bonus point, in which a team was awarded an extra point for an aggregate win over home and away matches against another team. Also new in 2008 was a relegation and promotion play-off between an Elite League team and a Premier League team. The two teams that finish bottom of the Elite League will face in each other in a two legged play-off with the loser facing the Premier League play-off winner over two legs.[3]

The Poole Pirates finished top of the league table, with the Lakeside Hammers, Swindon Robins and Ipswich Witches occupying the other championship play-off places. Poole and Lakeside progressed to the grand final of the play-offs, with Poole winning the first leg at Lakeside 42–48, and the second leg at Poole 60–33, giving them a 108–75 victory.[4] The Poole Pirates were crowned with their third Elite League title, and fifth championship overall. Wolverhampton faced Premier League team the Edinburgh Monarchs in the relegation/promotion play-off final, with Wolverhampton winning comfortably over the two legs with a 106–76 aggregate victory, and thus avoided relegation.[5]

League table
Key:
Competition play offs
Relegation play-offs
PosClubMHomeAwayFA+/-Pts
WDLWDL
1 Poole Pirates 32 14 0 2 8 0 8 1600 1321 +279 52
2 Lakeside Hammers 32 15 0 1 7 1 8 1551 1375 +176 52
3 Swindon Robins 32 12 2 2 5 0 11 1498 1434 +64 41
4 Ipswich Witches 32 11 1 4 5 2 9 1483 1439 +44 40
5 Eastbourne Eagles 32 11 0 5 4 0 12 1462 1472 -10 34
6 Coventry Bees 32 10 2 4 2 1 13 1418 1506 -88 29
7 Belle Vue Aces 32 13 0 3 0 2 14 1423 1491 -68 28
8 Peterborough Panthers 32 12 1 3 1 0 15 1371 1528 -157 28
9 Wolverhampton Wolves 32 8 0 8 0 0 16 1341 1581 -240 16

Home: 3W = Home win by 7 points or more; 2W = Home win by between 1 and 6 points
Away: 4W = Away win by 7 points or more; 3W = Away win by between 1 and 6 points; 1L = Away loss by 6 points or less
M = Meetings; D = Draws; L = Losses; F = Race points for; A = Race points against; +/- = Race points difference; Pts = Total Points

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
  Home\Away BV COV EAS IPS LH PET PP SWI WOL
Belle Vue Aces 46-43 42-48 52-38 47-43 52-41 50-43 42-51 60-30
Coventry Bees 45-45 43-47 52-37 41-49 48-42 48-45 52-41 48-45
Eastbourne Eagles 50-40 50-40 42-48 53-39 59-35 41-48 46-44 53-40
Ipswich Witches 52-41 50-43 51-39 42-51 60-31 41-51 43-50 53-38
Lakeside Hammers 54-39 63-29 48-45 51-42 56-37 48-45 50-45 53-40
Peterborough Panthers 47-45 51-38 48-42 49-41 36-36* 35-57 42-48 48-42
Poole Pirates 59-33 53-39 52-41 40-50 54-38 44-46 53-39 62-31
Swindon Robins 49-43 49-43 56-37 45-45 53-40 53-40 39-51 50-42
Wolverhampton Wolves 48-45 44-45 50-39 43-48 41-49 59-33 54-36 42-48

* Meeting abandoned after heat 12. Result stands.

Last updated: September 11, 2008. Source: BSPA

Colours: Blue = home win; Red = away win; White = draw

Home team listed in the left-hand column

'B' Fixtures
  Home\Away BV COV EAS IPS LH PET PP SWI WOL
Belle Vue Aces 50-40 48-45 48-42 42-48 53-39 48-42 47-43 49-41
Coventry Bees 52-40 52-41 45-45 42-51 59-36 37-56 52-43 53-40
Eastbourne Eagles 56-37 46-47 41-49 49-44 46-44 41-52 50-43 63-27
Ipswich Witches 48-42 45-45 52-41 44-48 54-38 52-38 54-39 49-41
Lakeside Hammers 59-34 56-37 56-37 55-38 49-41 53-39 41-49 58-32
Peterborough Panthers 52-42 51-42 39-54 52-40 56-37 47-43 52-41 56-37
Poole Pirates 50-31* 54-36 60-33 59-34 50-42 54-36 58-35 55-37
Swindon Robins 45-45 51-39 53-39 49-44 53-39 49-44 42-51 62-29
Wolverhampton Wolves 48-45 47-43 45-48 40-52 43-47 54-38 44-46 47-46

*Meeting abandoned after heat 13. Result stands.

Last updated: October 7, 2008. Source: BSPA

Colours: Blue = home win; Red = away win; White = draw

Home team listed in the left-hand column

Championship play-offs

Semi-finals
Poole Pirates59 – 33Ipswich Witches
Bjarne Pedersen 13+1 (Report) Kenneth Bjerre (guest) 11
Referee: Dave Watters
Lakeside Hammers56 – 33Swindon Robins
Andreas Jonsson 15 (Report) Leigh Adams 14
Referee: Phil Griffin

Poole and Lakeside progressed to the grand final

First leg
Lakeside Hammers42 – 48Poole Pirates
(Report)
Referee: Chris Gay
Lakeside:
1 Andreas Jonsson (c)(2,3,0,3,1',3,3)15+1
2 Leigh Lanham(1',1,1,1,2)6+1
3Rider replacement
4 Jonas Davidsson(1,3,2',2,2,0)10+1
5 Tomasz Jędrzejak(0,2,1,3,2')8+1
6 Ricky Kling(1,0,1',1')3+2
7 Krzysztof Jabłoński(0,1',0)1+1
Manager:
Jon Cook
Poole:
1 Chris Holder(3,2,2,0)7
2 Magnus Zetterström(0,0,3,1')4+1
3 Bjarne Pedersen (c)(2',2',3,3,2)12+2
4 Adam Skórnicki(3,3,f,3,1')10+1
5 Davey Watt(3,2,1,1)7
6 Freddie Eriksson(2',0,0)2+1
7 Daniel Davidsson(3,0,2',0,1')6+1
Manager:
Neil Middleditch

Second leg
Poole Pirates60 – 33
(108 – 75)		Lakeside Hammers
Report
Referee: Tony Steele
Poole:
1 Chris Holder(3,3,3,0,3)12
2 Magnus Zetterström(2',1,3,2')8+2
3 Bjarne Pedersen (c)(3,3,3,3,2')14+1
4 Adam Skórnicki(1,ex,1,2)4
5 Davey Watt(3,1,2,2)8
6 Freddie Eriksson(2',0,1',1')4+3
7 Daniel Davidsson(3,2',2',1,2')10+3
Manager:
Neil Middleditch
Lakeside:
1 Scott Nicholls (guest)(1,ex,6^,3,1)11
2 Leigh Lanham (c)(0,1,0)1
3Rider replacement
4 Tomasz Jędrzejak(0,2,1,1,3,0)7+1
5 Jonas Davidsson(2,1,2,2,3,1)11
6 Ricky Kling(0,ex,0,0)0
7 Krzysztof Jabłoński(1,0,2,0,0,ex)3
Manager:
Jon Cook

Poole win 108-75 on aggregate and are the 2008 Elite League Champions.

Relegation play-offs

Semi-finals
Wolverhampton Wolves48 – 47Peterborough Panthers
Niels Kristian Iversen 11 Report Rory Schlein 14+1
Monmore Green Stadium, Wolverhampton
Peterborough Panthers67 – 23Wolverhampton Wolves
Karol Zabik 14+1 Jesper B. Monberg 7
Referee: Jim Lawrence

Peterborough win 114-71 on aggregate. Wolverhampton will face the Premier League play-off winners, the Edinburgh Monarchs, over two legs.

Final
Edinburgh Monarchs37 – 53Wolverhampton Wolves
Ryan Fisher 14 Report Jesper B. Monberg 14
Referee: Stuart Wilson
Wolverhampton Wolves53 – 38Edinburgh Monarchs
Jesper B. Monberg 12 Report Ryan Fisher 16+1
Monmore Green Stadium, Wolverhampton
Referee: Jim Lawrence

Wolverhampton win 106–76 on aggregate and avoid relegation.

Averages

The top ten rider averages in the Elite League as of October 1, 2008:

Rider Average[6] Team
1 Jason Crump 10.80 Belle Vue
2 Leigh Adams 10.48 Swindon
3 Andreas Jonsson 9.66 Lakeside
4 Hans Andersen 9.16 Coventry
5 Bjarne Pedersen 9.13 Poole
6 Chris Holder 8.80 Poole
7 Scott Nicholls 8.76 Eastbourne
8 Fredrik Lindgren 8.32 Wolverhampton
9 Jarosław Hampel 8.28 Ipswich
10 Lee Richardson 8.16 Eastbourne

Elite League Riders Championship

The Elite League Riders Championship involves the riders with the highest average from each club competing in the Elite League. It took place on 8 October 2008, at the Premier League track at Birmingham after the original staging of the event on 20 August was abandoned due to bad weather.[7]

Format

The top 15 highest averaged riders in the Elite League plus one wild card and two reserves take part, although no more than two riders from each club participate. There are 20 qualifying heats, a 'last chance' qualifying heat and a final. The top two scorers from the 20 qualifying heats qualify directly for the final. The next top four scorers take place in the last chance qualifying heat, with the 1st and 2nd place riders from that heat also qualifying to the final.[8]

Result
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 2122
1 (2) Jason Crump (BV) 12 3 2 1 3 3 12 3 2 3
2 (14) Rory Schlein (IPS) 10 3 1 1 3 2 10 5 3 2
3 (8) Kenneth Bjerre (PET) 13 3 2 3 2 3 13 2 1
4 (4) Leigh Adams (SWI) 13 1 3 3 3 3 13 1 0
5 (1) Chris Holder (PP) 11 2 3 3 1 2 11 4 1
6 (12) Davey Watt (PP) 10 2 1 2 2 3 10 6 0
7 (15) Lewis Bridger (EAS) 8 2 2 3 0 1 8 7
8 (16) Niels K. Iversen (WOL) 7 1 0 2 2 2 7 8
9 (13) Daniel King (PET) 7 E 2 2 1 2 7 9
10 (3) Fredrik Lindgren (WOL) 6 0 0 2 3 1 6 10
11 (7) Piotr Świderski (IPS) 5 0 3 1 0 1 5 11
12 (11) Jonas Davidsson (LH) 5 3 1 0 0 1 5 12
13 (10) Troy Batchelor (SWI) 5 1 3 0 1 0 5 13
14 (6) Edward Kennett (EAS) 4 1 0 1 2 0 4 14
15 (5) Billy Janniro (COV) 2 2 0 0 0 - 2 15
16 (9) Charlie Gjedde (BV) 2 0 1 0 1 0 2 16
17 (17) Jay Herne 0 0 0 17
(18) Luke Priest 0 0
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 2122

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

Elite League Knockout Cup

The 2008 Elite League Knockout Cup was the 70th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams. Eastbourne Eagles were the winners of the competition.[10]

First Round
Date Team One Score Team Two
07/04Wolverhampton54-38Ipswich
03/04Ipswich50-42Wolverhampton

Quarter Finals
Date Team One Score Team Two
23/06Wolverhampton52-40Eastbourne
21/06Eastbourne62-30Wolverhampton
20/06Coventry56-37Belle Vue
20/06Lakeside50-42Peterborough
19/06Peterborough39-51Lakeside
19/06Swindon50-40Poole
18/06Poole53-40Swindon
16/06Belle Vue49-44Coventry

Semi Finals
Date Team One Score Team Two
30/08Eastbourne54-39Lakeside
13/08Lakeside52-41Eastbourne
13/08Poole45-45Coventry
11/08Coventry45-45Poole

Final
Date Team One Score Team Two
26/10Poole45-45Eastbourne
25/10Eastbourne57-35Poole

See also

References
  1. "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
  2. "2008 league tables". Speedway GB.
  3. "British Speedway 2008". British Speedway Promoters' Association. 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-22.
  4. "Douglas praises champions Poole". BBC Sport. 2008-10-14. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
  5. "Wolves seal EL place". Sky Sports. 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
  6. "2008 Elite League greensheet averages". British Speedway Promoters' Association. 2008. Archived from the original on 12 August 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-12.
  7. "Elite League stars in Birmingham". BBC Sport. 2008-10-07. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
  8. "Elite League Riders Championship". British Speedway Promoters' Association. Archived from the original on May 12, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-02.
  9. "Crump wygrał w Birmingham" (in Polish). SportoweFakty.pl. 2008-10-08. Archived from the original on 9 October 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  10. "2008 Elite League Knockout Cup". Speedway archive.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.