SGB Premiership Pairs

SGB Premiership Pairs
FormerlyBritish League Pairs (1976-1987)
Elite League Pairs (2004-2011)
Sportmotorcycle speedway
Founded2004
CountryUnited Kingdom

The SGB Premiership Pairs (formerly the Elite League Pairs) is a motorcycle speedway contest between the top two riders from each club competing in the SGB Premiership in the United Kingdom.[1]

History

The Championship was a reincarnation of the British League Pairs Championship, which ran from 1976 until 1987. After the eighth running of the competition in 2011 the Championship was discontinued. However the pairs returned for the top tier once again in 2017 and was called the SGB Premiership Pairs Championship and won by the King's Lynn Stars riders Chris Holder & Robert Lambert.[2][3] From 2004 until 2011 it was known as the Elite League Pairs because the top league in the UK was called the Elite League at the time.

Rules

In the Qualification Heats, riders are allocated starting gates. For the Semi-Finals, the group winners have first choice of gate positions (A&C or B&D). Gate A is on the inside of the track, whilst Gate D is on the outside. For the Final, the gate positions (A&C and B&D) are decided by the toss of a coin. A pair finishing third and second will score five points, whereas a pair finishing first and last will score only four. Race points scored over all Qualification Heats are used to determine the final group placings.

Winners

Year Winners 2nd place
Elite League Pairs
2004[4] Swindon Robins
(Leigh Adams & Charlie Gjedde) 		Belle Vue Aces
(Jason Crump & Joe Screen)
2005[5] Swindon Robins
(Leigh Adams & Lee Richardson) 		Belle Vue Aces
(Jason Crump & Joe Screen)
2006[6] Belle Vue Aces
(Jason Crump & Simon Stead) 		Swindon Robins
(Leigh Adams & Sebastian Ułamek)
2007[7] Poole Pirates
(Jason Crump & Bjarne Pedersen) 		Reading Bulldogs
(Greg Hancock & Travis McGowan)
2008[8] Coventry Bees
(Hans Andersen & Chris Harris) 		Swindon Robins
(Leigh Adams & Mads Korneliussen)
2009[9] Poole Pirates
(Hans Andersen & Chris Holder) 		Eastbourne Eagles
(Lewis Bridger & Davey Watt)
2010[10] Coventry Bees
(Chris Harris & Krzysztof Kasprzak) 		Poole Pirates
(Chris Holder & Bjarne Pedersen)
2011[11] Poole Pirates
(Chris Holder & Darcy Ward) 		Belle Vue Aces
(Chris Harris & Rory Schlein)
Not held between 2012 and 2016
SGB Premiership Pairs
2017 King's Lynn Stars
(Chris Holder & Robert Lambert) 		Wolverhampton Wolves
(Jacob Thorssell & Freddie Lindgren)
Not held between 2018 and 2021
2022 Ipswich Witches
(5 rounds) 		Belle Vue Aces
(5 rounds)
2023[12] Belle Vue Aces
(Dan Bewley, Brady Kurtz & Jake Mulford) 		Peterborough Panthers
(Richie Worrall, Ben Cook & Jordan Jenkins)

See also

References

  1. ^ "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  2. ^ "Stars Win Pairs Championship". 31 March 2017.
  3. ^ "Premier ship pairs" (PDF). Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Speedway: It's home sweet home for Robins". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  5. ^ "2005 Elite League Pairs". Speedway Updates. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  6. ^ "2006 Elite League Pairs". Speedway Updates. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  7. ^ "2007 Elite League Pairs". Speedway Updates. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  8. ^ "Bees come good in Pairs", Sky Sports, 18 August 2008, retrieved 29 July 2012
  9. ^ "Pirates storm to Pairs title", Sky Sports, 11 August 2009, retrieved 29 July 2012
  10. ^ Chard Phil (2010) "Speedway: Middlo wants pairs rules change", Bournemouth Echo, 8 September 2010, retrieved 29 July 2012
  11. ^ "2011 Elite League Pairs". Speedway Updates. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  12. ^ "Premiership Pairs @ Leicester". British Speedway. Retrieved 30 June 2023.