The 2010 season of the National League, the third tier of British speedway, was contested by ten teams. Buxton Hitmen beat Newport Hornets in the play-off final to become champions.[1][2]
| League | National League |
|---|---|
| Champions | Buxton Hitmen |
| Knockout Cup | Buxton Hitmen |
| Individual | Lee Smart |
| Pairs | Plymouth Devils |
| National Trophy | Buxton Hitmen |
| Division/s above | 2010 Elite League 2010 Premier League |
Final table
| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | BP | Pts |
| 1 | Dudley Heathens | 18 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 19 | 45 |
| 2 | Buxton Hitmen | 18 | 14 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 45 |
| 3 | Newport Hornets | 18 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 19 | 45 |
| 4 | Rye House Cobras | 18 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 11 | 31 |
| 5 | Bournemouth Buccaneers | 18 | 10 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 30 |
| 6 | Plymouth Devils | 18 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 27 |
| 7 | Isle of Wight Islanders | 18 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 6 | 18 |
| 8 | Scunthorpe Saints | 18 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 4 | 15 |
| 9 | King's Lynn Young Stars | 18 | 5 | 0 | 13 | 4 | 14 |
| 10 | Weymouth Wildcats | 18 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 5 | 13 |
PL = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; BP = Bonus Pts Pts = Total Points
Mildenhall Fen Tigers withdrew - record expunged
Scoring system
- Home loss by any number of points = 0
- Home draw = 1
- Home win by between 1 and 6 points = 2
- Home win by 7 points or more = 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
Top four teams race off in two-legged semi-finals and final to decide championship.[3]The winner was Buxton Hitmen who defeated the Newport Hornets in the final.
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 05/10 | Dudley | 40-50 | Buxton |
| 06/10 | Bournemouth | 38-49 | Newport |
| 17/10 | Buxton | 49-43 | Dudley |
| 17/10 | Newport | 45-41 | Bournemouth |
Final
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29/10 | Newport | cancelled | Buxton |
| 31/10 | Buxton | 56-35 | Newport |
National League Knockout Cup
The 2010 National League Knockout Cup was the 13th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier three teams. Buxton Hitmen were the winners.[4][5]
First round
| Team one | Team two | First Leg | Second Leg | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buxton | Mildenhall | 58-37 | 49-41 | 107-78 |
| Isle of Wight | Weymouth | 51-39 | 36-58 | 87-97 |
| Newport | Plymouth | 42-29 | 57-35 | 99-64 |
Quarter-finals
| Team one | Team two | First Leg | Second Leg | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rye House | Buxton | 38-51 | 29-63 | 67-114 |
| Weymouth | Newport | 41-49 | 35-53 | 76-102 |
| King's Lynn | Bournemouth | 52-39 | 50-40 | 102-79 |
| Scunthorpe | Dudley | 44-46 | 60-32 | 104-78 |
Semi-finals
| Team one | Team two | First Leg | Second Leg | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| King's Lynn | Newport | 54-39 | 50-40 | 104-79 |
| Dudley | Buxton | 43-47 | 48-45 | 91-92 |
Final
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24/10 | Buxton | 58-35 | King's Lynn |
| 27/10 | King's Lynn | 46-44 | Buxton |
Riders' Championship
Lee Smart won the Riders' Championship. The final was held on 30 October at Rye House Stadium.[6]
| Pos. | Rider | Team | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lee Smart | Dudley | 14 |
| 2 | Simon Lambert | King's Lynn | 12 |
| 3 | Adam Allott | Buxton | 11 |
| 4 | Craig Cook | Buxton | 10 |
| 5 | Nick Simmons | Isle of Wight | 9 |
| 6 | Ben Morley | Rye House | 9 |
| 7 | Barrie Evans | Dudley | 8 |
| 8 | Jay Herne | Bournemouth | 7 |
| 9 | Kyle Newman | Newport | 7 |
| 10 | Danny Warwick | Isle of Wight | 6 |
| 11 | James Cockle | Weymouth | 6 |
| 12 | Gary Cottham | Weymouth | 5 |
| 13 | Darren Mallett | King's Lynn | 5 |
| 14 | Gary Irving | Scunthorpe | 5 |
| 15 | Mark Baseby | Bournemouth | 4 |
| 16 | Joe Jacobs | Rye House | 2 |
| 17 | Lee Strudwick (res) | Rye House | 0 |
Pairs
The National League Pairs Championship, was held at Hayley Stadium, on 7 August 2010. The event was won by Nicki Glanz and Mark Simmonds of the Plymouth Devils.[7]
| Group B | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | King's Lynn | 23 | Lambert 16, Lowe 7 |
| 2 | Buxton | 21 | Allott 15, Branford 6 |
| 3 | Weymouth | 20 | Cockle 12, Bekker 8 |
| 4 | Scunthorpe | 17 | Worrall S 10, Birks 7 |
| 5 | Rye House | 9 | Jacobs 6, Hazelden 3 |
Final
- Plymouth bt King's Lynn 7–2
Fours
The National League Fours, held on 6 June 2010 at Mildenhall Stadium was abandoned due to rain and was not restaged.