The 2023 SGB Championship season (sponsored by Cab Direct[1]) was the 76th season of the second tier of British Speedway and the 6th known as the SGB Championship.[2] The British Speedway Network (BSN) streamed 35 matches live for the second year running.[3]
| League | SGB Championship |
|---|---|
| No. of competitors | 9 |
| Champions | Glasgow Tigers |
| Knockout Cup | Scunthorpe Scorpions |
| BSN Series | Poole Pirates |
| Pairs | Glasgow Tigers |
| Riders' Championship | Charles Wright |
| Highest average | Ryan Douglas |
| Division/s above | SGB Premiership |
| Division/s below | SGB National League |
Summary
Nine clubs competed in the Championship in 2023,[2] with Edinburgh Monarchs remaining in the league despite problems surrounding their home venue.[4] The only change to the league was Leicester Lions, who left for the higher league of the SGB Premiership 2023.[5]
The league format was the same as in 2022, with each team racing against each other twice (home and away), meaning a total of 16 fixtures each during the season. The points system was revamped and simplified, with teams scoring two points for a win (home or away), with a bonus point scored for an aggregate win. A 'Super Heat' was also introduced in the event of a tied meeting, with the winners scoring two league points and the losers gaining one point.
The top six teams qualified for the playoffs, however they were split into two groups of three, with the winners of each qualifying for the Grand Final. Finally, the points limit for team construction was reduced from 42 to 40 points.[6]
Glasgow Tigers won the title for the first time 2011, while Scunthorpe Scorpions claimed the knockout cup. Poole Pirates had been looking to secure an unprecedented third consecutive double of league and cup, however they lost in both finals. However, Poole did win the BSN Series, an early season competition.[7]
League
Regular season
League table
| Pos. | Club | M | Home | Away | F | A | B | Pts | +/− | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | SHL | L | W | SHL | L | ||||||||
| 1 | Poole Pirates (Q) | 16 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 818 | 622 | 7 | 35 | +196 |
| 2 | Oxford Cheetahs (Q) | 16 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 791 | 647 | 8 | 34 | +144 |
| 3 | Glasgow Tigers (Q) | 16 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 772 | 614 | 5 | 31 | +148 |
| 4 | Scunthorpe Scorpions (Q) | 16 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 758 | 657 | 6 | 23 | +101 |
| 5 | Redcar Bears (Q) | 16 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 719 | 702 | 4 | 23 | +17 |
| 6 | Edinburgh Monarchs (Q) | 16 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 662 | 758 | 3 | 15 | -96 |
| 7 | Birmingham Brummies | 16 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 629 | 791 | 2 | 10 | -162 |
| 8 | Berwick Bandits | 16 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 641 | 797 | 1 | 7 | -156 |
| 9 | Plymouth Gladiators | 16 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 621 | 813 | 0 | 4 | -192 |
Fixtures & results
Play Offs
Six of the nine teams qualified for the play offs, including sixth placed Edinburgh who lost 10 of their 16 matches.[10]
Group A
Fixtures
Table
| Pos. | Club | M | Home | Away | F | A | B | Pts | +/− | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | SHL | L | W | SHL | L | ||||||||
| 1 | Poole Pirates (Q) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 204 | 156 | 2 | 10 | +48 |
| 2 | Scunthorpe Scorpions | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 198 | 162 | 1 | 6 | +36 |
| 3 | Edinburgh Monarchs | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 138 | 222 | 0 | 0 | -84 |
Group B
Fixtures
Table
| Pos. | Club | M | Home | Away | F | A | B | Pts | +/− | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | SHL | L | W | SHL | L | ||||||||
| 1 | Glasgow Tigers (Q) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 198 | 162 | 2 | 8 | +36 |
| 2 | Oxford Cheetahs | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 188 | 172 | 1 | 7 | +16 |
| 3 | Redcar Bears | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 154 | 206 | 0 | 0 | -52 |
Grand final
First leg
| 9 October | [11] | Glasgow Tigers Chris Harris 14 Benjamin Basso 10 Tom Brennan 9 Vadim Tarasenko 9 Lee Complin 9 Ace Pijper 1 Claus Vissing r/r | 52–38 | Poole Pirates Richard Lawson 9 Steve Worrall 9 Zach Cook 8 Ben Cook 6 Kyle Newman 4 Joe Thompson 2 Anders Rowe r/r | Ashfield Stadium Referee(s): David Watters |
Second leg
| 11 October | [12] | Poole Pirates Ben Cook 11 Steve Worrall 10 Zach Cook 8 Kyle Newman 8 Richard Lawson 7 Joe Thompson 3 Anders Rowe r/r | 47–43 | Glasgow Tigers Chris Harris 14 Vadim Tarasenko 9 Tom Brennan 9 Benjamin Basso 5 Lee Complin 4 Ace Pijper 2 Claus Vissing r/r | Poole Stadium Referee(s): David Watters |
Knockout Cup
The 2023 SGB Championship Knockout Cup was the 55th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams and the 6th edition under the SGB Championship Knockout Cup name.
| Round One | Quarter Finals | Semi Finals | Final | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Redcar Bears | 53 | 48 | 101 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Redcar Bears | 53 | 52 | 105 | Glasgow Tigers | 37 | 42 | 79 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Berwick Bandits | 37 | 38 | 75 | Redcar Bears | 36 | 41 | 77 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Scunthorpe Scorpions | 54 | 49 | 103 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birmingham Brummies | 44 | 29 | 73 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Scunthorpe Scorpions | 46 | 61 | 107 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Scunthorpe Scorpions | 47 | 45 | 92 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Poole Pirates | 43 | 45 | 88 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Poole Pirates | 54 | 51 | 105 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Plymouth Gladiators | 36 | 39 | 75 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Poole Pirates | 44 | 52 | 96 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oxford Cheetahs | 46 | 38 | 84 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oxford Cheetahs | 54 | 45 | 99 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Edinburgh Monarchs | 36 | 45 | 81 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Home team scores are in bold
Overall aggregate scores are in red
Final
First Leg
| 15 October | [13] | Scunthorpe Scorpions Ryan Douglas 13 Drew Kemp 10 Michael Palm Toft 8 Jake Allen 6 Simon Lambert 6 Connor Mountain 3 Nathan Ablitt 1 | 47–43 | Poole Pirates Zach Cook 14 Richard Lawson 10 Ben Cook 6 Steve Worrall 6 Joe Thompson 4 Kyle Newman 3 Anders Rowe r/r | Eddie Wright Raceway Referee(s): Michael Breckon |
Second Leg
| 21 October | [14] | Poole Pirates Richard Lawson 10 Ben Cook 8 Zach Cook 8 Kyle Newman 8 Steve Worrall 7 Joe Thompson 3 Anders Rowe 1 | 45–45 | Scunthorpe Scorpions Simon Lambert 12 Drew Kemp 10 Ryan Douglas 9 Connor Mountain 7 Jake Allen 4 Michael Palm Toft 3 Nathan Ablitt 0 | Poole Stadium Referee(s): Christina Turnbull |
BSN Series
Scottish Group[15]
Fixtures
Table
| Pos. | Club | M | Home | Away | F | A | B | Pts | +/− | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | SHL | L | W | SHL | L | ||||||||
| 1 | Glasgow Tigers (Q) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 202 | 157 | 2 | 8 | +45 |
| 2 | Berwick Bandits | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 170 | 189 | 1 | 5 | -19 |
| 3 | Edinburgh Monarchs | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 167 | 193 | 0 | 2 | -26 |
Northern Group
Fixtures
Table
| Pos. | Club | M | Home | Away | F | A | B | Pts | +/− | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | SHL | L | W | SHL | L | ||||||||
| 1 | Scunthorpe Scorpions (Q) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 195 | 165 | 2 | 8 | +30 |
| 2 | Redcar Bears (Q) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 190 | 170 | 1 | 7 | +20 |
| 3 | Birmingham Brummies | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 155 | 205 | 0 | 0 | -50 |
Southern Group
Fixtures
Table
| Pos. | Club | M | Home | Away | F | A | B | Pts | +/− | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | SHL | L | W | SHL | L | ||||||||
| 1 | Poole Pirates (Q) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 206 | 152 | 2 | 8 | +54 |
| 2 | Oxford Cheetahs | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 182 | 177 | 1 | 5 | +5 |
| 3 | Plymouth Gladiators | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 150 | 209 | 0 | 2 | -59 |
Knockout stages
| Semi-finals | Grand Final | ||||||||||
| Scunthorpe Scorpions | 44 | 35 | 79 | ||||||||
| Glasgow Tigers | 46 | 55 | 101 | ||||||||
| Glasgow Tigers | 28 | 48 | 76 | ||||||||
| Poole Pirates | 62 | 42 | 104 | ||||||||
| Poole Pirates | 48 | 52 | 100 | ||||||||
| Redcar Bears | 42 | 38 | 80 | ||||||||
Home team scores are in bold
Overall aggregate scores are in red
Grand Final
First leg
| 5 July | [16] | Poole Pirates Steve Worrall 14 Richard Lawson 13 Ben Cook 11 Zach Cook 8 Anders Rowe 7 Kyle Newman 5 Adam Roynon 4 | 62–28 | Glasgow Tigers Chris Harris 7 Benjamin Basso 7 Claus Vissing 5 Ace Pijper 5 Tom Brennan 4 Marcin Nowak 0 Lee Complin 0 | Poole Stadium Referee(s): Christina Turnbull |
Second leg
| 21 July | [17] | Glasgow Tigers Benjamin Basso 12 Tom Brennan 11 Marcin Nowak 8 Chris Harris 7 Lee Complin 6 Claus Vissing 3 Ace Pijper 1 | 48–42 | Poole Pirates Steve Worrall 12 Ben Cook 10 Richard Lawson 8 Kyle Newman 4 Adam Roynon 3 Anders Rowe 3 Zach Cook 2 | Ashfield Stadium Referee(s): Barbara Horley |
Pairs Championship
The 2023 edition of the SGB Championship Pairs took place on Friday 1 September, at Oxford Stadium, Oxford. It was won by Glasgow Tigers, who beat defending champions Redcar Bears in the final.
Qualifying heats
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Redcar Bears | 25 | Charles Wright 14, Danny King 11 |
| 2 | Oxford Cheetahs | 25 | Lewis Kerr 15, Sam Masters 10 |
| 3 | Glasgow Tigers | 23 | Chris Harris 12, Benjamin Basso 11 |
| 4 | Poole Pirates | 17 | Ben Cook 11, Richard Lawson 6 |
| 5 | Scunthorpe Scorpions | 17 | Ryan Douglas 13, Simon Lambert 4 |
| 6 | Berwick Bandits | 15 | Jye Etheridge 8, Leon Flint 7 |
| 7 | Edinburgh Monarchs | 14 | Josh Pickering 12, Luke Killeen 2 |
| 8 | Birmingham Brummies | 14 | Justin Sedgmen 12, Troy Batchelor 2 |
| 9 | Plymouth Gladiators | 12 | Kyle Howarth 8, Max Perry 4 |
Semi-finals
| Team One | Team Two | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redcar | Poole | 7-2 | Wright 4, King 3, Lawson 2, Cook 0 |
| Team One | Team Two | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glasgow | Oxford | 5-4 | Masters 4, Harris 3, Basso 2, Kerr 0 |
Final
| Team One | Team Two | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glasgow | Redcar | 6-3 | Basso 4, Wright 3, Harris 2, King 0 |
Riders' Championship
The 2023 edition of the SGB Championship Riders Championship was held on 27 August, at the Ecco Arena in Redcar. The event was won by Charles Wright on his home track.[18]
| Pos. | Rider | Pts | Total | SF | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Charles Wright(Redcar) | 12 23 3 | 11 | 2 | 3 |
| 2 | Chris Harris(Glasgow) | 21 33 3 | 12 | x | 2 |
| 3 |  Ben Cook (Poole) | 3 2 3 3 2 | 12 | x | 1 |
| 4 | Danny King (Redcar) | 3 3 2 2 2 | 12 | 3 | 0 |
| 5 | Lewis Kerr(Oxford) | 31 3 2 1 | 10 | 1 | |
| 6 | Richard Lawson(Poole) | 20 13 3 | 9 | 0 | |
| 7 | Ryan Douglas (Scunthorpe) | 2 2 2 fx 2 | 8 | ||
| 8 | Richie Worrall (Plymouth) | 1 3 3 1 0 | 8 | ||
| 9 | Rory Schlein (Berwick) | 2 3 1 1 0 | 7 | ||
| 10 | Leon Flint (Berwick) | 0 3 2 2 0 | 7 | ||
| 11 | Justin Sedgmen (Birmingham) | 3 0 0 1 2 | 6 | ||
| 12 | Jake Allen (Scunthorpe) | 1 1 1 0 2 | 5 | ||
| 13 |  Paco Castagna (Edinburgh) | 0 1 0 2 1 | 4 | ||
| 14 | Troy Batchelor (Birmingham) | 0 2 0 1 1 | 4 | ||
| 15 | Kye Thomson (Edinburgh) | 1 0 1 0 1 | 3 | ||
| 16 | Craig Cook (Edinburgh) | r tm - - - | 0 | ||
| 17 | Luke Harrison (res) | 0 0 | 0 | ||
| 18 | Sam McGurk (res) | 0 0 | 0 |
- f=fell, r=retired, ex=excluded tm=two minute warning excluded
Leading averages
| Rider | Team | Average | |
| 1 | Ryan Douglas | Scunthorpe | 10.09 |
| 2 | Sam Masters | Oxford | 9.80 |
| 3 | Charles Wright | Redcar | 9.66 |
| 4 | Scott Nicholls | Oxford | 9.54 |
| 5 | Chris Harris | Glasgow | 9.47 |
| 6 | Benjamin Basso | Glasgow | 9.45 |
| 7 | Richard Lawson | Poole | 9.37 |
| 8 | Craig Cook | Edinburgh | 9.08 |
| 9 | Danny King | Redcar | 8.58 |
| 10 | Josh Pickering | Edinburgh | 8.55 |
- averages include league, play offs, knockout cup & bsn series, min 6 matches
Squads & final averages
Berwick Bandits
-
Rory Schlein 8.23 -
Leon Flint (C) 7.05 - Jye Etheridge 6.41
-
Thomas Jørgensen 6.23 - Jonas Knudsen 5.74
- Hans Andersen 5.38
- Jacob Hook 4.85
- Connor Coles 4.51
- Steve Boxall 3.64
-
Greg Blair 2.46 -
Nathan Stoneman 1.33
Birmingham Brummies
- Justin Sedgmen (C) 7.74
- Nick Morris[20] 7.53
- Troy Batchelor 7.35
- Alfie Bowtell 5.43
- Paul Starke 4.40
- Stefan Nielsen 3.05
- Sam Hagon 3.02
- Ty Proctor 3.00
- James Wright 2.86
Edinburgh Monarchs
- Craig Cook 9.08
- Josh Pickering (C) 8.55
- Kye Thomson 6.57
-
Michele Paco Castagna 6.11 -
Lasse Fredriksen 4.71 - Bastian Borke 4.50
- Kyle Bickley 3.39
- Max Clegg 3.06
- Dayle Wood 1.00
Glasgow Tigers
- Chris Harris 9.47
- Benjamin Basso 9.45
/
Vadim Tarasenko 8.51- Tom Brennan (C) 7.91
- Claus Vissing 7.45
- Marcin Nowak 6.37
- Lee Complin 4.56
- Ace Pijper 3.18
Oxford Cheetahs
- Sam Masters 9.80
- Scott Nicholls (C) 9.54
- Lewis Kerr 8.54
- Jordan Jenkins 6.69
- Cameron Heeps 5.71
- Henry Atkins 4.70
- Ashton Boughen 4.00
- Luke Killeen 3.27
- Ryan Kinsley 2.36
Plymouth Gladiators
- Ben Barker 7.84
- Richie Worrall 7.77
- Kyle Howarth (C) 7.61
- James Pearson 5.84
- Dan Gilkes 5.79
- Ben Morley 3.06
-
Jake Turner 2.49 - Ben Trigger 2.07
Poole Pirates
- Richard Lawson 9.37
- Steve Worrall (C) 8.38
- Ben Cook 8.29
- Zach Cook 8.03
- Anders Rowe 6.67
- Kyle Newman 6.63
- Adam Roynon 5.01
- Joe Thompson 4.86
Redcar Bears
- Charles Wright (C) 9.66
- Danny King 8.58
-
Erik Riss 6.76 - Jason Edwards 6.08
- Danyon Hume 5.76
- Connor Bailey 5.65
- Jake Mulford 3.44
Scunthorpe Scorpions
- Ryan Douglas 10.09
- Jake Allen 7.94
- Michael Palm Toft 7.85
- Simon Lambert (C) 7.04
- Connor Mountain 6.69
- Drew Kemp 6.64
- Nathan Ablitt 3.13