2013 National League speedway season
The 2013 season of the National League, the third tier of British speedway was contested by eight teams.[2]
| League | National League |
|---|---|
| Champions | Dudley Heathens |
| Knockout Cup | Dudley Heathens |
| Individual | Steve Boxall[1] |
| Pairs | Dudley Heathens |
| Fours | Dudley Heathens |
| National Trophy | Isle of Wight Islanders |
| Division/s above | 2013 Elite League 2013 Premier League |
Summary
Scunthorpe Saints and Rye House Cobras were missing from 2012, and replaced by Coventry Storm and Kent Kings.
The Dudley Heathens were champions.[3]
Final table
| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Dudley Heathens | 13 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 37 |
| 2 | King's Lynn Young Stars | 13 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 27 |
| 3 | Mildenhall Fen Tigers | 13 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 25 |
| 4 | Isle of Wight Islanders | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 22 |
| 5 | Coventry Storm | 14 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 19 |
| 6 | Buxton Hitmen | 14 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 18 |
| 7 | Kent Kings | 13 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 15 |
| 8 | Stoke Potters | 12 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 7 |
[4] PL = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points
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 fewer = 1
Away draw = 2
Away win by between 1 and 6 points = 3
Away win by 7 points or more = 4
Playoffs
Top four teams race off in two-legged semi-finals and final to decide the championship. Dudley Heathens defeated King's Lynn Young Stars in the final.[5]
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02/10 | King's Lynn | 57-39 | Mildenhall |
| 01/10 | Isle of Wight | 43-47 | Dudley |
| 29/09 | Mildenhall | 49-41 | King's Lynn |
| 24/09 | Dudley | 59-31 | Isle of Wight |
Final
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08/10 | Dudley | 53-30 | King's Lynn |
| 09/10 | King's Lynn | 46-47 | Dudley |
National League Knockout Cup
The 2013 National League Knockout Cup was the 16th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier three teams. Dudley Heathens were the winners.[6] [7]
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 04/08 | Buxton | 47-43 | Dudley |
| 09/07 | Isle of Wight | 61-32 | Kent |
| 24/06 | Kent | 44-49 | Isle of Wight |
| 19/06 | King's Lynn | 64-26 | Stoke |
| 08/06 | Stoke | 57-32 | King's Lynn |
| 04/06 | Dudley | 55-39 | Buxton |
| 26/05 | Mildenhall | 48-42 | Coventry Storm |
| 17/05 | Coventry Storm | 45-47 | Mildenhall |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24/10 | Mildenhall | 44-46 | Isle of Wight |
| 15/10 | Isle of Wight | 46-44 | Mildenhall |
| 08/10 | Isle of Wight | 50-40 | Mildenhall |
| 5/09 | King's Lynn | 44-46 | Dudley |
| 22/09 | Mildenhall | 50-40 | Isle of Wight |
| 10/09 | Dudley | 56-34 | King's Lynn |
Final
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29/10 | Dudley | 58-33 | Isle of Wight |
| 30/10 | Isle of Wight | 48-44 | Dudley |
Riders' Championship
Steve Boxall won the Riders' Championship for the second time. The final was held on 21 September at Rye House Stadium.[8]
| Pos. | Rider | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steve Boxall | 14+3 |
| 2 | Lewis Kerr | 14+2 |
| 3 | Lewis Blackbird | 12 |
| 4 | Steve Worrall | 11 |
| 5 | Robert Lambert | 11 |
| 6 | Stefan Nielsen | 9 |
| 7 | Charles Wright | 8 |
| 8 | Ben Morley | 6 |
| 9 | Paul Starke | 6 |
| 10 | Tom Perry | 5 |
| 11 | Joe Jacobs | 5 |
| 12 | James Sarjeant | 5 |
| 13 | Liam Carr | 4 |
| 14 | Ashley Morris | 4 |
| 15 | Josh Bates | 0 |
| 16 | Adam Ellis | 0 |
Pairs
The National League Pairs Championship, was held at Mildenhall Stadium, on 30 June 2013. The event was won by Ashley Morris and Lewis Blackbird of the Mildenhall Fen Tigers.[9]
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| Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Dudley | 17 | Blackbird 9, Morris 8 |
| 2 | Mildenhall | 15 | Halsey 10, Bates 5 |
| 3 | Kent | 14 | Boxall 8, Morley 6 |
| 4 | Stoke | 8 | Priest 6, Smart 2 |
Fours
Dudley won the National League Fours, held on 18 August 2013 at Loomer Road Stadium.[10]
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| Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Dudley | 14 | Starke 6, Morris 5, Blackbird 3, Isherwood 0 |
| 2 | Kent | 13 | Boxall 5, Compton 4, Morley 2, Mason 2 |
| 3 | Mildenhall | 11 | Halsey 5, Bates 4, Armstrong 2, Stoneman 0 |
| 4 | King's Lynn | 10 | Kerr 5, Mallett 3, Rose 1, Knight 1 |
National Trophy
| Pos | team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isle of Wight | 8 | 22 |
| 2 | Mildenhall | 8 | 17 |
| 3 | Stoke | 8 | 13 |
| 4 | Buxton | 8 | 7 |
| 5 | Kent | 8 | 3 |
Final leading averages
| Rider | Team | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Lewis Blackbird | Dudley | 10.49 |
| Charles Wright | Buxton | 10.37 |
| Robert Lambert | Kings Lynn | 10.30 |
Teams and final averages
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Development Leagues
Midland Development League
| Pos | team | P | W | D | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belle Vue Colts | 12 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 16 |
| 2 | Milton Keynes | 11 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 15 |
| 3 | Kings Lynn | 12 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 14 |
| 4 | Stoke | 12 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 12 |
| 5 | Castleford | 11 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 9 |
| 6 | Coventry | 12 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 9 |
| 7 | Long Eaton | 12 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 7 |
Northern Junior League
| Pos | team | P | W | D | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Redcar | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 13 |
| 2 | Workington | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 12 |
| 3 | Northside | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 9 |
| 4 | Newcastle | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 |
| 5 | Berwick | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 |
References
- "Yes Heathens win the lot". Cradley Speedway. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- "Major League Competitions". Speedway Archive.
- "Cradley Heathens hunt for a new home after loosing temporary base at Wolverhampton". Birmingham Mail. 24 October 2014.
- "2013 PLAY-OFF FIXTURES & RESULTS - British Speedway Official Website".
- "2013 Play Offs". Speedway Archive.
- "National League Knockout Cup Winners". Speedway Archive.
- "2013 National League Knockout Cup". Speedway Archive.
- "Yes Heathens win the lot". Cradley Speedway. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- "All roads lead to Mildenhall as National League Pairs takes centre stage . . . and who can stop the Cradley Heathens from winning again?". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
- "2013 National League Fours". British Speedway. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
- "2013 Averages" (PDF). Speedway GB.