1996 Speedway Conference League

The 1996 Speedway Conference League was the inaugural season of the Conference League, which was the second tier of British motorcycle speedway.[1] It was listed as the second tier of British speedway because during 1995 and 1996 the two divisions of the British League had merged into one division only.[2] The following season it would be a third tier/division competition.

1996 Speedway Conference League
LeagueConference League
Season1996
ChampionsLinlithgow Lightning
No. of competitors13
Knockout CupLinlithgow Lightning
IndividualMike Hampson
Division/s above1996 Premier League

Summary

The Conference League was the first to promoted under the name and was an entirely amateur competition contested by thirteen teams (many were junior sides belonging to their parent clubs). The league expanded from the eight that had begun the previous season's 1995 Academy League - Berwick, Buxton, Devon, Linlithgow, Mildenhall, and Sittingbourne all returned from 1995, and were joined by Arena Essex, Eastbourne, Owlerton, Peterborough, Reading, Ryde, and Swindon. Stoke and Cleveland did not return from 1995.[3]

As not all fixtures were able to be run, the champions were decided by a percentage of total points available. Linlithgow Lightning topped the table to become champions.[4][5]


Final table
Pos Team PL W D L Pts %
1 Linlithgow Lightning 23 18 0 5 36 78
2 Devon Demons 11 7 1 3 15 68
3 Berwick Bandits 12 8 0 4 16 66
4 Ryde Wight Wizards 19 12 1 6 25 65
5 Swindon Sprockets 12 7 0 5 14 58
6 Arena Essex Hammers 27 14 1 12 29 53
7 Mildenhall Fen Tigers 19 10 0 9 20 52
8 Buxton Hitmen 21 10 2 9 22 52
9 Peterborough Thundercats 13 5 1 7 11 42
10 Owlerton Prowlers 12 5 0 7 10 41
11 Reading Ravens 13 5 0 8 10 38
12 Eastbourne Starlets 16 1 2 13 4 12
13 Sittingbourne Crusaders 18 1 2 15 4 11

PL = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Match Points; % = Win Rate

Conference League Knockout Cup

The 1996 Conference League Knockout Cup was the 29th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams.[6]

It was only the tier two competition because the Division 1 & 2 had merged during 1995 & 1996, this meant that the newly formed Conference League was tier two of British speedway at the time. Linlithgow Lightning were the winners of the Cup.

Final
Team One Score Team Two
Linlithgow49-29Mildenhall
Mildenhall39-39Linlithgow

Riders' Championship

Mike Hampson won the Riders' Championship. The final was held on 7 September at Long Eaton Stadium.[7]

Pos.RiderTeamTotal
1Mike HampsonBuxton12
2Justin ElkinsIsle of Wight12
3Graeme GordonExeter12
4David MasonSittingbourne12
5Paul LeePeterborough10
6Lee DickenSheffield9
7Martin WillisIsle of Wight8
8Barry CampbellLinlithgow8
9Krister MarshSwindon7
10Dean GarrodMildenhall6
11Carl CheckettsReading6
12Russell EtheringtonArena Essex4
13Roland PollardArena Essex4
14Blair ScottLinlithgow3
15Bobby EldridgeEastbourne2
16Anthony BarlowBerwick2
17Paul Clews (res)Peterborough0

Teams and riders

See also

References
  1. "More variety for the Tigers". Cambridge Daily News. 15 March 1996. Retrieved 14 July 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  2. "Major League Competitions". Speedway Archive.
  3. "1996 Tables". Speedway GB.com.
  4. "Linlithgow Speedway". Defunct Speedway.
  5. "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - MODERN ERA (1991-PRESENT)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  6. "1996 Conference League Knockout Cup Final". Speedway GB.
  7. "Half a team". Cambridge Daily News. 9 September 1996. Retrieved 28 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. Total points scored, plus bonus points, divided by total number of races, multiplied by 4
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