Newcastle Diamonds

Newcastle Diamonds were a motorcycle speedway team that raced in the British speedway leagues from 1929 to 2022. They were based at Newcastle Stadium on the Fossway, Byker. The Stadium was previously known as Brough Park.

Newcastle Diamonds
Club information
Track address	Newcastle Stadium Fossway Byker Newcastle upon Tyne NE6 2XJ
Country	England
Founded	1929
Closed	2022
League	SGB Championship (2022)
Club facts
Colours	Black & White
Track size	300 metres (330 yd)
Track record time	61.0 seconds
Track record date	24 October 2010
Track record holder	Kenni Larsen
Major team honours
Provincial/National/Premier League (tier 2) champions 1964, 1976, 1982, 1983, 2001 Knockout Cup (tier 2) 1976, 1982, 2010, 2012 Premier Trophy Winners 2010 Premier League Playoff Winners 2010 Premier Shield Winners 2011 Supernational Winners 1982, 1983 Gold Cup Winners 1991, 1992 National League Fours 1976, 1982, 1983 New National League Best Pairs Winners 1975 Northern Cup 1938 English Speedway Trophy 1939

History

Origins and 1930s

The Diamonds in the 1930s

The construction of a speedway track at Brough Park began in early 1929, under the supervision of Lindon Travers.^[1] The Newcastle team were inaugural members of the 1929 Speedway English Dirt Track League and following an open meeting on 17 May, the first league home fixture was held three days later on 20 May against Halifax Speedway.^[2] The team finished in fourth place during their debut season.

In 1930, both Brough Park and Gosforth speedway (the latter promoted by Tyneside Speedways Ltd) intended to compete in the Northern League but Gosforth signed the majority of Brough Park's riders and then Brough Park speedway closed. The team competed at the Gosforth Greyhound Stadium during 1930^[3] but then Gosforth closed to speedway after the season^[4] and the city of Newcastle would not see a return of speedway until 1938, when they joined the National League.^[5]

The team in 1938 was coached by former rider Gordon Byers and consisted of four Canadians, a season that saw the Diamonds nickname first used.^[6] The outbreak of World War II ruined a potential league winning season in 1939.

1940s

After the war, the team raced as Newcastle Brough in 1946 before Jeff Lloyd topped the league averages in 1947 for the Diamonds. The Diamonds promotion moved the team to Saracen Park after the 1948 season to become Ashfield Giants^[7] but a new promotion formed the Newcastle Magpies from the disbanded Middlesbrough Bears.

1950s

After finishing last during the 1951 Speedway National League Division Two season,^[8] the promoter J. S. Smith pulled out and team disbanded and did not race in the league for the remainder of the decade.^[9]

1960s

• 
  Ivan Mauger
• 
  Ole Olsen

Newcastle returned in 1961 competing in the Provincial League and gradually progressed from 1961 to 1963. In 1963, the team signed New Zealander Ivan Mauger, who would go on to become six times World Champion. Under Mauger's leadership the Diamonds thrived, winning the club's first major trophy by sealing the 1964 league title.^[10] In 1965, the team were founder members of the British League.

In 1967, 21-year-old Ole Olsen made his British debut for Newcastle and would later be a three times World Champion.^[11] Olsen arrived after Mauger persuaded the promoter Mike Parker to sign him.^[12]

The 1967 and 1968 seasons were one of the rare occurrences where two of the greatest riders of all-time rode for the same team, although Olsen was in his early part of his career at the time.

1970s

1975 National League match

After competing in the British League from 1965 to 1970 the team's first division licence was transferred by Allied Presentations to Reading Racers leaving the Newcastle promoter Ian Hoskins without a league to race in.^[13] The Diamonds missed four seasons (1971–1974) but in November 1974, Ian Thomas bought the defunct Sunderland Gladiators licence and transferred it to re-form the Diamonds, entering the team to race in the 1975 New National League season.^[14] Brian Havelock and Tom Owen won the National League Pairs, held at Hyde Road on 17 May.^[15]

The following season they won the double of National League title and Knockout Cup, in addition to winning the fours.^[16] The 1976 team was Tom Owen, Brian Havelock, Ron Henderson, Joe Owen, Andy Cusworth, Phil Michelides and Robbie Blackadder. Tom Owen then topped the averages for three consecutive years in 1977, 1978 and 1979 becoming arguably the National League's leading rider during the period.

1980s

• 
  Joe Owen
• 
  Tom Owen

Another treble of league, cup and fours came their way during the 1982 National League season, when led by Joe Owen, Rod Hunter and Bobby Beaton. One year later, led by the same three riders they won their third National League title and the Fours title during the 1983 National League season.^[17] The Diamonds moved up a division to compete in the British League during 1984 but due to financial issues, the promoters Ian Thomas and Robin Stannard did not enter a team for 1985.^[18]

After missing 1985 they were brought back by Stannard and renamed the Newcastle Federation Specials for the 1986 National League season. After just two seasons they were once again disbanded for the 1988 season before retunign in 1989.

1990s

David Bargh was re-signed in 1990 and helped the Diamonds finish third in 1991. The 1992 season was overshadowed by the death of Wayne Garratt after crashing at the track.^[19]

Following the merger of the divisions in 1995 and 1996, the Diamonds chose not to compete due to the expected increase in operational costs and the Diamonds' riders were put on the transfer list.^[20] The team returned when the league split again in 1997.^[21] The 1990s was a fractured existence for the club but the Diamonds did finish the decade with three full seasons of speedway.

2000s

Team changes for 2000 saw the signings of Bjarne Pedersen and Andre Compton and together with Jesper Olsen they steered Newcastle to their first league title for 18 years. Winning the 2001 Premier League was the Diamonds fifth league title in total.

A second successive league title in 2002 was denied by Sheffield Tigers on points difference. Czech rider Josef Franc topped the Diamonds averages from 2006 to 2008.

2010s

Stuart Robson spent nine seasons with the club

The 2010 season was a very successful campaign for the Diamonds. Although the Edinburgh Monarchs dominated the League, it was the Diamonds that took most silverware of the season by winning the Premier League play-offs, the Premier Trophy and the Premier League KOC (against Edinburgh Monarchs). The Diamonds also found success when the Dane Kenni Larsen won the Premier League Riders' Championship to add a fourth honour to the club's successful season. In recognition of their achievements the team was awarded the prestigious 'Team of the Year' award by Sports North-East, shortly before the 2011 campaign commenced, ahead of the Championship League winning football side Newcastle United.

Despite winning the season opening Premier Shield, the team struggled in 2011 but bounced back strongly winning the Knockout Cup for the fourth time in 2012. Steve Worrall was the Diamonds leading rider for several seasons until Robert Lambert took over as the number 1 rider in 2016, both experienced success with the Great Britain national speedway team. The Premier League became the Championship in 2017, with the Diamonds finishing 7th.

On 16 September 2018, Newcastle Diamonds legend Stuart Robson announced his retirement from the sport. He first rode for the Diamonds at the age of 16 in 1993. Newcastle Diamonds' celebrated their 90th anniversary season in 2019. After the 2019 season Rob Grant and former Stoke Potters promoter Dave Tattum took ownership of the club.^[22]

2020s

After the leagues were cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team club came close to closing in 2021 before ultimately committing to the SGB Championship 2021, under Grant's ownership.^[23] Going into 2022, speedway clubs in the UK were challenged by the impacts of Brexit and European rider availability.^[24] Grant cited a rider shortage and low crowd numbers as reasons for temporarily closing the club in June 2022, with the goal of maintaining the club's financial resources to resume in 2023.^[23] Grant also cited his other business ventures, finances, and mental health as reasons to close the club before the completion of the league season. Speedway promoter and BSP Chairman Rob Godfrey stated that "[w]e had been working with the Newcastle promotion in an attempt to get them to the end of the season...but sadly that’s proved not to be the case."^[25]

Season summary

Extended content

Year and league Position Notes 1929 Speedway English Dirt Track League 4th 1930 Speedway Northern League 9th 1938 Speedway National League Division Two 6th 1939 Speedway National League Division Two 1st+ +when league was suspended 1946 Speedway Northern League 5th 1947 Speedway National League Division Two 5th 1948 Speedway National League Division Two 7th 1949 Speedway National League Division Two 10th 1950 Speedway National League Division Two 13th 1951 Speedway National League Division Two 16th 1961 Provincial Speedway League 11th 1962 Provincial Speedway League 9th 1963 Provincial Speedway League 6th 1964 Provincial Speedway League 1st champions 1965 British League season 12th 1966 British League season 5th 1967 British League season 10th 1968 British League season 5th 1969 British League season 13th 1970 British League season 17th 1975 New National League season 2nd pairs 1976 National League season 1st champions & Knockout Cup winners 1977 National League season 6th 1978 National League season 2nd 1979 National League season 6th 1980 National League season 2nd 1981 National League season 3rd 1982 National League season 1st champions & Knockout Cup winners 1983 National League season 1st champions 1984 British League season 16th 1986 National League season 19th 1987 National League season 11th 1989 National League season 15th 1990 National League season 12th 1991 British League Division Two season 3rd 1992 British League Division Two season 4th 1993 British League Division Two season 6th 1994 British League Division Two season 7th 1997 Premier League speedway season 4th 1998 Premier League speedway season 10th 1999 Premier League speedway season 5th 2000 Premier League speedway season 8th 2001 Premier League speedway season 1st champions 2002 Premier League speedway season 2nd 2003 Premier League speedway season 11th 2004 Premier League speedway season 15th 2005 Premier League speedway season 8th 2006 Premier League speedway season 9th 2007 Premier League speedway season 10th 2008 Premier League speedway season 14th 2009 Premier League speedway season 3rd 2010 Premier League speedway season 2nd PO Champions & Knockout Cup 2011 Premier League speedway season 12th 2012 Premier League speedway season 1st PO elimination & Knockout Cup 2013 Premier League speedway season 3rd 2014 Premier League speedway season 8th 2015 Premier League speedway season 9th 2016 Premier League speedway season 3rd SGB Championship 2017 7th SGB Championship 2018 8th SGB Championship 2019 10th SGB Championship 2021 11th SGB Championship 2022 N/A withdrew, results expunged

Season summary (juniors)

Extended content
Year and league Position Notes 2002 Speedway Conference League 8th Gems 2003 Speedway Conference League 7th Gems 2004 Speedway Conference League 11th Gems 2021 National Development League speedway season N/A withdrew, results expunged

Previous season summaries 2006 to 2022

Extended content

2006 season Team George Stancl Manuel Hauzinger Christian Henry Josef Franc James Grieves Adam McKinna Jamie Robertson ‡ Released. † Injured. 2007 season Team Christian Henry Jonas Raun Josef Franc Paul Clews Carl Wilkinson Adam McKinna Sean Stoddart Also Rode: Ross Brady‡ 2008 season Team Josef Franc Sean Stoddart Jason King Kenni Larsen Christian Henry Jerran Hart Richard Juul Also Rode: Jamie Robertson‡ Matyas Hlavacek‡ Ben Powell‡ George Štancl† 2009 season 2009 team and statistics Kenni Larsen Derek Sneddon Jason King Rene Bach Mark Lemon Adam McKinna Trent Leverington Also rode: Casper Wortmann (Released) Steve Boxall (Released) Craig Branney (Released) 80th anniversary series In 2009 to commemorate the Diamonds 80th anniversary a series of 50 cigarette cards were produced by the club. Riders included: Ivan Mauger Ole Olsen Nicki Pedersen Bjarne Pedersen Kenneth Bjerre Anders Michanek Dag Lovaas Joe Owen Tom Owen Kenny Carter Ken Le Breton Frank Hodgson Alec Grant Derrick Close 2010 season Season overview: triple champions Performance in national competitions Competition Result Notes Premier League Runners Up Finished second on 58 points. Won away at Glasgow (37-53), Newport (44-46), Redcar (40-50), Sheffield (43-47), Somerset (42-48), Stoke (42-48). Picked up one point from King's Lynn (51-45) and Workington (47-43). Won all home matches apart from Edinburgh, which they lost by 41-51. Premier Trophy Champions Only lost one match in the entire competition - Glasgow at home (43-47). Unbeaten away. Finished top of the Northern Group on 20 points. Defeated King's Lynn Stars 103-81 in the semi-final, and the Birmingham Brummies 104-80 in the Final to win the trophy. Knockout Cup Champions Beat Scunthorpe 100-80 in Round 1, Redcar 100-80 in the quarter-finals, Birmingham 96-85 in the semi-finals, and Edinburgh 91-88 in the Final. Premier League Playoffs Champions Defeated Birmingham 92-90 in the semi-finals, and Sheffield 101-89 in the Final. Went on to lose to the Ipswich Witches in the promotion / relegation battle 110-76. Premier League Riders Championship Champions Represented by Kenni Larsen and Rene Bach who was awarded a wildcard spot for been the highest averaged rider, after all clubs were allocated one place. Larsen won the competition with a total of 16 points, and Bach finished 4th with 13. Scorers: Larsen (3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 3), Bach (3, 3, 3, 3, 1, 0 ). Premier League Pairs Quarter-finalists Represented by Mark Lemon and Kenni Larsen. Eliminated on 20 points, the same as Somerset who advanced to the semi-final, as they had previously won the Somerset vs Newcastle Heat 6-3. Scorers: Larsen (4, EF, 3, 3), Lemon (3, 3, 0, 4). Premier League Fours Semi-finalists Represented by Mark Lemon, Kenni Larsen, Rene Bach, Jason King, and reserve Dakota North. Finished third in Group A. Scorers: Larsen (3, 1) Lemon (3, 3) Bach (EF, EF) King (1, 1) North (DNR). 2010 team and statistics Greensheet averages The following averages take into account league and trophy matches only, excluding playoffs, semi-finals, and finals. These averages are used for team building purposes and riding order. Rider M H A R P 2009 2010 +/- Kenni Larsen 28 15 13 129 312 8.10 9.67 +1.57 Derek Sneddon 34 17 17 142 187 4.95 5.27 +0.28 Jason King 29 13 16 122 177 7.08 5.80 -1.28 Rene Bach 30 16 14 144 325 7.02 9.03 +2.01 Mark Lemon 33 17 16 159 357 8.09 8.98 +0.89 Adam McKinna 21 11 10 80 50 3.37 3.00 -0.37 Dakota North 32 17 15 159 185 3.00 4.65 +1.65 Also Rode Anders Andersen ‡ 27 12 15 123 72 3.00 3.00 - Note: British riders have 2.5% reduction on their 2010 averages. Also Rode: ‡ Released., Injured. All match averages The following averages take into account all matches including Knockout Cup and Playoffs. Rider M R PTS BP TOT CMA Kenni Larsen H 24 115 300 10 310 10.78 A 22 101 223 7 230 9.11 46 216 523 17 540 10.00 Derek Sneddon H 26 112 158 33 191 6.82 A 25 108 103 18 121 4.48 51 220 261 51 312 5.67 Jason King H 17 73 130 22 152 8.33 A 20 83 98 12 110 5.30 37 156 228 34 262 6.72 Rene Bach H 25 117 282 21 303 10.36 A 22 105 212 8 220 8.38 47 222 494 29 523 9.42 Mark Lemon H 23 111 282 15 297 10.70 A 23 110 213 8 221 8.04 46 221 495 23 518 9.38 Dakota North H 23 111 155 23 178 6.41 A 22 114 114 12 126 4.42 45 225 269 35 304 5.40 Adam McKinna H 17 76 59 14 73 3.84 A 16 64 32 10 42 2.63 38 140 91 24 115 3.29 Also Rode Anders Andersen H 7 30 21 3 24 3.20 A 8 33 13 3 16 1.94 15 63 34 6 40 2.54 Number of maximums Rider H/F H/P A/F A/P TOT Near Maxima Kenni Larsen 8 4 2 14 6 (3H, 3A) Derek Sneddon 1 1 0 Jason King 1 1 0 Rene Bach 2 6 8 3 (3H) Mark Lemon 2 2 3 1 8 16 (14H, 2A) Adam McKinna 0 0 Dakota North 1 1 0 Also Rode Anders Andersen 0 0 H/F: Full Home, H/P Paid Home, A/F Full Away, P/A Paid Away. Near Maximum: When the rider only dropped a single point from their rides. Fastest times The following are the riders fastest times around the Brough Park track. Rider T Date Kenni Larsen 61.0 24/10/10 Derek Sneddon 63.5 22/08/10 Jason King 62.9 05/04/10 Rene Bach 61.9 24/10/10 Mark Lemon 62.5 13/06/10 Adam McKinna 66.3 21/03/10 Dakota North 63.7 30/08/10 Also Rode Anders Andersen 65.1 20/06/10 Fastest Visitor Andrew Tully 61.5 08/08/10 Note: Kenni Larsen set the current track record as 61.0 on 24/10/10. 2011 season Season overview Performance in national competitions Competition Result Notes Premier League 12th 46 points. Knockout Cup Semi-finalists Beat Rye House (89-77) in Round 1. Beat Somerset (97-83) in Quarter-final. Lost to Glasgow (93-87) in the semi-final. Premier Shield Champions Inaugural champions, defeating the previous seasons league winners, Edinburgh Monarchs 94-89 on aggregate. Premier League Riders Championship 11th Represented by Mark Lemon (1, 1, 0, 2, 1) = 5. Premier League Pairs Quarter-finalists Represented by Derek Sneddon (for Mark Lemon ) and Stuart Robson. Eliminated on 17 points, finished 3rd in Group A. Scorers: Sneddon (3, 0, 0, 0), Robson (2, 4, 4, 4). Premier League Fours Qualified / Withdrew Qualified for the competition, however had to withdraw due to rider injuries. 2011 team and statistics Rider M H A R P 2011 2010 +/- Mark Lemon 9.18 Derek Sneddon 5.47 Joe Haines 5.30 Rene Bach 8.75 Claes Nedermark 6.26 Kyle Newman 4.02 Richie Worrall 3.22 Also Rode Stuart Robson 8.85 Jason King 5.07 Matej Ferjan † 7.00 Lubos Tomicek ‡ 4.70 Note: British riders have 2.5% reduction on their 2010 averages. Also Rode: ‡ Released., Injured., † Ferjan died on 22 May 2011.[26] 2011 fixtures / results Date Match Comp Res. P Top Scorer Notes / Guests / Injuries Team Change: Signed Lubos Tomicek for King 19 March Berwick Bandits vs Newcastle Diamonds TTW 43-50 - M. Lemon 15 (5) 20 March Newcastle Diamonds vs Berwick Bandits TTW 49-44 - M. Lemon 14 (5) Won Tyne/Tweed Trophy, Agg. 94-92 25 March Edinburgh Monarchs vs Newcastle Diamonds PS 44-46 - S. Robson 13 (5) 27 March Newcastle Diamonds vs Redcar Bears CHAL 45-44 - S. Robson 13+1 (5) 1 Apr Scunthorpe Scorpions vs Newcastle Diamonds PL 47-42 1 M. Lemon 12 (5) S. Robson 11+1 (5) 2 April Rye House Rockets vs Newcastle Diamonds PL 44-46 3 M. Lemon 12 (5) 3 April Newcastle Diamonds vs Edinburgh Monarchs PS 48-45 - S. Robson 14 (5) Won Premier Shield, Agg. 94-89. 10 April Newcastle Diamonds vs Rye House Rockets PL 50-43 3 M. Lemon 13 (5) Bach Broken tibia and fibula in right leg,[27] possible further injuries to ribs and collarbone.[28] Newman Wrist.[29] 14 April Redcar Bears vs Newcastle Diamonds CHAL 57-33 - M. Lemon 13 (6) r/r for Bach returned 6 points. Adam McKinna for Newman - 1 point. 16 April Leicester Lions v Newcastle Diamonds PL 52-43 0 S. Robson 12+1 (5) Kevin Doolan for Bach - 11 points. 17 April Newcastle Diamonds v Leicester Lions PL 50-40 3 M. Lemon 15 (5) Andrew Tully for Bach - 6+3 points. Adam McKinna for Newman (World U21s) - 1+1 points. Team Change: Matej Ferjan for Bach .[30] Team Change: Claes Nedermark for Tomicek (released).[31] 24 April Glasgow Tigers v Newcastle Diamonds PL 50-43 0 M. Lemon 14 (5) Worrall . Withdrew after 1 ride. 25 April Newcastle Diamonds v Glasgow Tigers PL 41-49 0 R. Worrall 10+4 (7) Lemon . Double break in collarbone. 29 April Somerset Rebels v Newcastle Diamonds PL 53-43 0 S. Robson 11+2 (5) Sergey Darkin for Lemon - 6+1 points. 1 May Newcastle Diamonds v Sheffield Tigers PL 49-44 2 S. Robson 18 (5) Kevin Doolan for Lemon - 9+1 points. 14 May Rye House Rockets v Newcastle Diamonds PLKOC 39-39 - S. Robson 11 (4) Leigh Lanham for Lemon - 9 points. Ferjan r/r (Hungarian Championship) - 4 points. Abandoned after Heat 13 (rain). 15 May Newcastle Diamonds v Rye House Rockets PLKOC 50-38 - S. Robson 10+3 (5) Jason Lyons for Lemon - 8+1 points. Team Change: Jason King for Ferjan (died). 29 May Newcastle Diamonds v Redcar Bears PL 42-47 0 S. Robson 11 (5) Mark Lemon returned from injury. Jason King returned for his first match since August 2010. 5 June Newcastle Diamonds v Somerset Rebels PL 48-45 2 S. Robson 14 (5) 16 June Sheffield Tigers v Newcastle Diamonds PL 52-39 0 S. Robson 11+1 (5) Lee Complin for Lemon - 7+1 points. 19 June Newcastle Diamonds v Plymouth Devils PL 52-40 3 C. Nedermark 11+2 (5) Jason Lyons for Lemon - 6 points. 23 June Ipswich Witches v Newcastle Diamonds PL 47-44 1 S. Robson 17 (5) Leigh Lanham for Lemon - 8 points. 1 July Edinburgh Monarchs v Newcastle Diamonds PL 53-39 0 S. Robson 13 (5) James Grieves for Lemon - 9 points. 2 July Workington Comets v Newcastle Diamonds PL 51-42 0 K. Newman 17+1 (7) Jason Lyons for Lemon - 10 points. Robson withdrew after one ride. 3 July Newcastle Diamonds v Scunthorpe Scorpions PL 49-45 2 C. Nedermark 14 (6) Jason Lyons for Lemon - 12+1 points. r/r for Robson - 9 points. 7 July Redcar Bears v Newcastle Diamonds PL 59-34 0 D. Howe 15 (6) David Howe for Lemon - 15 points. r/r for Robson - 10 points. King . 10 July Newcastle Diamonds v Edinburgh Monarchs PL 52-43 3 J. Lyons 15 (5) Jason Lyons for Lemon - 15 points. Aaron Summers for Robson - 11+1 points. r/r for King - 7 points. 16 July Newport Wasps v Newcastle Diamonds PL 48-42 1 S. Robson 10+1 (5) Cory Gathercole for Lemon - 7 points. r/r for King - 7+2 points. 22 July Somerset Rebels v Newcastle Diamonds PLKOC 46-44 - K. Newman 15+2 (7) David Howe for Lemon - 3+1 points. r/r for King - 7+2 points. 24 July Newcastle Diamonds V Somerset Rebels PLKOC 53-37 - K. Newman 15+2 (7) Jason Lyons for Lemon - 4+2 points. r/r for King - 9+2 points. Sneddon - withdrew after 2 rides. 30 July Berwick Bandits v Newcastle Diamonds PL 49-43 1 J. Lyons 14 (5) Jason Lyons for Lemon - 14 points. Thomas Jorgensen for Sneddon - 2 points r/r for King - 4 points. 31 July Newcastle Diamonds v Workington Comets PL 54-39 3 K. Newman 12+2 (7) Jason Lyons for Lemon - 10+1 points. Jan Graversen for Sneddon - 4+1 points r/r for King - 6 points. Robson - punctured lung and broken ribs. Nedermark - knees. Entire top five of the team injured. Team Change: Rene Bach to return from injury Team Change: Joe Haines signed for King. Note: Top scorer in italics, indicates a full or paid maximum. Fixtures: TTW: Tyne/Tweed Trophy, CHAL: Challenge, PS: Premier Shield, PL: Premier League Coloring: Green: Won, Red: Lost, Yellow: Draw, Blue: Lost, but still gained league points (PL matches only) 2018 season Personnel George English, Andrew Dalby & Martin Phillips (club owners) George English & Martin Phillips (club promoters) Boiler Technical Services (team sponsor) Performance in national competitions Competition Result Notes Tyne/Tweed Trophy Won Newcastle 102 Berwick 78 Championship Four Team Tournament Out in group stage 10th in Qualifiers, 7 points Championship Pairs n/a Did not qualify Championship (League) 8th out of 11 Championship Shield (Cup) Out in group stage 3rd in Group 9 points from 6 meetings Championship Knock Out Cup Out in quarter final Championship Riders Championship Out in qualifying stage Tero Aarnio Represented Newcastle 9 Points Team and statistics Averages below are green sheet averages based on BSPA (as at 1 October 2018): Rider Final 2018 Ave Starting 2018 Average +/- Stuart Robson 6.43 7.02 - Ludvig Lindgren 6.47 7.21 - Ashley Morris 5.58 4.88 + Tero Aarnio 6.83 5.02 + Matej Kus 5.63 7.64 - Matthew Wethers 5.78 5.65 + Carl Wilkinson 3.96 4.97 - Also Rode Lewis Rose 6.25 6.49 - Form Riders Form over their last 6 matches Rider M R P B GS Ave. CMA Ist 2nd 3rd 4th R Ex. 1 Tero Aarnio 6 32 59 3 7.38 7.75 7 17 4 1 1 2 2 Stuart Robson 6 28 46 2 6.57 6.86 6 8 12 2 0 0 3 Ludvig Lindgren 6 28 41 3 5.86 6.29 8 7 3 6 4 0 4 Matej Kus 6 25 36 2 5.76 6.08 5 8 5 6 1 0 5 Matthew Wethers 6 37 52 11 5.62 6.81 7 8 15 5 1 1 6 Ashley Morris 6 29 30 7 4.14 5.10 2 6 12 6 2 1 7 Carl Wilkinson 6 31 20 4 2.58 3.10 2 2 10 10 6 1 2019 season The full team was confirmed on 22 December 2018 with only Matthew Wethers retained from the 2018 season. Thomas Jorgensen joined the Diamonds following 2018 with neighbours and rivals Redcar Bears. Danny Phillips was on loan from the Diamonds at Scunthorpe during 2018. Max Clegg travelled south from Edinburgh Monarchs, while Steve Worrall and Simon Lambert were late additions to the team from Workington. Finally, Lasse Bjerre, younger brother of Newcastle legend Kenneth Bjerre who started his British career with the Diamonds in the early 2000s before going on to star in the Speedway Grand Prix series, was on the team. Personnel George English, Andrew Dalby & Martin Phillips (club owners) George English & Martin Phillips (club promoters) Technical Services (team sponsor) Team and statistics Steve Worrall 7.97* Thomas Jorgensen 7.66 Lasse Bjerre 7.08 Matthew Wethers 5.78 Simon Lambert 4.18 Max Clegg 3.17 Danny Phillips 2.00 2020 to 2022 seasons The 2020 SGB Championship season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, Newcastle entered a junior team, named the Newcastle Gems to compete in the National Development League National Trophy competition. 2021 Personnel Robert Grant Jnr (club owner) Robert Grant Jnr & Dave Tattum (club promoters) Grant's Event Catering (team sponsor) 2021 team Ben Barker 7.07 Matthew Wethers 7.03 Max Clegg 4.98 Connor Mountain 4.95 Adam Roynon 4.00 James Wright 4.00 Archie Freeman 1.00 2022 season 2022 team Bradley Wilson-Dean 8.21 Paul Starke Matthew Wethers Max Clegg James Wright Kyle Bickley Lee Complin Also rode: George Congreve

Club honours

Team honours

19 Titles

• Provincial League Champions - 1964
• National League Champions - 1976, 1982, 1983
• Premier League Champions - 2001
• National League Knockout Cup Winners - 1976, 1982
• Premier League Knockout Cup Winners - 2010
• Premier Trophy Winners - 2010
• Premier League Playoff Winners - 2010
• Premier Shield Winners - 2011.
• Supernational Winners - 1982, 1983
• Gold Cup Winners - 1991, 1992^[32]
• National League Four-Team Championship Winners - 1976, 1982, 1983
• National League Best Pairs Winners - Tom Owen & Brian Havelock (1975)

Individual honours

• World Champions - Ivan Mauger (1968)
• National League Riders Championship - Joe Owen (1976, 1982)
• Provincial League Riders Championship - Ivan Mauger (1963, 1964)
• Premier League Riders Championship - Kenni Larsen (2010)

Regional honour

• Sport Newcastle Team of the Year - 2010

Riders

Notable riders

• David Bargh
• Bobby Beaton
• Robbie Blackadder
• Alan Emerson
• Josef Franc
• Ron Henderson
• Rod Hunter
• Peter Kelly
• Kenni Larsen
• Mark Lemon
• Jeff Lloyd
• Ivan Mauger
• Ole Olsen
• Joe Owen
• Tom Owen
• Bjarne Pedersen
• Stuyart Robson
• Maurice Stobbart
• Roland Stobbart
• Mike Watkin
• Steve Worrall

Rider of the Year

As nominated by supporters:

• 2006: Christian Henry
• 2007: Sean Stoddart
• 2008: Jason King
• 2009: Mark Lemon
• 2010: Kenni Larsen
• 2011: Stuart Robson

Hall of fame riders/managers

There are currently three inductees in the Diamonds hall of fame:^[33]

• Ivan Mauger
• Tom Owen
• Kenni Larsen

References

1. "Dirt-Track racing for the North". Newcastle Evening Chronicle. 5 March 1929. Retrieved 11 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
2. "1929 season" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
3. "Newcastle Speedway (Gosforth)". Defunct Speedway. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
4. "Gosforth Speedway closed down". Chester-le-Street Chronicle and District Advertiser. 26 September 1930. Retrieved 11 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
5. "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - PRE-WAR ERA (1929-1939)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
6. "Brough Park opening next week". Newcastle Evening Chronicle. 25 April 1938. Retrieved 11 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
7. "3 Scots Tracks In Speed Div.II". Daily Record. 22 December 1948. Retrieved 20 October 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
8. "Speedway". Liverpool Echo. 27 October 1951. Retrieved 11 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
9. "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
10. "1964 to 1969". Cyber Morotcycles. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
11. Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). A History of the World Speedway Championship. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-2402-5
12. Presentations, Pictorial (1980). Ole Olsen's Speedway scrapbook. Souvenir Press Ltd. p. 19. ISBN 0-285-62446-6.
13. "try division two says Hoskins". Newcastle Evening Chronicle. 6 January 1971. Retrieved 11 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
14. "Ian Thomas buys out Sunderland". Hull Daily Mail. 28 November 1974. Retrieved 4 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
15. "1975 season results" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
16. Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
17. "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - BRITISH LEAGUE ERA (1965-1990)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
18. "Thomas plea for sponsor". Newcastle Evening Chronicle. 13 October 1984. Retrieved 11 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
19. "Garratt dies". Liverpool Daily Post (Welsh Edition). 29 September 1992. Retrieved 11 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
20. "New bid to save racing team". Newcastle Journal. 26 January 1995. Retrieved 11 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
21. "Sports short". Heartland Evening News. 27 February 1997. Retrieved 11 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
22. "Grant in Diamonds Takeover - British Speedway Archive Website". www.speedwaygb.net. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
23. "Newcastle Speedway Diamonds closes down for financial reasons". ITV News. 21 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
24. James, Stuart (22 June 2022). "Newcastle Diamonds speedway closes down for financial reasons". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
25. "GRANT CONFIRMS NEWCASTLE CLOSURE - Speedway Star : Weekly Speedway Magazine and Xtra". www.speedwaystar.net. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
26. "MATEJ FERJAN - British Speedway Official Website". 3 March 2017.
27. "Double fracture horror for starlet Rene Bach". 12 April 2011.
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