Newcastle Diamonds were a
motorcycle speedway team that raced in the
SGB Championship
The Speedway Great Britain (SGB) Championship is the second division of speedway league competition in the United Kingdom, governed by the Speedway Control Bureau (SCB), in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA). It ...
, every Sunday night during the season (March–October) from their home at the
Newcastle Stadium
Newcastle Stadium is a greyhound racing and former motorcycle speedway stadium, located on The Fossway, Byker, Newcastle. Racing at the stadium takes place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The circumference of the track is 41 ...
on the Fossway, Byker. The Stadium, previously known as Brough Park, is primarily used for
greyhound racing with the
speedway
Speedway may refer to:
Racing Race tracks
*Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta
*Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a motor raceway in Speedway, Indiana
Types of races and race cours ...
track built in the centre.
Facilities
The stadium has a large grandstand located on the home straight and a fully licensed bar which is located on the first floor of the grandstand providing unrestricted views of the stadium.
History
Early history
The club were inaugural members of the
1929 Speedway English Dirt Track League
The 1929 English Dirt Track League was the inaugural season of speedway in the United Kingdom for Northern English teams. There was also a Southern League called the 1929 Speedway Southern League that started during the same year.
Summary
The se ...
finishing in fourth place and then raced a single season of
Northern League in 1930. The club did not race league speedway again until 1938 when they joined the
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
. In 1946 the team raced as Newcastle Brough and in 1949 as Newcastle Magpies. from 1952 to 1960 the team did not race in the league.
1960–1990
Newcastle returned in 1961 competing in the
Provincial League
Provincial League (formerly known as Professional League) also known as Pro League was the old regional Football league in Thailand in 1999–2008. It was founded in 1999 under the name "Provincial League" organized by Sports Authority of Thailan ...
and later won their first major trophy, winning the
1964 Provincial Speedway League
The 1964 Provincial Speedway League was the fifth and final season of the Provincial League in the United Kingdom. Twelve speedway teams took part. A second division of British speedway would not return until 1968.
Season summary
The 1964 season ...
, led by
Ivan Mauger
Ivan Gerald Mauger (4 October 1939 – 16 April 2018) was a New Zealand motorcycle speedway rider. He won a record six World Championships (Finals), a feat equalled only with the inclusion of the Speedway GP Championships by Tony Rickardsson ...
who would go on to become six times
World Champion
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
. In 1967,
Ole Olsen made his British debut for Newcastle and would later be a three times World Champion. After competing in the British League from 1965 to 1970 the team missed four seasons (1971–1974) before returning in 1975. The following season they won the double of National League title and
Knockout Cup. Another double of league and cup came their way during the
1982 National League season
In 1982 the National League, also known as British League Division Two, was the second tier of speedway racing in the United Kingdom.
Summary
The league champions were Newcastle Diamonds.
Milton Keynes rider Brett Alderton was killed in an ac ...
and one year later they won their third National League title. After missing 1985 they were renamed the Newcastle Federation Specials for the 1986 season.
National League Champions 1976
;1976
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
Team
*
Tom Owen
*
Ron Henderson (speedway)
Ron Henderson (born in Brisbane, Australia) is a former motorcycle speedway rider in British League and National League.
Career
Ron Henderson had two years racing in Britain, starting and finishing his career with Newcastle Diamonds,Lawso ...
*
Joe Owen
Joseph William Owen (born 13 September 1956) is a British former motorcycle speedway rider from England.
Career
Born in Ormskirk, Owen took up speedway at the age of fourteen at the training school at Belle Vue and made his competitive debut ...
*
Andy Cusworth
Andy may refer to:
People
* Andy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Horace Andy (born 1951), Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer born Horace Hinds
* Katja Andy (1907–2013), German-American pianist and pi ...
*
Brian Havelock
Career
Robert Brian Havelock (born 9 May 1942 in Yarm, Yorkshire) is a former motorcycle speedway rider and is the former promoter of the Redcar Bears, who compete in the Premier League.Oakes, P. (2004). ''British Speedway Who's Who''. A long ...
*Phil Michelides
*
Rob Blackadder
1991-2009
In 1992, rider
Wayne Garratt died in hospital after crashing at the track, the fourth person to do so since 1946, including Chris Prime in 1978. Newcastle won their fifth league title during the
2001 Premier League speedway season
The 2001 Premier League speedway season was the second division of speedway in the United Kingdom and governed by the Speedway Control Bureau (SCB), in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA).
Season summary
The Leagu ...
.
2010-2022
The 2010 season was a very successful campaign for the Diamonds. Although the
Edinburgh Monarchs
The Edinburgh Monarchs are a Scottish Speedway team, currently based in Armadale. They compete in the SGB Championship, racing on Friday nights during the Speedway season. The club is run by a board of directors, chaired by Alex Harkess. The ...
dominated the League, it was the Diamonds that took most silverware of the season by winning the Premier League Play-Offs (Against
Sheffield Tigers
The Sheffield 'Tru Plant' Tigers are a motorcycle speedway team based in Sheffield, England. They currently race in the British SGB Premiership, and their home meetings take place at Owlerton Stadium. The Tigers traditionally hold their race ...
), the Premier Trophy (against
Birmingham Brummies
Birmingham Brummies are a British speedway team founded in 1928. They were inaugural members of the Southern League in 1929. The team have twice finished runner-up in the highest tier of British speedway, during the 1952 Speedway National Le ...
) and the Premier League KOC (against
Edinburgh Monarchs
The Edinburgh Monarchs are a Scottish Speedway team, currently based in Armadale. They compete in the SGB Championship, racing on Friday nights during the Speedway season. The club is run by a board of directors, chaired by Alex Harkess. The ...
). The Diamonds also found success in the Super7even events, when the Dane
Kenni Larsen
Kenni Arendt Larsen (born 14 June 1988), known as both Kenni Arendt and Kenni Larsen, is a Danish speedway rider.
Born in Odense, Denmark, Larsen began his British speedway career in 2008 with Newcastle Diamonds, the first of three seasons that ...
won the Premier League Riders Championship to add a fourth honour to the club's successful season. Fellow Dane
Rene Bach encountered further success away from the club by helping Denmark to win the under 21 world cup with a 15-point maximum, and by winning the Danish Under 21s Championship. 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
Championship League is a professional snooker tournament, devised by Matchroom Sport. A ranking event version of the tournament began from September 2020, played similarly to its invitational, non-ranking counterpart but with some minor changes ...
winning football side
Newcastle United.
[http://www.worldspeedway.com/artman/publish/article_14972.shtml] Robert Lambert, who rode for the Diamonds during the 2016 and 2017 seasons, was crowned both British Under 21 and European Under 19 Champion in 2017. He, alongside
Steve Worrall
Steven "Steve" Worrall (born 23 September 1991) is a British speedway rider.
Career
Born in St Helens, the twin brother of Richie Worrall, Steve competed in motocross before taking up speedway in 2009 and had his first competitive season in 2 ...
(who rode for the Diamonds in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017) represented Great Britain in the
World Team Cup
The World Team Cup was the international men's team championship of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). The inaugural edition of the tournament was contested in 1975 in Kingston, Jamaica and was called the Nations Cup. No tourname ...
during the 2017 season. GB won event one at King's Lynn where both Lambert and Worrall scored 13 points each, helping the team to qualify for the
World Team Cup Final in
Leszno
Leszno (german: Lissa, 1800–1918 ''Lissa in Posen'') is a historic city in western Poland, within the Greater Poland Voivodeship. It is the seventh-largest city in the province with an estimated population of 62,200, as of 2021. Previously, it ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
.
On 16 September 2018, Newcastle Diamonds legend
Stuart Robson Stuart Robson may refer to:
* Stuart Robson (actor)
* Stuart Robson (speedway rider)
See also
* Stewart Robson
Stewart Ian Robson (born 6 November 1964) is an English former football player and TV and radio football pundit. He played for A ...
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.
Going into 2022, speedway clubs in the UK were challenged by the impacts of
Brexit
Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC ...
and European rider availability. The club had already come close to closing in 2021 before ultimately committing to a second league season under Grant's ownership.
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.
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 "
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."
2006 season
Team
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
‡
†
2007 season
Team
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Also Rode:
*
‡
2008 season
Team
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Also Rode:
*
‡
*
‡
*
‡
*
†
2009 season
2009 team and statistics
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Also rode:
* (Released)
* (Released)
* (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:
2010 season
Season overview: triple champions
Performance in national competitions
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.
Note: British riders have 2.5% reduction on their 2010 averages.
Also Rode: ‡ ,
All match averages
The following averages take into account all matches including Knockout Cup and Playoffs.
Number of maximums
Fastest times
The following are the riders fastest times around the Brough Park track.
2011 season
Season overview
Performance in national competitions
2011 team and statistics
Note: British riders have 2.5% reduction on their 2010 averages.
Also Rode: ‡ ,
,
† Ferjan died on 22 May 2011.
2011 fixtures / results
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
Team and statistics
Averages below are green sheet averages based on BSPA (as at 1 October 2018):
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
Speedway Grand Prix are a series of stand-alone motorcycle speedway events over the course of a season used to determine the Speedway World Champion. The series started in 1995 replacing the previous format of a single event final. The first win ...
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
Averages below are based on BSPA (as at March 2019):
‡ Released,
Injured
2020 season
The 2020
SGB Championship season was cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. In 2020, Newcastle entered a junior team, named the Newcastle Gems to compete in the National Development League National Trophy competition.
2021 season
Personnel
*Robert Grant Jnr (club owner)
*Robert Grant Jnr & Dave Tattum (club promoters)
*Grant's Event Catering (team sponsor)
Team and statistics
Averages below are based on BSPA (as at July 2021):
Season summary
Season summary (juniors)
Club honours
Team honours
19 Titles
*Provincial League Champions - 1964
*
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
Champions - 1976, 1982, 1983
*
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
Champions -
2001
*National League Knockout Cup Winners - 1976, 1982
*
Premier League Knockout Cup
The Premier League Knockout Cup was a motorcycle speedway Knockout Cup competition in the United Kingdom between 1995 and 2016, governed by the Speedway Control Bureau (SCB).
History
The teams from the Premier League, the top tier of league rac ...
Winners -
2010
*
Premier Trophy Winners -
2010
*Premier League Playoff Winners -
2010
*Premier Shield Winners -
2011.
*Supernational Winners - 1982, 1983
*Gold Cup Winners - 1991, 1992
*
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
The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide.
Events January–February
* January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
* Janu ...
)
*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, awarded ahead of the
Championship League
Championship League is a professional snooker tournament, devised by Matchroom Sport. A ranking event version of the tournament began from September 2020, played similarly to its invitational, non-ranking counterpart but with some minor changes ...
winning football side
Newcastle United.
Notable Newcastle riders
Highest averaged rider
Rider of the Year
As nominated by supporters:
*2011:
Stuart Robson Stuart Robson may refer to:
* Stuart Robson (actor)
* Stuart Robson (speedway rider)
See also
* Stewart Robson
Stewart Ian Robson (born 6 November 1964) is an English former football player and TV and radio football pundit. He played for A ...
*2010: Kenni Larsen
*2009: Mark Lemon
*2008: Jason King
*2007: Sean Stoddart
*2006: Christian Henry
Hall of fame riders/managers
There are currently three inductees in the Diamonds hall of fame:
*
Ivan Mauger
Ivan Gerald Mauger (4 October 1939 – 16 April 2018) was a New Zealand motorcycle speedway rider. He won a record six World Championships (Finals), a feat equalled only with the inclusion of the Speedway GP Championships by Tony Rickardsson ...
*
Tom Owen
* Kenni Larsen
References
External links
British Speedway Promoters Association
{{SGB Championship
Speedway Premier League teams
Sport in Newcastle upon Tyne
SGB Championship teams
Speedway British League Division Two / National League