2002 Speedway Conference League
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The 2002 Speedway Conference League was the third tier/division of British speedway.
Summary
The title was won by Peterborough Pumas, the junior club belonging to the Peterborough Panthers.
On 1 May, David Nix was killed after crashing into the fence during the match between Newcastle and King's Lynn at the Norfolk Arena.
Final league table
| Pos | Team | Played | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | Bonus | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peterborough Pumas | 20 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 1008 | 786 | 32 | 8 | 40 |
| 2 | Sheffield Prowlers | 20 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 1008 | 780 | 30 | 9 | 39 |
| 3 | Mildenhall Fen Tigers | 20 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 988 | 799 | 26 | 9 | 35 |
| 4 | Rye House Raiders | 20 | 12 | 2 | 6 | 1005 | 789 | 26 | 7 | 33 |
| 5 | Buxton Hitmen | 20 | 11 | 0 | 9 | 919 | 875 | 22 | 5 | 27 |
| 6 | Boston Barracudas | 20 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 874 | 925 | 19 | 5 | 24 |
| 7 | Carmarthen Dragons | 19 | 9 | 0 | 10 | 801 | 902 | 18 | 3 | 21 |
| 8 | Newcastle Gems | 20 | 7 | 2 | 11 | 851 | 842 | 16 | 3 | 19 |
| 9 | King's Lynn Kids | 20 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 778 | 1014 | 12 | 3 | 15 |
| 10 | Newport Mavericks | 19 | 5 | 1 | 23 | 737 | 964 | 11 | 1 | 12 |
| 11 | Wimbledon Dons | 18 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 709 | 902 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
Fixtures & results
| Home \ Away | BOS | BUX | CAR | KL | MIL | NG | NM | PET | RYE | SHE | WIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Barracudas | 49–41 | 58–32 | 58–32 | 42–48 | 43–47 | 53–37 | 38–52 | 45–45 | 50–37 | 54–35 | |
| Buxton Hitmen | 58–31 | 43–47 | 61–29 | 47–43 | 50–40 | 60–30 | 41–49 | 47–42 | 49–41 | 54–36 | |
| Carmarthen Dragons | 58–32 | 44–46 | 53–35 | 43–47 | 50–40 | 47–43 | 44–43 | 50–40 | 42–46 | 56–34 | |
| King's Lynn Kids | 36–54 | 39–51 | 61–29 | 45–44 | 47–43 | 55–35 | 28–62 | 29–61 | 38–48 | 52–38 | |
| Mildenhall Fen Tigers | 49–41 | 56–34 | 62–29 | 54–36 | 57–33 | 63–20 | 44–45 | 54–36 | 49–41 | 60–30 | |
| Newcastle Gems | 43–47 | 46–44 | 48–42 | 51–38 | 38–49 | 57–33 | 39–50 | 45–45 | 32–56 | 48–42 | |
| Newport Mavericks | 42–48 | 46–44 | 43–46 | 52–38 | 47–43 | 45–45 | 48–42 | 46–44 | 32–58 | n/a | |
| Peterborough Pumas | 63–27 | 50–39 | 59–31 | 59–31 | 51–39 | 61–30 | 47–43 | 60–30 | 48–42 | 47–42 | |
| Rye House Raiders | 61–30 | 55–35 | 65–25 | 65–25 | 52–38 | 53–35 | 65–25 | 52–38 | 58–32 | 58–32 | |
| Sheffield Prowlers | 60–33 | 60–29 | 57–33 | 53–37 | 48–42 | 48–42 | 55–35 | 54–36 | 60–30 | 64–26 | |
| Wimbledon Dons | 49–41 | 42–48 | n/a | 43–47 | 41–47 | 42–49 | 54–35 | 44–46 | 40–48 | 39–48 |
Conference League Knockout Cup
The 2002 Conference League Knockout Cup was the fifth edition of the Knockout Cup for tier three teams. Buxton Hitmen were the winners.
Quarter-finals
| Team one | Team two | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Newcastle | Sheffield | 45–45, 32–58 |
| Wolverhampton | Newport | 23–66, 37–51 |
| Mildenhall | Buxton | 40–50, 47–43 |
Semi-finals
| Team one | Team two | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Buxton | Sheffield | 61–28, 47–43 |
| Newport | Rye House | 40–49, 41–49 |
Final
First leg
| Buxton William Beveridge 15 Aidan Collins 14 Carl Belfield 12 Chris Collins 8 Lee Derbyshire 4 James Wright 4 Richard Moss 1 | 58 – 41 | Rye House Ed Kennett 9 Scott Courtney 7 Steve Boxall 6 Luke Bowen 3 Simon Wolstenholme 3 Barry Evans 3 Daniel Giffard 2 |
|---|---|---|
Second leg
| Rye House Steve Boxall 15 Ed Kennett 13 Scott Courtney 8 Daniel Giffard 7 Barry Evans 4 Luke Bowen 1 Simon Wolstenholme 0 | 49 – 41 | Buxton Aidan Collins 17 Chris Collins 8 James Wright 7 Carl Belfield 5 William Beveridge R/R Richard Moss 3 Lee Derbyshire 2 Alan Brown 0 |
|---|---|---|
Buxton were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 99–81.
Conference Trophy
| Home \ Away | BUX | CAR | MIL | SWI | WIM | WOL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos Team M W D L Pts 1 Mildenhall 10 8 0 2 16 2 Carmarthen 10 7 0 3 14 3 Buxton 10 6 0 4 12 4 Wimbledon 10 4 0 6 8 5 Swindon 10 3 0 7 6 6 Wolverhampton 10 2 0 8 4 | Home \ Away BUX CAR MIL SWI WIM WOL Buxton 42–48 46–43 51–37 44–46 70–20 Carmarthen 40–50 50–40 54–38 47–41 51–38 Mildenhall 55–35 45–44 45–44 60–30 67–23 Swindon 49–41 45–46 39–54 52–38 54–36 Wimbledon 28–62 35–55 37–53 53–37 51–35 Wolverhampton 33–56 49–42 27–63 46–43 38–51 Source: Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win. | |||||
| Pos | Team | M | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Mildenhall | 10 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 16 |
| 2 | Carmarthen | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 14 |
| 3 | Buxton | 10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 12 |
| 4 | Wimbledon | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 8 |
| 5 | Swindon | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 6 |
| 6 | Wolverhampton | 10 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 4 |
| Buxton | 42–48 | 46–43 | 51–37 | 44–46 | 70–20 | |
| Carmarthen | 40–50 | 50–40 | 54–38 | 47–41 | 51–38 | |
| Mildenhall | 55–35 | 45–44 | 45–44 | 60–30 | 67–23 | |
| Swindon | 49–41 | 45–46 | 39–54 | 52–38 | 54–36 | |
| Wimbledon | 28–62 | 35–55 | 37–53 | 53–37 | 51–35 | |
| Wolverhampton | 33–56 | 49–42 | 27–63 | 46–43 | 38–51 |
Riders' Championship
James Birkinshaw won the Riders' Championship. The final was held on 31 August at Rye House Stadium.
| Pos. | Rider | Team | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Birkinshaw | Boston | 14 |
| 2 | Edward Kennett | Rye House | 13 |
| 3 | Jamie Robertson | Newcastle | 12 |
| 4 | Wayne Broadhurst | Mildenhall | 12 |
| 5 | Joe Cook | King's Lynn | 10 |
| 6 | Rory Schlein | Sheffield | 9 |
| 7 | Craig Branney | Newcastle | 7 |
| 8 | Chris Mills | King's Lynn | 7 |
| 9 | Steve Braidford (res) | Wolverhampton | 6 |
| 10 | James Wright | Buxton | 6 |
| 11 | Danny King | Peterborough | 5 |
| 12 | James Brundle | Mildenhall | 5 |
| 13 | Stuart McCabe | Peterborough | 4 |
| 14 | Martin Williams | Wimbledon | 4 |
| 15 | Adam Pryor | Peterborough | 4 |
| 16 | Ben Wilson | Sheffield | 1 |
| 17 | Simon Wolstenholme (res) | Rye House | 1 |
| 18 | Barrie Evans (res) | Rye House | 0 |