The third season of Superleague began with very few changes from the end of Season 2002. Only Canterbury Bombers and Swindon Octopi changed their names, to Great Yarmouth Gladiators and Southend Octopae respectively, with Coventry relocating to Peterborough after the sell off of their assets as detailed in the season 2 review.

Some questions on everyone’s lips were:

Will Houston do a Coventry of blitzing Div 1 then SL especially now that Coventry was no more?

Would Bournemouth and Swanage manage to stay in the same Division for a second season after going SL/Div 1/SL in the previous 2 years?

Could Jan Kirsten keep his World title and World Under 21 title for a third successive year?

Could anyone break Denmark ’s WTC stranglehold?

March

As is traditional the season began with the Southern Hemisphere deciding their representatives in the World Championships. Deon Standish (Tayside) retained his Kiwi Crown while Carson Black ( London ) improved on his third place of the previous year to take the title. Rory McMillan (Cumbernauld) was a notable casualty of the New Zealand/South African Final.

The Australasian title saw Black continue his early season form as he did the double with Cane Richardson ( Waltham ) making it onto the second step of the podium as he had earlier in the week. Again Standish failed to make the cut.

The British Semi Finals went pretty much as expected although Chris Moran ( Walsall ) and Luke Mills (Swanage) both crashed out injured in separate incidents. The American Semi Finals were similarly straight forward with only Josh Ferrington (Wombourne) of the known North Americans failing to make the cut.

Only 3 league matches in but already the Divisions were taking shape. A trio of Scottish clubs topped SL (Cumbernauld, Glasgow and Aisha’s Motor) but the other representative from North of the Border, and many promoters tip for title winners, Houston, were languishing at the foot of the table without a point to their name.  Division One had a look about it that was to become familiar as the season wore on with Tipton, Tayside, Cradley and Southend in the top positions.

April

A fairly quiet month of the World title trail with the 4 Continental Quarter Finals and the Nordic, Swedish and Danish titles being raced. Still plenty of shocks with Piotr Polneczyck (Southend), Rickard Reiner ( Houston ), Andrzej Karasinski (Kidlington) and Jiri Jedek (Aisha’s Motor) crashing out of the Continentals and Rune Oscarssen failing to make the cut in the Nordic Final. Jan Kirsten ( Houston ) won the Danish title for the third successive season, Magnus Karlsson (Seaton) annexed the Swedish title for the second year in a row and Oslo ’s Harri Lahti was Nordic champ.

On the international front England and Denmark had each won a test 47-43 against each other while Scotland had received a drubbing at the hands of the USA in their first test match.

Super League saw Cumbernauld clear at the top with 5 wins and a defeat with Waltham Abbey Hoods, Aisha’s Motor and promoted Huntingdon close behind. The other 4 promoted clubs (Houston, Bournemouth , Swanage and Broom) occupied 4 of the bottom 5 places proving how tough the step up is. Remarkably Division One was showing very little change at the top as the form sides retained their early season form.

May

A busy month as the various competitions sprung to life and the transfer market re-opening. The main deal was Kim Lehto’s switch from Witham to Waltham for a hefty £80,000 fee. Others were cannier with the cash shelling out only £35,000 for mid 7 point veterans. In actuality most of these riders, Lehto, Robert Knight (Kidlington) and Robert Kelen (Huntingdon) held steady but Drew Burton arrived at Coalville and upped his GSA from 7.56 to 9.27 by the end of the campaign.

In the league there was a major form slump by SL top dogs Cumbernauld Tigers , 3 straight league defeats and a lucky escape in the KOC when Division 1 Tipton took them to a replay but they still remained in touch with London , Waltham Abbey and Huntingdon who had a slight gap at the top. Division 1 remained pretty much as it was with all 5 of the teams who would be promoted already in the top 6 of the table. KOC first round special mentions to Tipton and fellow high flying Div 1 side Tayside Buccaneers who downed SL Walsall Swifts.

The World Champs saw the American Final taken by Bournemouth ’s Mark Olsen. The British version was marred when Houston ’s Jamie Jackson suffered a re-break of his left leg in a horrific pile up which saw Jason Nix also injured. Qualifiers were largely as expected with Michael Munns (Yeovil) and previous season’s World Finalist and reigning Div 1 riders champ Darren Edwards being the shock non-qualifiers.

Meanwhile, Jan Kirsten launched his defence of the World U21 crown he had annexed in both 2001 and 2002. The quarter finals produced no real surprises but that was made up for in the semis when superstar Danny Capirossi (Aisha’s) crashed out.

The World Wide League of Speedway was beginning to shape up too with each of the 3 groups having completed 3 of their 8 matches. Sydney Sharks, Gothenburg Giants and Oslo Kings topped their respective groups.

The two test series also culminated with overall losses for England and Scotland . The Danes took the series 2-1 with a 49-41 win at Glasgow while Scotland rallied from their heavy defeat to level the series with the USA before, ultimately, succumbing to the same 49-41 reverse in the final test at Southend.

June

The SL remained much the same with London and Waltham Abbey retaining the top 2 positions. Aisha’s Motor and Huntingdon continued to keep pace but in reality it was all to play for with the entire division covered by just a 7 point spread as the mid way point of the campaign loomed large.

Division 1 saw Tipton and Cradley level on points with Coalville pushing into the promotion race courtesy of some Drew Burton inspired performances. Unfortunately for the Demons this was just a flash in the pan as the club slumped to near the foot of the Division 1 table as the season wore on.

In the Youth Development League the first group phase was completed with Wisbech Wizards, Houston Bucks, Yeovil Youths and Huntingdon Kestrels advancing to the semi finals as respective group winners.

Notable transfer deals saw highly rated American Brandon Majors join Ipswich from WWLS Costa Mesa for £75,000 on a 7.50 average. He struggled to establish himself though and ended the campaign on 6.87. Darren Orr moved from Whitley to Glasgow with £90,000 heading to Tyneside.

The deal of the month saw talented 20 year old English prospect Rob Gamble depart Peterborough for Waltham while £50,000 and 30 year old Norwegian Rune Oscarssen went the other way.

Scotland took on Italy in a 3 match test series and received a comprehensive hiding in 2 of the 3 defeats as they wound up their preparations for the WTC.

The WWLS started to become a bit better defined as the 3 groups fought for the 4 final places. With group winners and best runners up going through there was the strange situation of the runners up qualifying spot looking more certain than the group winners.

Costa Mesa and Sydney both topped 100 points in their group and it looked almost certain that both would be in the final as the runners up in the other two groups were some 27 and 30 points adrift.

July

The real feature this month was the World Team Cup held in Australia . The mighty Denmark , two times winners, headed down under looking as strong as ever. But England , fresh from a tied 3 match series with the hosts, looked strong too.

Italy , Denmark , Australia and Poland came through the group stages unbeaten. England came through as runners up but had already qualified before going down narrowly to the Poles although this now meant meeting the Danes rather than the Kiwis. The USA had to defeat Sweden in a tight group to ensure their passage while New Zealand cruised into the runners up spot in Denmark ’s group.

But the surprise packets were the Scots who defeated Austria and Norway to make phase 2 for the first ever time. However, the Aussies were waiting and swept Scotland aside to march into the last 4. The USA beat Italy and the Kiwis disposed of the Poles while England faced the mighty Denmark in Broadford but were found wanting.

The last 4 saw the hosts destroy New Zealand while the Danes marched into their third successive final. But this time they met their match as Carson Black, Mark Parmar and Cane Richardson launched the Aussies to the title.

The Individual World title trail resumed with Cane Richardson taking the Overseas title, Jan Kirsten taking the Scandinavian crown and the Continental semi finals being completed. All finished with no major shock exits.

Only 2 league matches as the campaign reached halfway. Aisha’s topped the table with Huntingdon and London also pulling away from the pack. Div 1 was similar with Tipton, Cradley and Tayside stretching away.

The YDL concluded with Huntingdon and Wisbech making the final before the Kestrels won both legs to take the YDL crown.

Only one deal worth talking about on the transfer front and that was Andy McDonald’s move from Huntingdon to Tipton for the strangest ever Super League fee of £137.

August

Big feature of the month was the World Under 21 Final and proof that Jan Kirsten is, after all, human when Huntingdon’s Leigh Langley took the title he had won the previous two seasons. Jensen Sneider of Aisha’s took second after losing a run off while Kirsten finished third.

On the senior trail Langley , courtesy of his seeding as World Under 21 champion, was joined by 12 more in the World Final as the Continental and Inter Continental Finals took place. Jens Kleinendorst of Prague took the former while Broom’s Lee Jarman took the latter. Both Sneider and Kirsten also battled their way through although big names Hicks, Molnar and 2002 World number 2 Markus Elts headed for the last chance saloon of the Eliminator.

The SL saw Aisha’s and Huntingdon draw clear while Broom started to look a little detached at the bottom. Tipton and Tayside continued their promotion charge while Witham and Great Yarmouth started to tail off at the bottom. The Gladiators in particular looked forlorn after suffering a huge 62-28 loss at Seaton.

The first leg of the KOC quarter finals saw advantage Yeovil, Houston , Boston and Evesham over Broom, Huntingdon, London and Tayside respectively.

The annual speedway fest of pairs and 4TT took place and after hectic action the duo of Chris Moran and Filipo Rossi took the Pairs for the Swifts. Houston Pirates quartet of Paul Augustine, Jan Kirsten, Rickard Reiner and Deon Standish pipped previous season’s winners Cumbernauld to the Fours title.

The WWLS groups were getting to a crucial stage with Sydney and Berlin looking good and Oslo in a dog fight with Warsaw in Group C. Costa Mesa had slipped back to the pack after 2 poor showings.

September

A curtailed month as the league took a fortnight’s breather but there was still a lot going on.

The World Final Eliminator saw Rossi and Hicks make the final while Tayside’s Tomas Gabovka won a run off against Ipswich ’s Antonin Pavel and Prague ’s Michal Molnar to take the last place in the main event.

The league reached the two thirds point with Aisha’s still top but only narrowly over a host of chasing clubs. The league is so tight throughout that a couple of good or bad results could see any team move 6 or 7 places. The relegation places are filled by Glasgow , Ipswich , Walsall and Broom, with Bournemouth in the play off place, but they are only a few points behind the sides above.

The Division 1 title race begins to look like a one horse race as Tipton go 5 points clear of Tayside with Peterborough also breaking away from the pack. Seaton, Cradley, Southend, Kidlington and Bexwell look to be shaping up for a big battle for the remaining automatic promotion spot and the play off position.

The KOC sees London and Evesham cruise through with Yeovil not breaking too much sweat. Houston hang on to edge out Huntingdon by 2 points having brought a 12 point lead to the second leg.

October

The big one, the World Final was contested at Coventry . Jan Kirsten proved the doubters wrong with an imperious 15 point maximum to take the title for the third year running. The Houston superstar was awesome when the chips were down and gained revenge over Leigh Langley who had wrested away his Under 21 crown 2 months before.

Huntingdon’s Kiwi star ended third with England and Yeovil’s Craig ‘Killer’ Kimble elbowing his way to second place.

In the league Aisha’s Motor stormed 4 points clear of Yeovil, Evesham and a resurgent Cumbernauld while Ipswich and Glasgow look doomed. Waltham go from title challengers to potential relegation candidates as 4 points covers 7^th to 13^th.

Tipton maintain their stranglehold on Div 1 over Tayside and Peterborough with Kidlington catching up quickly. Seaton, Bexwell and Southend maintain their push but Cradley begin to fade away.

The KOC sees London again make the final, at the expense of Houston , while Yeovil could be set for the double as they ease past Evesham.

The British Under 21 final sees victory for Walsall ’s Chris Moran with Rob Gamble defeating Darren Orr in the run off for second.

WWLS remains much the same although Costa Mesa have a real fight on their hands against Vojens and either Warsaw or Oslo for the best runners up spot.

November

The SL hurtled towards its conclusion with Aisha’s moving 5 points clear with only 2 matches remaining. Yeovil were hot on their heels waiting for a slip up in the knowledge that the final fixture was a home match…against Aisha’s.

At the other end Glasgow , Ipswich and Bournemouth know they will be racing Division 1 speedway in 2004.

Tipton hammer Witham 62-28 but see Tayside close the gap in the title race to just 2 points. However, both are guaranteed promotion. Peterborough sit third and can, technically, still win the title. They are 4 clear of both Seaton and Southend and look good to go up. Kidlington and Bexwell occupy 6^th and 7^th but are only a couple of points off of a promotion place.

Yeovil have one hand on the KO Cup after taking a 4 point victory at London ’s Clerkenwell Bowl.

The WWLS groups conclude with Sydney and Berlin in the final. They are joined by Oslo who pip Warsaw to the top spot of Group C. However, it’s not all bad news for the Poles as they take the best runners up spot by a point from Vojens. Long time favourites for the best runners up place Costa Mesa finish a further point behind.

December

Week 1

A short but action packed month as titles and promotion and relegation issues are settled.

Yeovil begin the first week by taking the KO Cup and consigning London to the runners up berth for the second successive season before beating Ipswich in the league to close the gap at the top to 2 points. Crusaders hopes are short lived as Aisha’s rise to the challenge, and defeat Wisbech at the Motor Arena, to clinch the SL for the first time.

Walsall and Broom cling on to SL status by their fingertips but need big wins in conjunction with a big defeat for Wisbech to have any chance of safety.

Division 1 goes to the wire too as Tipton and Tayside both continue their winning ways. Peterborough only manage a bonus point but it’s enough to guarantee at least a play off place as the 4 other teams still in contention for promotion all win.

The WWLS final sees Sydney 7 clear of Oslo after 2 of the 4 legs are raced.

Week 2

SL runners up Yeovil defeat newly crowned champions Aisha’s Motor but its all academic. London clinches third with a 12 point home win over Huntingdon.

Walsall are relegated despite winning as Broom also win. Wisbech finish on same number of points but a superior points difference sees them stave off relegation for a third season in a row.The competitiveness of the top flight is evident as 4^th to 13^th is covered by only 5 points.

Tipton take the Division 1 title without turning a wheel as Tayside crumble at home to Seaton. The result gives the Comets promotion. Tipton win their final match to win the division by 5 clear points.

Bexwell and Kidlington fall by the wayside as they both fail to win leaving Peterborough facing Southend to decide the final promotion place. Flyers race to a 6 point victory to guarantee SL speedway and leave Southend to face Broom in a play off. However, Broom later indicate their decision to wind up the franchise handing the Octopi an automatic promotion berth.

The WWLS season goes down to the wire as Sydney lead Oslo by 2 points entering the final race of the 4 legged final. Peter Christopher ensures the title is heading to the southern hemisphere by blocking Harri Lahti on the first bend. Warsaw and Berlin tie for third some 14 points back.

January

With Christmas a dim and distant memory the Divisional Cups get under way.

The SL Cup sees Yeovil meet Aisha’s in round 2 and again the Crusaders come out on top and leave the Scots double dreams in tatters. The semi sees London have the chance to extract revenge for the KO Cup defeat but Yeovil sweep them aside to march into their second cup final of the season.

Waltham Abbey’s win at Huntingdon books them their final place against Yeovil and they go on to take their first ever trophy with a 4 point victory.

The main talking point of round 2 is the failure of Coalville and Seaton to show up for home matches against Tipton and Kidlington, respectively. The Redwings then meet the equally well rested Krusaders in the semi final but encounter little difficulty.

Peterborough, courtesy of 2 easy home wins and a narrow victory at Long Eaton, meet the Redwings in the final but they are unable to stop the Midlands side from becoming the first club to do the Division 1 double.

Aisha’s Motor show the superiority of the SL by winning both legs of the Steve Hogson Memorial Trophy but Tipton serve notice that they’ll be no pushovers as they take the Motor very close at the Motor Arena. The gulf is further proved as the SL select hammer the Div 1 select by 56 points to 34 in the annual challenge.

The traditional end of season ‘Riders Championships Day’ kicks off at Coventry with Lincoln Blair ( Costa Mesa ) defeating Vojens’ Bo Larsen and team mate Brad Simpson in a 3 way run off for the WWLS Riders title.

Wisbech’s Paul Clarke takes the YDL version with Houston ’s Karl Sweeney beating Stacey Grant (Aisha’s) and John King (Huntingdon) in a run off to decide the minor podium positions.

Lee Peron completes and excellent week for Tipton when winning a 3 way run off for the Division 1 Riders Championship from Tayside’s Tomas Gabovka and Long Eaton’s Sy Parrish.

The SLRC was taken by Broom’s Lee Jarman who held his nerve to win his final outing. With Broom announcing they were finished and HQ disclosing the information that Jarman would be up for auction this ensured the Englishman leapt up most promoters’ wish list.

Division 1 bound Antonin Pavel took second place while Jesper Kroger (Wisbech) defeated Walsall ’s Mark Parmar in a run off for third to round off a good meeting for the lower clubs.

However, the meeting was marred by a big crash for Aisha’s Italian star Danny Capirossi who broke his left arm in a heat 13 fall. The champions’ main influence could face starting the 2004 season on the sidelines.