| Clubname: | Newcastle Diamonds |
| Track: | Newcastle Stadium Fossway Byker Newcastle upon Tyne NE6 2XJ |
| Country: | England |
| Founded: | 1929 |
| Closed: | 2022 |
| League: | SGB Championship (2022) |
| Colours: | Black & White |
| Tracksize: | 300m (1,000feet) |
| Track Record Time: | 61.0 seconds |
| Track Record Date: | 24 October 2010 |
| Track Record Holder: | Kenni Larsen |
| Honour1: | Provincial/National/Premier League (tier 2) champions |
| Year1: | 1964, 1976, 1982, 1983, 2001 |
| Honour2: | Knockout Cup (tier 2) |
| Year2: | 1976, 1982, 2010, 2012 |
| Honour3: | Premier Trophy Winners |
| Year3: | 2010 |
| Honour4: | Premier League Playoff Winners |
| Year4: | 2010 |
| Honour5: | Premier Shield Winners |
| Year5: | 2011 |
| Honour6: | Supernational Winners |
| Year6: | 1982, 1983 |
| Honour7: | Gold Cup Winners |
| Year7: | 1991, 1992 |
| Year8: | 1976, 1982, 1983 |
| Year9: | 1975 |
| Honour10: | Northern Cup |
| Year10: | 1938 |
| Honour11: | English Speedway Trophy |
| Year11: | 1939 |
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.
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.
After the war, the team raced as Newcastle Brough in 1946 before Jeff Lloyd topped the league averages in 1947 for the Diamonds. The team changed name again for the 1949 season, this time to Newcastle Magpies.
After finishing last during the 1951 Speedway National League Division Two season,[7] the promoter J. S. Smith pulled out and team disbanded and did not race in the league for the remainder of the decade.[8]
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.[9] 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.[10] Olsen arrived after Mauger persuaded the promoter Mike Parker to sign him.[11]
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.
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.[12] 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.[13] Brian Havelock and Tom Owen won the National League Pairs, held at Hyde Road on 17 May.[14]
The following season they won the double of National League title and Knockout Cup, in addition to winning the fours.[15] 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.
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.[16] 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.[17]
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.
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.[18]
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.[19] The team returned when the league split again in 1997.[20] The 1990s was a fractured existence for the club but the Diamonds did finish the decade with three full seasons of speedway.
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.
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.[21]
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.[22] Going into 2022, speedway clubs in the UK were challenged by the impacts of Brexit and European rider availability.[23] 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 "[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."[24]
| width=350 | Year and league | width=50 | Position | width=350 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4th | |||||
| 9th | |||||
| 6th | |||||
| 1st+ | +when league was suspended | ||||
| 5th | |||||
| 5th | |||||
| 7th | |||||
| 10th | |||||
| 13th | |||||
| 16th | |||||
| 11th | |||||
| 9th | |||||
| 6th | |||||
| 1st | champions | ||||
| 12th | |||||
| 5th | |||||
| 10th | |||||
| 5th | |||||
| 13th | |||||
| 17th | |||||
| 2nd | pairs | ||||
| 1st | champions & Knockout Cup winners | ||||
| 6th | |||||
| 2nd | |||||
| 6th | |||||
| 2nd | |||||
| 3rd | |||||
| 1st | champions & Knockout Cup winners | ||||
| 1st | champions | ||||
| 16th | |||||
| 19th | |||||
| 11th | |||||
| 15th | |||||
| 12th | |||||
| 3rd | |||||
| 4th | |||||
| 6th | |||||
| 7th | |||||
| 4th | |||||
| 10th | |||||
| 5th | |||||
| 8th | |||||
| 1st | champions | ||||
| 2nd | |||||
| 11th | |||||
| 15th | |||||
| 8th | |||||
| 9th | |||||
| 10th | |||||
| 14th | |||||
| 3rd | |||||
| 2nd | PO Champions & Knockout Cup | ||||
| 12th | |||||
| 1st | PO elimination & Knockout Cup | ||||
| 3rd | |||||
| 8th | |||||
| 9th | |||||
| 3rd | |||||
| 7th | |||||
| 8th | |||||
| 10th | |||||
| 11th | |||||
| N/A | withdrew, results expunged |
| width=350 | Year and league | width=50 | Position | width=350 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8th | Gems | ||||
| 7th | Gems | ||||
| 11th | Gems | ||||
| N/A | withdrew, results expunged |
2006 season
Team
‡
†
2007 season
Team
Also Rode:
2008 season
Team
Also Rode:
2009 season
2009 team and statistics
Also rode:
80th anniversary seriesIn 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 championsPerformance in national competitions
| width=200 | Competition ! | width=100 | Result ! | width=500 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | ||||
| 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. | ||||
| 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. | ||||
| 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. | ||||
| 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). | ||||
| 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). | ||||
| 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 statisticsGreensheet averagesThe 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.
| width=180 | Rider ! | width=40 | M ! | width=40 | H ! | width=40 | A ! | width=40 | R ! | width=40 | P ! | width=40 | 2009 ! | width=40 | 2010 ! | width=40 | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | 15 | 13 | 129 | 312 | 8.10 | 9.67 | +1.57 | ||||||||||
| 34 | 17 | 17 | 142 | 187 | 4.95 | 5.27 | +0.28 | ||||||||||
| Jason King | 29 | 13 | 16 | 122 | 177 | 7.08 | 5.80 | -1.28 | |||||||||
| 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: ‡,
All match averagesThe following averages take into account all matches including Knockout Cup and Playoffs.
| width=220 | Rider ! | width=40 | ! | width=40 | M ! | width=40 | R ! | width=40 | PTS ! | width=40 | BP ! | width=40 | TOT ! | width=40 | CMA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||||||||||
| H | 17 | 73 | 130 | 22 | 152 | 8.33 | |||||||||
| A | 20 | 83 | 98 | 12 | 110 | 5.30 | |||||||||
| 37 | 156 | 228 | 34 | 262 | 6.72 | ||||||||||
| 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
| width=190 | Rider ! | width=40 | H/F ! | width=40 | H/P ! | width=40 | A/F ! | width=40 | A/P ! | width=40 | TOT ! | width=120 | Near Maxima |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 4 | 2 | 14 | 6 (3H, 3A) | |||||||||
| 1 | 1 | 0 | |||||||||||
| Jason King | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 2 | 6 | 8 | 3 (3H) | ||||||||||
| 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 16 (14H, 2A) | ||||||||
| Adam McKinna | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | 0 | |||||||||||
| Also Rode | |||||||||||||
| Anders Andersen | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||
Fastest timesThe following are the riders fastest times around the Brough Park track.
| width=180 | Rider ! | width=40 | T ! | width=40 | Date | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 61.0 | 24/10/10 | |||||||
| 63.5 | 22/08/10 | |||||||
| Jason King | 62.9 | 05/04/10 | ||||||
| 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 | ||||||
2011 season
Season overview
Performance in national competitions
| Competition | Result | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12th | 46 points. | ||
| 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. | ||
| Champions | Inaugural champions, defeating the previous seasons league winners, Edinburgh Monarchs 94-89 on aggregate. | ||
| 11th | Represented by Mark Lemon (1, 1, 0, 2, 1) = 5. | ||
| 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). | ||
| Qualified / Withdrew | Qualified for the competition, however had to withdraw due to rider injuries. |
2011 team and statistics
| width=180 | Rider ! | width=40 | M ! | width=40 | H ! | width=40 | A ! | width=40 | R ! | width=40 | P ! | width=40 | 2011! | width=40 | 2010! | width=40 | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Lemon | 9.18 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5.47 | |||||||||||||||||
| Joe Haines | 5.30 | ||||||||||||||||
| 8.75 | |||||||||||||||||
| Claes Nedermark | 6.26 | ||||||||||||||||
| Kyle Newman | 4.02 | ||||||||||||||||
| Richie Worrall | 3.22 | ||||||||||||||||
| Also Rode | |||||||||||||||||
| 8.85 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5.07 | |||||||||||||||||
| Matej Ferjan † | 7.00 | ||||||||||||||||
 Lubos Tomicek ‡ | 4.70 | ||||||||||||||||
Note: British riders have 2.5% reduction on their 2010 averages.
Also Rode: ‡, , † Ferjan died on 22 May 2011.[25]
2011 fixtures / results
| width=35 | Date! | width=160 | Match! | width=30 | Comp ! | width=30 | Res. ! | width=15 | P ! | width=70 | Top Scorer ! | width=180 | 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 | 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 | 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 | PL | 50-43 | 3 | M. Lemon 13 (5) | Bach Broken tibia and fibula in right leg,[26] possible further injuries to ribs and collarbone.[27] Newman Wrist.[28] | ||||||||
| 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 | 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 .[29] Team Change: Claes Nedermark for Tomicek (released).[30] | |||||||||||||
| 24 April | Glasgow Tigers v Newcastle Diamonds | PL | 50-43 | 0 | M. Lemon 14 (5) | Worrall . Withdrew after 1 ride. | |||||||
| 25 April | 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 | 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 | PLKOC | 50-38 | - | S. Robson 10+3 (5) | Jason Lyons for Lemon - 8+1 points. | ||||||||
| Team Change: Jason King for Ferjan (died). | |||||||||||||
| 29 May | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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
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 Newcastle9 Points |
Team and statisticsAverages 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
Team and statistics
Matthew Wethers 5.782020 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
Matthew Wethers 7.032022 season
Bradley Wilson-Dean 8.21 Matthew WethersAlso rode:
19 Titles
As nominated by supporters:
Christian Henry Mark LemonThere are currently three inductees in the Diamonds hall of fame:[32]