CAMPOS, Scott Dale
DATE OF BIRTH: 1 May 1989, Ipswich, Suffolk.
BRITISH CAREER: (2004) Mildenhall, Rye House II; (2005) Mildenhall, Boston; (2006) Boston; (2007) Oxford II; (2009-10) King’s Lynn II.
2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.80 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The former grass-tracker first sampled riding a speedway bike in 1996, before going on to take his official bow as Mildenhall’s No. 8 rider in a home league fixture versus Buxton on 31 May 2004. The year saw him represent Rye House, too, and he also recorded a creditable seventh place finish in the British Under-15 Championship.

He continued to work away at Conference level in Suffolk and Norfolk, again representing Mildenhall in 2005, but was left out of their line-up after appearing in thirteen of the club’s first fifteen official meetings of the year. He was next identified with Boston and showed improved form, particularly as the season came to its conclusion.

Campos linked with Oxford for nine matches in 2007 and, after missing the 2008 campaign, he returned with King’s Lynn in the new National League a year later and remained ever-present over their 24-match programme to record 136 points and a 6.04 real-time average. His record for the year included a first-ever paid maximum when he netted 10+2 points in a league success over the Isle of Wight. In February 2010, the re-branded Young Stars announced that he was staying on board with them for the new campaign.

CHARLES, Robert (Bob) Lee
DATE OF BIRTH: 14 November 1989, St Austell, Cornwall.
BRITISH CAREER: (2010) Plymouth.
2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.00 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Charles gained some experience by representing Buffalo in the 2005 Anglo-Polish Agency Knock-Out Cup at Academy League-level, prior to riding for Poole in two challenge matches at the same level in 2007. In September 2010, he was brought into Plymouth’s squad to fill the previously vacant No. 8 berth. This followed some impressive practice outings by the Cornishman at the St Boniface Arena.

CHESSELL, Luke Pearson
DATE OF BIRTH: 6 January 1990, Swindon, Wiltshire.
BRITISH CAREER: (2010) Scunthorpe II, Weymouth.
RIDER LINKS: Son of Mark Chessell (born: 26 July 1966, Ludlow, Shropshire). Nephew of Gary Chessell (born: 20 January 1965, Ludlow, Shropshire) and Martin Chessell (born: 30 January 1970, Ludlow, Shropshire).
2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.00 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Chessell comes from a speedway dynasty, as his father and two uncles all participated in the sport. Luke himself first rode shortly before Christmas in 2008 at Scunthorpe's mini-track. Thereafter, he continued to hone his skills by appearing in two rounds of the Winter Championship at the Eddie Wright Raceway, on 21 February and 13 March 2009, achieving eighth position overall in the Support Class. He went on to compete in the Summer Championship at the North Lincolnshire raceway, appearing in four rounds and finishing ninth in the Support Class. Whilst in the middle of contesting the meetings at Normanby Road, an early career highlight saw him drafted into a short-handed Buxton side for a one-off appearance in a National League match at the Isle of Wight on 28 July 2009.

Meanwhile, he also participated in Southern Track Riders' events at Rye House and the Isle of Wight on 14 June and 29 September, respectively. Extremely enthusiastic about the sport, he again made the trip - along with his father - to Scunthorpe on 12 December to get in more laps of important practice during the club's next Winter Championship series, finishing fourth in the ‘B' Final of the Open Class. On 7 March 2010, he won the ‘C' Final at the Eddie Wright Raceway and also finished second to Ashley Birks in the ‘B' Final. And prior to the last round of Scunthorpe's winter series on 13 March, Chessell agreed to fill the Saints' No. 8 berth. He celebrated by winning the ‘A' Final to finish second overall, again to Birks.

On 11 April, he again showed his potential by heading the score-chart in a British Under-21 Championship qualifying round at Mildenhall. And, although, he took victory in his semi-final, he subsequently finished fourth in the final, behind winner Scott Campos, Steven Worrall and Richard Franklin. Then, five days later, he once more served notice of his talent by scoring 8+1 points for Scunthorpe in a home Knock-Out Cup tie versus Dudley. He was in the wars in a league fixture at Bournemouth on 25 April, however, when he sustained a knee injury that necessitated a spell on the sidelines. Whilst he recuperated, the following month he was replaced in the No. 8 spot by Ashley Birks.

Despite losing his spot in the squad, he did make a couple of guest appearances for the Saints; these both occurred against Plymouth - away first and then at home - on 21 and 31 May, respectively. Then, on 6 June, Chessell claimed a confidence-building win in the third round of Scunthorpe Speedway's Summer Championship. After losing to Gary O'Hare and Jack Hirst in his final qualifying ride, he made no mistake in the final and relegated the pair to minor podium places. Shortly afterwards, he was snapped-up on loan by Weymouth as a replacement for Danny Stoneman. And, with a touch of irony, he claimed a brilliant 14-point haul for the South Coast outfit when they appeared at Scunthorpe for a league fixture on 20 June. However, the Swindonian reverted back to his parent club in August, when he took the place of Gary Beaton in the Saints' line-up.  

CLEWS, Paul Gordon
DATE OF BIRTH: 19 July 1979, Coventry, Warwickshire.
BRITISH CAREER: (1995) Coventry; (1996) Peterborough, Peterborough II, Coventry, Oxford, Anglian Angels; (1997) Skegness, Isle of Wight, Peterborough II, Coventry; (1998) Peterborough, Reading; (1999-2003) Reading; (2004-06) Stoke; (2007) Newcastle; (2008) Newport, Berwick; (2009-10) Berwick.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 1997 [Peterborough II], 1998 [Peterborough]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 1998 [Reading].
RIDER LINKS: Brother-in-law of Darren Andrews (born: 19 January 1977, Banbury, Oxfordshire).
2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.38 (PL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Clews took his initial speedway rides at a Stoke training school when just eight years-of-age. He went on to become club mascot for his hometown team, Coventry, and was to hold the position for five years, before making a one-off appearance for the Bees at King’s Lynn in August 1995 – this marking his official debut in the sport. He went on to represent a number of clubs, prior to settling with Reading mid-way through the 1998 campaign after a spell with Peterborough.

‘Clewsey’ became renowned for his from-the-back surges during five-and-a-half seasons with the Smallmead-based club, but wasn’t retained after the 2003 campaign and moved on to Stoke. During a three-season stint with the Potters, his testimonial meeting was staged at the Loomer Road raceway on 23 September 2006, when victory in a pairs meeting went the way of David Howe and Clews himself. The popular rider appeared lost to the sport in 2007, until his career was kick-started when he received a call from Newcastle in August to replace Ross Brady.

Newport then beckoned for the start of the 2008 season, but the club was forced to close down after promoter Tim Stone’s death on 26 April. Only the Welsh side’s Premier Trophy and Knock-Out Cup matches were permitted to count in the riders’ records and Clews subsequently re-located to Berwick towards the end of May. The large Shielfield Park raceway was clearly his cup of tea and he quickly became a firm favourite with the Bandits’ supporters, so much so that he remained on board in 2009 and was also handed the club captaincy by the new promotion.

He was to enjoy a great season with the side and was rewarded when he scooped the Rider of the Year award. Late in November, Berwick were delighted to announce that the Coventry-born speedster would be staying put as skipper in 2010, a loan deal having been agreed with the rider’s parent club, Birmingham. A pure entertainer, speedway with a smile is the Paul Clews way – he is always cheery, gets a kick out of every ride he produces from the back and is always ready to shake hands after a good heat with someone.

COCKLE, James Robert
DATE OF BIRTH: 26 May 1986, Edmonton, London.
BRITISH CAREER: (2001-03) Rye House II; (2004) Boston, Sheffield II, Reading, Glasgow; (2005) Glasgow, Sittingbourne, Boston; (2006) Glasgow; (2007) Sheffield, Scunthorpe; (2008) Mildenhall, Boston, Birmingham, Redcar II; (2009) Weymouth, Birmingham; (2010) Weymouth.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2007 [Scunthorpe]; Pairs Championship winner: 2008 [Boston].
2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.98 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Cockle was appointed skipper of Weymouth in 2009 and, in May, he was also drafted back into the Birmingham line-up for a second spell as a replacement for Ben Taylor, after a deal to sign Darren Mallett had fallen through. However, in another amendment to the Brummies' line-up early in July, Cockle lost his spot in the side to Jay Herne. He saw the season out with the Wildcats, although the closing months of the campaign saw his form hampered by a knee injury. His tenacity was rewarded in December, when the Weymouth management announced that he would remain with them in 2010.

COMPLIN, Peter Lee
DATE OF BIRTH: 17 November 1984, Cowling, Nr. Skipton, Craven, North Yorkshire
BRITISH CAREER: (2001) Sheffield, Sheffield II; (2002) Sheffield, Belle Vue; (2007-08) Stoke; (2009) Stoke, Peterborough, Wolverhampton; (2010) Berwick.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2001 [Sheffield II], 2002 [Sheffield]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2002 [Sheffield]; Young Shield winner: 2002 [Sheffield].
2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.95 (PL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Throughout his life, Complin has always been known by his middle name of Lee, rather than that with which he was Christened – Peter. In his youth, he played for Bradford City FC and was also an accomplished schoolboy grass-tracker, winning six national titles. Having taken his first official speedway rides in 2001, he appeared all but lost to the sport after the conclusion of the 2002 campaign. During what was to be a lengthy break, the Yorkshireman continued with the football theme by making representative appearances for Sheffield FC – a club acknowledged by the FA and FIFA to be the World’s first and oldest football club.

As a prelude to a dramatic return to the racing scene, Complin won the British Flat-track Championship in 2006, and having had some five years away from speedway, he was hailed as the ‘Comeback King’ the following year, when he returned to the sport in April and put in many fine performances for Stoke. Regrettably, the rider was involved in a serious road traffic accident on 26 May 2008, which left him hospitalized in the neurology unit at Leeds General Infirmary. Due to a seized engine, Complin’s Subaru Impreza had left the A629 near Keighley, just a few miles from his home in the village of Cowling at about 3.40 a.m.

Thankfully, after recuperating from back, neck and chest injuries, Complin was able to return to action with Stoke late in September the same year. The Yorkshireman lost his position as one of Peterborough’s ‘doubling-up’ representative’s upon Claus Vissing’s return from injury in May 2009, when the club opted to have a straight 1-7 line-up instead. Subsequently, however, towards the end of June, he was drafted into the Wolverhampton squad as a ‘doubling-up’ rider in place of Chris Kerr. After the conclusion of the season – in December – Berwick revealed that they had signed Complin on loan from his parent club, Sheffield, for the 2010 campaign.

Regrettably, he sustained a broken arm in two places in his debut meeting for the Bandits versus Newcastle in the Tyne-Tweed Trophy at Shielfield Park on 20 March. The injury occurred in heat five when, having shot into the lead, he fell on the apex of the pits corner and was then inadvertently struck by closely following team-mate Paul Clews. In his absence, the Berwick management decided against signing a temporary replacement and instead kept his place open by sharing his outings amongst colleagues. His recuperation went well and he was able to return to the Bandits’ line-up a couple of months later.

Unfortunately, Complin was injured again shortly after his return to action. This occurred in heat six of a home league fixture versus Somerset on 29 May. The race was re-started after the Bandits’ Adrian Rymel had gone through the tapes. In the re-run, the Yorkshireman and Cory Gathercole contested the early exchanges, with the home rider just getting the better run to edge ahead.

The Victorian was all over him, however, as he gradually worked a position for an overtaking manoeuvre. And, as lap three closed, the Rebels’ representative cut-back inside from high up on the pits banking but, as he got up the inside of Complin, the homester appeared to lock-up, leaving Gathercole nowhere to go.

As a result, he crashed into the back of the Berwick speedster, who sustained a broken metatarsal. Bravely, he rode on for two more heats, but was clearly in discomfort come the end of the meeting due to the broken bone in his left foot. Remarkably, he was present for the Bandits’ next league match at Newport on 6 June and didn’t miss any meetings through the foot injury. He went on to average a shade below 7 points a match for the side, as his passing manoeuvres became something of folklore at Shielfield Park.

In fact, so popular a team member was Complin that he became the first rider to sign a 2011 Berwick contract following a home meeting versus Newport in the Young Shield on 2 October. And he concluded the season in style at Shielfield Park by taking victory ahead of a quality field in the prestigious Bordernapolis on 23 October.

COMPTON, André Neil
DATE OF BIRTH: 15 May 1977, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.
BRITISH CAREER: (1993) Bradford, Newcastle; (1994) Stoke, Newcastle, Buxton; (1995) Hull, Buxton, Reading, Coventry, Belle Vue; (1996) Buxton, Bradford, Belle Vue; (1997) Newcastle, Berwick; (1998-99) Sheffield; (2000) Peterborough, Newcastle; (2001) Newcastle; (2002) Newcastle, Poole; (2003) Sheffield, Poole; (2004) Sheffield, Poole, Belle Vue; (2005-08) Sheffield; (2009-10) Workington.
MAJOR HONOURS: Premier League Riders’ Champion: 2004.
CLUB HONOURS: Four-Team Championship winner: 1999 [Sheffield], 2009 [Workington]; League Championship winner: 1999 [Sheffield], 2001 [Newcastle], 2003 [Poole]; Young Shield winner: 1999 [Sheffield], 2009 [Workington], 2010 [Workington]; Craven Shield winner: 2002 [Poole].
RIDER LINKS: Brother of Benji Compton (born: 17 September 1986, Tenerife, Spain).
2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 7.35 (PL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Compton competed on the junior grass-track scene prior to taking up speedway, becoming Lancashire, Yorkshire and Cheshire Champion. After making his top-flight debut with Bradford in May 1993, he went on to enjoy a stint with then Second Division Newcastle later the same season. The hard-charging Yorkshireman went on to represent a number of clubs, before settling with Sheffield in 2003.

Following that, he also enjoyed a number of forays into the top-flight; for instance, in 2004, he initially shared the No. 7 position at Poole with Davey Watt, but was released in June, when the Pirates recruited Krzysztof Kasprzak and Matej Ferjan. He subsequently linked with Belle Vue as their No. 9 in August that same term.

After six successive seasons with Sheffield, Compton surprisingly announced his retirement from the sport during the Tigers’ home meeting versus the Isle of Wight in the Young Shield on 9 October 2008. However, he then indicated that he would participate in one or two testimonial and benefit meetings at the start of the 2009 campaign, which subsequently mutated into a full-blown comeback with actually no real speedway time missed.

His return was too late for Sheffield, as they had already assembled their side, but circumstances provided him with a place at Workington on loan, following the unfortunate pre-season injuries sustained by Adam Roynon. It proved a great move for rider and club, as Compton was a tall scorer throughout the campaign and featured in the Comets’ double success in the Four-Team Championship and Young Shield.

Remaining with Workington in 2010, the side’s initial No. 1 sustained damaged shoulder tendons when he crashed heavily shortly after the start of heat eleven in the Comets’ Premier Trophy visit to Edinburgh on 16 April. The vastly experienced rider was to be absent for a few matches, with the Cumbrian club utilizing guests to plug the gap. He then overcame a back problem in August, before going on to complete the term with an average of a little under 7 points to his name.

Right at the season’s end, he played in big part in Workington winning the Young Shield for a third successive season. Indeed, in the final, they had to pull back 20 points against Rye House in the second leg at Derwent Park on 30 October, but won emphatically on the night, 66-28; the vastly experienced Yorkshireman notching 10+1 points from four rides.

COMPTON, Benjamin (Benji) Mark
DATE OF BIRTH: 17 September 1986, Tenerife, Spain.
BRITISH CAREER: (2002) Newcastle II; (2003) Sheffield II, Mildenhall; (2004) Buxton; (2005) Scunthorpe; (2006) Sheffield, Scunthorpe; (2007) Berwick, Scunthorpe, King’s Lynn; (2008) Scunthorpe, Scunthorpe II, Redcar II; (2009) Redcar, Weymouth; (2010) Scunthorpe II.
MAJOR HONOUR: Conference League Riders’ Champion: 2008.
CLUB HONOURS: Knock-Out Cup winner: 2003 [Mildenhall]; 2006 [Scunthorpe], 2007 [Scunthorpe]; Pairs Championship winner: 2006 [Scunthorpe ‘B’]; League Championship winner: 2006, 2007 [both Scunthorpe]; Conference Trophy winner: 2006 [Scunthorpe]; Conference Shield winner: 2006 [Scunthorpe]; Premier Trophy winner: 2007 [King’s Lynn].
RIDER LINKS: Brother of Andre Compton (born: 15 May 1977, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire).
2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 7.38 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The younger of the Compton racing brothers had agreed to ride for King's Lynn's National League side in 2009; however, he was replaced by Jamie Smith prior to the commencement of the Barracudas' fixtures due to clashes of dates with his Premier League team, Redcar. He was subsequently released by the Bears in early July to make way for the comeback of Stuart Swales. Somewhat ironically, it was expected that the Tenerife-born rider - who is unique to British speedway for that very fact - would return to action with King's Lynn's National League side later the same month as a replacement for the injured Jamie Smith, but the move didn't materialize.

He instead eventually re-located to Weymouth early in August, going on to make sixteen official appearances for 103 points and a 7.14 real-time average. In February 2010, Scunthorpe announced that the former Conference League Riders' Champion would be re-joining them to fill the No. 1 berth for the Saints side in the new campaign. He had actually been the North Lincolnshire outfit's first signing when they were formed in 2005 and had been a mainstay of their Championship-winning sides of 2006 and 2007.

On 30 August, Scunthorpe entertained Buxton in a National League fixture and Compton announced that his appearance in heat fourteen would be his last race in the sport. It would have been nice for him to finish with a flourish but, as the other riders shot from the tapes, his machine ground to a halt. It was a disappointing way to end his career but, nevertheless, many at the Eddie Wright Raceway will have a special place in their hearts for the West Yorkshire lad who notched a total of 993 points in 124 meetings for the club.

COOK, Craig William
DATE OF BIRTH: 21 May 1987, Whitehaven, Cumbria.
BRITISH CAREER: (2008) Scunthorpe II; (2009) Buxton, Workington; (2010) Workington, Buxton, Peterborough.
MAJOR HONOUR: National League Riders' Champion: 2009.
CLUB HONOURS: Young Shield winner: 2009 [Workington], 2010 [Workington]; National Trophy winner: 2010 [Buxton]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2010 [Buxton]; League Championship winner: 2010 [Buxton].
2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.06 (PL), 9.35 (NL), 3.00 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Workington owner Keith Denham persuaded Cook to take his first speedway skids at Derwent Park in October 2008, the youngster having previously been a schoolboy moto-cross Champion on three occasions. After initially being named as Workington’s No. 8 rider in 2009, the Cumbrian joined Buxton on loan in order to gain some experience – the plan being that the Comets would look at using him in the Premier League a year later. However, it didn’t take long before the Cumbrian side changed strategy and started to use Cook as well, having promoted him to a berth in their official 1-7 late in May as a replacement for Luke Priest.

He showed encouraging form thereafter for the Comets and further emphasized his considerable talent when notching a whopping 22-point haul for Buxton in a 51-42 National League defeat at the Isle of Wight on 28 July – Cook’s tally equating to 52.38 per cent of his side’s total. The fact that it was his first-ever visit to the banked Smallbrook raceway made the performance all the more remarkable. His fairytale year continued when he moved from reserve to the No. 1 spot for the Hitmen before the end of August. And, his first meeting in the team proper showed that he wouldn’t suffer from riding with more pressure, as he scored 13 points in a home win over Weymouth.

Continuing his meteoric rise up the speedway ladder, his form with the Peak District outfit secured a place in the National League Riders’ Championship at Rye House on 26 September, and he went there with nothing to lose as he wasn’t considered to be amongst the favourites. As it turned out, four race wins and a second place saw him in a run-off for the title against Kyle Hughes. The Plymouth representative made the better start and Cook was right on his tail when Hughes shed a chain, leaving the Buxton rider – albeit somewhat fortuitously – to take the crown and become the club’s fifth winner of the trophy.

In achieving this success, he became the first rider to win the individual title of British speedway’s third tier in his initial season in the sport. He didn’t have long to think about his victory, though, as he was racing for the Hitmen at home to Plymouth the following afternoon and celebrated then by recording a first full maximum.

Adding to a glorious debut term, late in the season he helped Workington to lift the Young Shield courtesy of an aggregate win over Rye House in the final. He ended the campaign with a real-time average of a shade below 4 points per meeting for the Comets and unsurprisingly was named as a definite starter for 2010. For Buxton, meanwhile, he posted a 9.51 figure (including bonus) and it was confirmed in February that he would also have a second term with them.

He began the campaign like a steam train, too, racking up tall scores at both Premier and National League level, including a six-ride tally of 14+1 points for Workington in a home league fixture versus Stoke on 3 May, when he and fellow reserve John Branney carded an amazing total of paid 29 points between them.

On 6 May, he made a guest appearance in the top-flight for Peterborough at Swindon, winning his first-ever race at the Abbey Stadium and later registering another excellent victory in heat twelve. This, and a further guest booking at Belle Vue four days later, undoubtedly made an impression with the Panthers’ management who – shortly afterwards – announced the acquisition of Cook as their new No. 8 rider in place of the injured Joel Parsons.

Cook made his debut at No. 1 for the Comets at the start of July, having completed a super-quick rise up the rankings, moving from reserve to second-string and then up to the club’s top spot in a remarkable three months. He went on to maintain an average of around 7.5 points per match for the Cumbrian outfit; meanwhile with Buxton, he comfortably topped the entire National League averages with a figure in excess of 10.50. He also enjoyed several outings with top-flight Peterborough, although one that didn’t hold such fond memories occurred in a league match at Ipswich on 23 September.

In heat six of the meeting at Foxhall Heath, Panthers’ team-mate Troy Batchelor locked-up in front of him on a slippery surface, causing Cook to also lock-up in an effort to avoid colliding with the Aussie. The closely following Witches’ Linus Sundström couldn’t avoid the youngster’s rear wheel and the Whitehaven-born youngster took an unwanted trip over his own handlebars, before hitting the deck heavily. There were initial fears that he had sustained a broken collarbone, but that didn’t prove the case and it appeared his shoulder had popped out of joint and gone back in.

In a trophy-lade season, although he missed the second leg of Workington’s Young Shield final victory over Rye House, he was credited with his second successive win in the competition with the side. With Buxton, he helped the Hitmen enjoy the most successful term in their 16-year history by registering a clean-sweep of the National Trophy, Knock-Out Cup and League Championship.  

Indeed, on the last official day of the season – 31 October – Buxton defeated Newport 56-35 in a one-legged Play-Off final on their own track after the scheduled first leg in South Wales had been washed out two days beforehand. Cook’s contribution on the day was 12 points, as he concluded a wonderful second full term in the sport.

COOPER, Paul Robert
DATE OF BIRTH: 7 June 1982, York, North Yorkshire.
BRITISH CAREER: (2003) Sheffield II; (2004) Sheffield II, Oxford II; (2005) Sheffield; (2006) Sheffield, Scunthorpe; (2007) Sheffield, Boston; (2008-10) Sheffield.
CLUB HONOURS: Pairs Championship winner: 2006 [Scunthorpe ‘B’], 2007 [Boston]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2006 [Scunthorpe]; Conference Trophy winner: 2006 [Scunthorpe]; Conference Shield winner: 2006 [Scunthorpe].
2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.56 (PL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Cooper made his official debut with Sheffield Prowlers in 2003 and, the following year, turned down a Premier League berth at Berwick due to work and grass-track commitments, although he did again represent the Prowlers. Having completed his apprenticeship as a joiner, he linked with the senior Sheffield team in 2005 and was ticking along nicely, when his season came to a sudden halt at Glasgow on 11 September. The meeting saw him clash with Adam Roynon on the second bend in heat two and the resultant crash left him nursing ligament damage to the left knee.

The injury bug was to strike again on 23 October 2006, whilst Cooper was riding for Scunthorpe in a Conference Trophy match at Boston. In heat four, he was involved in a four-man pile-up, along with team-mate Scott Richardson and the home duo of Nathan Irwin and Cal McDade. The Yorkshireman received a broken bone in his wrist yet, despite the obvious pain, still did his utmost for Sheffield in both legs of the Play-Off final against King’s Lynn, on 26 and 27 October. Prior to the injury, on 28 August, he had joined forces with Benji Compton to win the Conference League Pairs Championship at Scunthorpe’s Normanby Road venue.

Cooper subsequently enjoyed a very good 2007 campaign – despite blowing two engines early in the season – remaining ever-present over the 28-match league programme with Sheffield to post a solid real-time average of 6.60. And, topping off an excellent year of progress, he received an award at the Stars of Shale presentation dinner in Coventry for being the highest bonus-points scorer in the entire Premier League. The year also saw him ride for Boston at Conference level and, although he only made four league appearances for the Barracudas, he did represent the club in the CL Pairs Championship at Scunthorpe on 22 July when, together with Simon Lambert, he posted his second successive victory in the prestigious event.

The York-born speedster continued his long association with Sheffield in 2009, the campaign representing his fifth season at PL level and his seventh overall at the Owlerton-based club. He was to endure a nightmare start to the season, which saw him collect just 7 points from his first seven meetings as he struggled for power. After changing numerous parts in an effort to rectify the problem, he eventually discovered that work done on an engine had not been completed properly. Then, having started to return some eye-catching scores after a move to reserve, his season hit the buffers on 9 August when he sustained a shattered ankle and heel – together with broken bones in his foot – in a league match at Newcastle.

The injury occurred in heat fourteen, when team-mate Richard Hall lost control and careered into the fourth bend safety fence, taking Cooper with him. Whilst he recuperated, the Tigers brought club asset Scott Smith into the side to fill the gap. Despite ending the campaign on the sidelines, the Sheffield management thought highly enough of his efforts to offer him a 2010 team spot in November. Regrettably, the Yorkshireman received a bodyblow in February when, after working as a craftsman joiner for ten years, he lost his off-track job.

Cooper took over Sheffield captaincy from Ricky Ashworth a week after a home defeat at the hands of Birmingham on 15 April. And he was to maintain an average of close on 6 points per match, but was taken to hospital following an horrific high-speed grass-track accident in the prestigious Speedway Star Monty Banks Memorial Masters Championship on 1 August. The talented all-round motorcyclist suffered severe head injuries and a broken bone at the base of his skull, prior to being airlifted to hospital after the crash at the iconic Rhodes Minnis circuit in Kent. The rider made slow, but sure progress in his recovery and was able to take in a meeting at Sheffield on 9 September, when he vowed to get back on a bike by Christmas.

COTTHAM, Gary Dominic
DATE OF BIRTH: 13 September 1989, Eastbourne, East Sussex.
BRITISH CAREER: (2004-05) Rye House II; (2006) Rye House II, Sittingbourne; (2007-08) Rye House II; (2009) Mildenhall; (2010) Weymouth.
RIDER LINKS: Son of Gary Cottham [Senior] (born: 2 November 1955).
2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.54 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Both father and son have represented teams with a Crusaders moniker - in Gary senior's case with Canterbury in the 1970s, whilst Gary junior represented Sittingbourne in 2006, having started his career two years previously on the books of Rye House. Having again represented the Hoddesdon-based club in 2007 and 2008, Cottham joined Mildenhall in 2009 but lost his spot in the Fen Tigers' declared line-up after just a handful of appearances at the start of the campaign. This came after he had sustained a broken arm in heat one of the British Under-21 Championship semi-final at the Isle of Wight on 14 April.

He was replaced in Mildenhall's squad by Darren Smith towards the end of May and didn't ride again for the remainder of the season. In early February 2010, Weymouth revealed that they had signed the Eastbourne-based rider on a free transfer from Rye House. He joined the Wildcats with a good reputation, having joint top-scored for the Isle of Wight with a paid 12-point haul when they visited the Wessex Stadium for a challenge match on 13 July 2007.

Despite some eye-catching scores, he was only able to maintain an average of around 5 points per match and the Wildcats' management took the decision to rest him in August, when Karl Mason was re-introduced to the side. Shortly afterwards, however, Cottham was recalled to the Weymouth line-up after Luke Chessell had reverted back to his parent club, Scunthorpe.

COURTNEY, Jamie Mark
DATE OF BIRTH: 22 April 1988, Ashington, Northumberland.
BRITISH CAREER: (2003) Rye House II, Trelawny II; (2004) Swindon II, Isle of Wight, Oxford II; (2005) Oxford II, Workington; (2006) Rye House; (2007) Redcar, Cleveland; (2008-09) Rye House II; (2010) Glasgow, King's Lynn.
CLUB HONOUR: League Championship winner: 2005 [Oxford II].
RIDER LINKS: Son of Mark Courtney (born: 25 March 1961, Braintree, Essex). Nephew of Sean Courtney (born: 5 September 1964, Braintree, Essex). Brother of Scott Courtney (born: 3 January 1983, Middlesbrough, Cleveland).
2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.00 (PL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: In 2005, Courtney sustained a broken shoulder socket and popped it out several times; however, with the assistance of some good doctors, he continued to ride for much of the campaign. His career was generally blighted by injuries in the interim period, but he remained fit and healthy in 2009 to post a real-time average of over 7 points per match for Rye House's National League side. That led him to seek a Premier League berth in 2010 and his wish was granted in January, when he agreed terms to represent Glasgow.

His signing re-opened a fantastic family link at the club, as the Courtney name has been synonymous with the Tigers; his father (Mark), uncle (Sean) and brother (Scott) have all ridden for the team at some stage in their career. Although Jamie had yet to ride for the side prior to 2010, he was certainly no stranger to the Glasgow set-up having spent plenty of his youth growing up around the track when it first opened in 1999. And, having become a King's Lynn asset through a winter transfer from Rye House, it was confirmed in February that he would also appear at National League level for the re-branded Young Stars.

However, prior to making any appearances for the Norfolk outfit, he was replaced in the declared squad by Ricky Wallace late in April. And, despite showing glimpses of his potential with Glasgow, he was unable to be as consistent as he would have liked and lost his place in the side at the end of July to the returning Mitchell Davey. But, in August, he ironically returned to Premier League action with King's Lynn amidst an astonishing raft of changes at the Norfolk club.

The first move had seen Adam Roynon replace Joe Haines and this was immediately followed by another four amendments to their team declaration, as Casper Wortmann and Chris Mills were released, whilst the injured Kevin Doolan and the unwell Darren Mallett also had their names removed from the 1-7. Olly Allen effectively replaced Doolan in the No. 1 position, with the other incoming riders being Courtney, Lasse Bjerre and Cal McDade. However, the Ashington-born rider was to lose his place in the line-up towards the end of the same month, when Adam Lowe was elevated to the side from King's Lynn's National League operation.