Meet the SHEFFIELD 'Tigers' 2022

New team photo
photograph by Geoff Ridsdale>
Simon Stead, Tobiasz Musielak, Connor Mountain, Craig Cook, Kyle Howarth (on bike), Jack Holder, Stefan Nielsen,
Adam Ellis (kneeling) Dan Thompson
(not pictured) Jake Allen Lewis Kerr Justin Sedgmen

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Jake Allen
Jake Allen Born: Brisbane Queensland, Australia 11th August 1995
Init GS May GS June GS July GS Aug GS Sep GS Oct GS
4.80 4.80 4.57 4.17 4.17    

Jake started his UK career with Somerset in 2016 helping them to success in both the League Cup and becoming League Champions. Queensland Champion in 2017 he continued with Somerset he also rode for Scunthorpe in both 2017 and 2018 when Somerset won the K.O.Cup. Jake then joined Ipswich in 2019. Back with Ipswich in 2021 he top scored with 10 when they visited Owlerton in June and also rode for Championship Redcar. He joined Belle Vue on the eve of the 2022 season but was soon replaced by Matej Zagar! He has a 7.50 average for the Scorpions in the Championship and joined the Tigers as replacement for Stefan Nielsen.

Sadly he sustained a broken scaphoid in his second meeting away at King's Lynn and never made his home debut. The ambitious Tigers quickly moved to replace him with Birmingham's Justin Sedgmen.

Average from official fixtures in 2022 = 2.40

photograph: Scunthorpe www Fastest times at Owlerton in 2022: tba  
in 2021: 61.4  24 June
Highest scores: Home   dnr Away 3 Peterborough & King's Lynn (PRa)
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Craig Cook
Craig Cook Born: Whitehaven Cumbria 21st May 1987
Init GS May GS June GS July GS Aug GS Sep GS Oct GS
6.81 6.81 6.56 6.55 5.26    

Craig began his career with Scunthorpe in 2008 before joining Workington and Buxton in 2009 winning both the Young Shield and the National League Riders Championship. He joined Peterborough in 2010 and retained the League Championship, National Trophy and KO-Cup with Buxton. It was all change with Edinburgh and Belle Vue in 2011 and he won the Premier League Riders Championship (at Owlerton) in 2012. Honours continued with the 4-Team Trophy in 2013 and then the KO-Cup, League Cup and League Championship in 2014. His success with Edinburgh continued in 2015 with the League Cup, League Championship and 4-Team Trophy. Belle Vue and Peterborough were his teams in 2016 before rejoining Workington in 2017, winning the KO-Cup with Belle Vue and becoming the British Champion. Belle Vue and Glasgow were his teams in 2018 when he won the Championship Individual Title (at Owlerton) beating Richard Lawson and Kyle Howarth in the final. King's Lynn and Glasgow were his clubs for 2019 and he won the Pairs title. Covid canceled out 2020 but he commenced 2021 with King's Lynn. A run of poor form saw him lose his team place and he was quickly signed by local rivals Ipswich but it wasn't to last long, although he still finished top of the Glasgow averages.

Craig has appeared in 13 Grand Prix scoring 42 points, 4 World Cups scoring 14 points and a silver medal, and 5 Speedway of the Nations meetings.

Continuing with Championship Glasgow Craig has joined the Tigers in 2022 as a second-string with none of the pressures of a heat leader on his shoulders. At the end of June he suffered crashes at Oxford, King's Lynn and Glasgow on consecutive days and he missed the home match against Ipswich while recovering. Further crashes ensued and following the injury to Adam Ellis the promotion quickly snapped up Lewis Kerr when he was released by King's Lynn.

Average from official fixtures in 2022 = 5.31

photograph by: Geoff Ridsdale Fastest times at Owlerton in 2022: 61.81  26 May
in 2021: 61.2  24 June
Highest scores: Home 9+3 - Belle Vue (PRa) Away 9+1 - Peterborough (PRa)
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Adam Ellis
Adam Ellis Born: Marmande France 21st March 1996
Init GS May GS June GS July GS Aug GS Sep GS Oct GS
7.92 7.92 8.33 8.16 7.65 7.24 6.89

Adam was born in France of British parents who ran a bar over there. His first club in 2013 was the IOW and he doubled up with Ipswich. Continuing with the Witches he moved to Lakeside in 2014. Continuing with Lakeside he moved to Birmingham in 2015 winning both the 4TT and League Cup. More success in 2016 winning the Elite Shield with Poole and the KO Cup with Eastbourne.

He helped Swindon win the League in 2017, and then the Elite Shield in 2018 and both the League and KO Cup in 2019! Adam joined his ex-Swindon team mate Troy Batchelor with the Tigers and also signed for Championship side Scunthorpe.

Adam beat Max Fricke for the last podium position in the SGP qualifier in Terenzano, Italy
and then top scored with 14 from 5 rides as GB won the European Pairs Qualifier at Debrecen in Hungary ahead of both Denmark and Slovenia.

Adam became British Champion in August top scoring with 13 points and defeating home riders Dan Bewley and Charles Wright in the final at Belle Vue.

Adam rejoins the Tigers for 2022 and has quaified for the European Championship. He was given the Cardiff GP wildcard following the British Grand Prix being abandoned, but was unable to ride after dislocating his shoulder in practice.

Official meetings average in 2022 = 7.44

photograph by: Geoff Ridsdale Fastest times at Owlerton in 2022: 60.00   9 June
in 2021: 59.8   2 September
Highest scores: Home 12 - Peterborough (B) Away 13 - Belle Vue (LC)
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Jack Holder
Jack Holder Born: Appin New South Wales, Australia 23 March 1996
Init GS May June July Aug Sep Oct
8.87 8.87 8.92 8.21 7.76 7.21 8.61

Brother of James and 2012 World Champion Chris, Jack first rode in Britain for Plymouth in 2015. He doubled up with Peterborough and Poole in 2017, moved to Somerset in 2018 and finished the 2019 season at the top of the Premiership with the Poole Pirates and second only to Brady Kurtz in their averages.

Jack has an impressive record at Owlerton. His first visit with Plymouth in 2015 saw him score 9 from 4 rides (including a double points heat win). He repeated the double points heat win a year later scoring 14+1 from 5 rides, and also finished 6th with 10 points in the PLRC. His last two visits with Peterborough in 2017 resulted in paid 24 points from 10 rides giving him an Owlerton average of 9.33, or 8.00 excluding bonus points. Jack finished his first season with the Tigers on top of the averages and is looking forward to returning.

Jack has had a good start to 2022 winning his 4th New South Wales Championship from Sam Masters, Josh Pickering and Ben Cook after suffering engine problems in his first ride at Kurri Kurri, and he will return to Polish Ekstraliga action with Torun.

With the Russian riders excluded from the GP series Jack was offered one of the places but has found the opposition quite stern. After reaching the semi-finals for the first time in Germany he won the GP qualifier at Debrecen in Hungary with a 15 point clean sweep, and claimed his 2023 GP place with a rostrum finish in Glasgow.

Current average from official fixtures in 2022 = 7.84

Maximums: Full = 1 Home; Paid = 1 Home & 1 Away

photograph by: Geoff Ridsdale Fastest times at Owlerton in 2022: 60.1   14 July
in 2021: 60.2   2 September
Highest scores: Home 14+1 - King's Lynn (B) Away 13+1 - Belle Vue (LC)
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Kyle Howarth
Kyle Howarth Born: Ashton-under-Lyne Greater Manchester 11th February 1994
Init GS May GS June GS July GS Aug GS Sep GS Oct GS
6.04 6.04 6.35 6.42 6.24 6.81 5.42

Kyle was an accomplished grass track and motocross competitor before turning his attention to amateur speedway in 2008. Queensland U21 State Champion in 2011 and 12 and British U21 champion in 2015, his previous clubs include Scunthorpe, Poole, Somerset, Edinburgh and Swindon but he has become an important part of the Wolverhampton Elite league team.

Kyle first doubled down with the Tigers in 2016. He soon settled in at Owlerton and after solving some machine issues in mid-season he stepped up to assume the captaincy and inspired the Tigers into the play offs, and all the way through to the final despite his team mates dropping like flies around him.

A fantastic season 2017 saw Kyle steer us to Championship success and the Championship Pairs title with Lasse. Having put an impressive 1.44 onto his average he replaced Josh Grajczonek as the Tigers No.1 for 2018 after a lengthy stand-off with Workington who hold his contract.

Kyle defended his Pairs title in 2018 at Somerset with his close friend Charles Wright on the eve of the British Grand Prix but his average took a dip and he lost the no.1 jacket.

Captaining the Tigers again in 2019 Kyle missed the Somerset match after having an extraordinary drug test result while guesting for King's Lynn at Eastbourne at the end of June. This turned out to be a trace of the co-codamol he was given in hospital after dislocating his shoulder when he crashed in the British semi-final at Redcar.

Kyle dislocated it again in the re-arranged away match at Eastbourne on the eve of the Championship Riders final and had to sit out the end of the season. With racing suspended for 2020 Kyle took the opportunity to have surgery on his shoulder and reported it successful when riding in the Peter Craven memorial meeting at Belle Vue. In December he repaid the help he had received from the Ben Fund with a sponsored cycle ride from his home town Swindon to Manchester, just 156 miles in grotty weather!

When the Tigers elected to move up to the Premiership Kyle had to choose between Wolverhampton and Sheffield, and became the first name on the Tigers team sheet. He also rode for Leicester in the Championship and will continue as Sheffield skipper in 2022.

Official meetings average from 2022 = 6.58

photograph by: Geoff Ridsdale Fastest times at Owlerton in 2022: 61.25   26 May
in 2021: 60.4   2 September
Highest scores: Home  8+3 - Peterborough (B) Away  12+1 - King's Lynn (A)
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Lewis James Kerr
Lewis Kerr Born: King's Lynn Norfolk 25 March 1990
Init GS May June July Aug Sept Oct
5.55 5.55 5.43 5.61 4.77 4.56 4.71

Born in King's Lynn Lewis rode for his home town junior team for four years before graduating to the first team after spells with Portsmouth, Somerset and Newcastle. In 2016 he moved to Lakeside but also appeared for Ipswich and Scunthorpe. Impressive performances for the Scorpions in 2017 saw him also riding for Somerset and 6 apperances for Poole and a 7.13 average. He rejoined King's Lynn in 2018 and doubled with Glasgow, and then Eastbourne in 2019. 2021 found him doubling with Eastbourne before joining Redcar. His 2022 clubs were King's Lynn and Redcar before the Stars released him looking for Nikolai Klindt and Frederick Jakobsen to improve their results.

He joins the Tigers to replace Craig Cook who just never got going for the Tigers after a litany of crashes, mainly while riding for his Championship club Glasgow.

Official meetings average from 2022 = 4.80

photograph by: Geoff Ridsdale Fastest times at Owlerton in 2022: 61.31   13 October
in 2019: 61.8   14 July
Highest scores: Home  9+2 - Wolverhampton (PO) Away  10+1 - King's Lynn (LCF)
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Connor Reece Mountain
Connor Mountain Born: King's Lynn Norfolk 26th August 1997
Init CMA May GS June GS July GS Aug GS Sep GS Oct GS
3.14 3.14 3.42 4.06 4.34 4.08 4.51

Connor started his career with Coventry in 2015 before joining Ipswich the following year. He rode in 44 matches for the Witches in 2017 and finished with an average of 4.27. His 2018 average dropped to 3.62 before the Witches released him. Connor turned a few heads by winning the Sheffield Top Gun meeting and was snapped up by Leicester in the Premiership, and subsequently the Tigers. Connor won heat 14 on his way to a four point tally on his Tigers debut.

Connor rode for Leicester in 2019, and then Newcastle and King's Lynn in 2021 but returns to the Tigers as our "Rising Star" in 2022.

Current average from official fixtures in 2022 = 4.06

photograph by: Geoff Ridsdale Fastest times at Owlerton in 2022: 60.07   14 July
in 2021: 62.1   15 July
Highest scores: Home 11+2 - Ipswich (B) Away 6+1 - Wolverhampton (A)
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Tobiasz Musielak
Tobiasz Musielak Born: Leszno Poland 18th August 1993
Init GS May GS June GS July GS Aug GS Sep GS Oct GS
6.21 6.21 6.65 7.33 7.49 7.93 7.91

Tobiasz' first British club was Wolverhampton in 2015. He joined Swindon in 2017 winning the League Championship, then the Elite Shield in 2018 and both the League Championship and KO-Cup in 2019. Tobiasz was a gold medal winner of the U21 World Team Cup with Poland in 2012 and more recently won the Grand Prix Qualifier at Glasgow last June ahead of Chris Holder and Nikolai Klindt. Tobiasz rides for Kroszno in the Polish First Division and but missed our opening League Cup away fixture in Manchester after crashing at Czestochowa, and again before the Ipswich away match in July.

Official meetings average in 2022 = 7.83

Maximums: Home; 1 full

photograph by: Geoff Ridsdale Fastest times at Owlerton in 2022: 60.81   26 May
in 2021: n/a  
Highest scores: Home  15 - Peterborough (A) Away  13 - King's Lynn (A)
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Stefan Leeder Nielsen
Stefan Nielsen Born: Esbjerg Denmark 31st October 1994
Init GS May June July Aug Sept Oct
3.00 5.14 5.14 4.53 4.53    

Stefan first rode in the UK in 2011 for the Sheffield and Scunthorpe Conference teams. He joined Ipswich in 2012 but also had outings with Mildenhall. 2013 saw him riding for Somerset, and in 2014 he was with Belle Vue and the Coventry Conference team. 2015 Ipswich & Belle Vue. 2016 Swindon and Plymouth. 2017 Scunthorpe (2 matches). 2018 Poole and Scunthorpe. 2019 Scunthorpe and 1 outing for Swindon. 2021 he's helped Poole Pirates to the Championship title.

Stefan, who was the British U19 champion in both 2012 and 13, replaced James Wright in the reserve position mid way through 2021. After helping us to away wins at King's Lynn and Ipswich and scoring paid 22 from two home meetings he then crashed riding for Poole at Birmingham. He broke a collar-bone, ribs and punctured a lung which ruled him out for the rest of the season.

Fit and well Stefan is looking forward to rejoining the Tigers in 2022.

Official meetings average from 2022 = 3.43

photograph by: Geoff Ridsdale Fastest times at Owlerton in 2022: 61.02   14 April
in 2021: 61.19   12 August
Highest scores: Home   7+2 - Belle Vue (LC) Away   4+1 - Belle Vue (LC) & Ipswich (PRa)
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Justin Maxwell Sedgmen
Justin Sedgmen Born: Mildura Victoria, Australia 17th February 1992
Init GS May GS June GS July GS Aug GS Sep GS Oct GS
n/a n/a n/a 4.34 4.24 4.00 4.44

Justin was South Australian U-16 champion in 2008 which prompted Somerset to give him his first chance in 2009. He rode for both Birmingham and Swindon in 2010, and Swindon, Newport and Plymouth in 2011. Victorian State champion in 2012 he rode for both Lakeside and Redcar over here. Triple winner with the Monarchs in 2014, and League champion again with them in 2015. He moved up a division with Swindon in 2016. Belle Vue and Rye House were his clubs in 2017 and returned north of the border with the Monarchs in 2019. Justin's Grand Prix record is one appearance and four points.

Justin joined the Tigers in 2019 with the aim of offering us more points scoring potential on the smaller away tracks. Signing for Glasgow in the Championship 2021 Justin jumped at Simon's invite to rejoin the Tigers but indifferent form saw him losing his team place in July to fellow Aussie Josh Pickering.

Justin joined Birmingham in the Championship in 2022 and following Jake Allen's injury was called on as the Tiger's guest for the televised home match against Ipswich in June. He top scored giving World Champion Jason Doyle a good run for his money before his signing was subsequently announced.

Official meetings average from 2022 = 4.17

photograph by: Geoff Ridsdale Fastest times at Owlerton in 2022: 60.06  27 June
in 2021: 60.8  24 June
Highest scores: Home 10+3 v Ipswich (A) (guest) Away 9+1 v Ipswich (A)
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Daniel Thompson
Dan Thompson Born: Nuneaton Warwickshire 22nd April 2004
Init GS May June July Aug Sept Oct
3.00 3.00 3.00 3.00 3.00    

Dan, twin brother of Joe was British 125cc champion in 2016. The brothers rode for the Leicester National League side helping them to both the League Championship and K.O. Cup wins in 2019. Dan progressed to the Leicester Championship team in 2021 and became British Youth Champion.

In 2022 he will be the Tigers No.8 which means he will be the automatic replacement for our 'rising star' whenever Connor is unavailable.

Official meetings average from 2022 = 1.33

photograph by: Geoff Ridsdale Fastest times at Owlerton in 2022: tba  
in 2021: n/a  
Highest scores: Home tba Away 1+1 - Peterborough (PRa)
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