The Premier League season finally ended on Monday at Exeter one day before the official deadline. Swindon defeated Exeter by 47 points to 42 to win the final competition, the Young Shield playoff by a massive 45 point margin.
The result confirmed two things, firstly that Swindon finished the season the strongest team in the Premier League as they added the Young Shield to the Premier League Cup won earlier. Te second point was that Exeter are the weakest team to have won the Premier League championship since it was inaugurated in 1997.
Swindon have been a solid team throughout and have not been harmed by the drug ban on their number one Frank Smart. Before his ban Smart pushed up his average from the start of the season and Swindon were able to call on guests up to nine points.
While arguably Workington, with their original line-up before they were wrecked by injuries, were the strongest team, Swindon and Hull would have ran them close. Sheffield, another strongly fancied outfit lacked the consistency to win major honours.
The trophies were spread around this year with Exeter League Champions, Swindon Cup winners and Young Shield winners while Hull took the Premier National Trophy. Sheffield picked up the National Fours while Workington took the Pairs.
Edinburgh were very much the nearly team. They made the last four of the Pairs, the last eight of the Cup and the Fours. They made little impact in the Premier National Trophy and despite finishing sixth in the League this could so easily have been much higher. Indeed four additional race points could have ensured Monarchs the title.
Monarchs were confident of victory in the Young Shield. They lost agonizingly due to an engine failure in the run-off against eventual winners Swindon. The ease with which Swindon went through the semi-finals and final, suggests that Monarchs might well have done a similar job had they eliminated Swindon.