'Zorro' leads Rebels to another three points

8:32am Saturday 15th September 2007

Premier League: Somerset Sharp Rebels 53, Redcar Bears 40 (agg 99-87)

THIS match on Friday night started with a first-heat win for Gary Havelock over Rebels' skipper Magnus Zetterstrom.

The 1992 world champion showed great composure in fending off "Zorro", although there was little in it at the finish line.

There was an emphatic maximum in the reserves' race by Jordan Frampton and Danny Warwick against their Redcar counterparts. The Bears' reserves looked really out of touch and, once again, the Rebels' six and seven were the difference in the match result as the home side took all three points on offer.

Somerset were without Emil Kramer, who was required by his Swedish side for their play-offs. They were granted the rider-replacement facility and were not affected by Kramer's absence.

Josh Auty was missing from the Redcar line-up and they most certainly lost out, with his replacement Karlis Ezergalis failing to register a point.

As in the previous week's home match against Stoke, Somerset could not build up an early lead and at the end of heat six, they were only four points in front.

However, after they had powered in successive 5-1s in heats seven and eight, there was never much doubt about where the match and aggregate points were going - Redcar held only a one-point lead from the home leg.

Strangely enough, the track was a bit too slick for the home riders and required watering after heat nine. They made light of it and increased their lead to 14 points at the end of the next race.

Havelock came out as a tactical rider in heat 11 and it looked like going wrong for the Bears when Ritchie Hawkins hit the front. However, the Redcar No 1 roared round Hawkins to take an easy win and double his winning points.

Although Simon Walker won heat 12, his partner Warwick took a hefty tumble for the second time in the meeting.

Heat 13 was an absolute gem of a race, with Havelock and Zetterstrom passing and re-passing each other with regularity. This time it was the Somerset rider who won to avenge his heat-one defeat. Both riders took a standing ovation at the end of a race which will surely live in the memories for some while.

"Zorro" repeated his superiority over Havelock in the nominated race as Somerset completed a 13-point victory.

For Redcar, Havelock was backed up by the impressive Mattieu Tresarrieu, who claimed ten points. The only other Bear to win a race was American Chris Kerr.

Frampton scored a splendid paid 12 for the Rebels and deserved his place in the nominated heat. Surprisingly, he lost out to Walker for the Rider of the Night award.

Scores: Somerset 53 (M Zetterstrom 6r 17, S Walker 5r 9+1, E Kramer r/r, S Katt 4r 4+2, R Hawkins 5r 9+1, J Frampton 6r 10+2, D Warwick 4r 4+2), Redcar 40 (G Havelock 5r 15+1, K Ezergalis 4r 0, J Grieves 4r 5, C Kerr 4r 6+1, M Tresarrieu 5r 10, D Giffard 4r 2+1, J Hargreaves 5r 2).

On Wednesday night, the Rebels stage a league double-header against Edinburgh and Newcastle, starting at 7pm with the Edinburgh match. Somerset will be looking for five points from the two fixtures, having lost by only seven points at Newcastle on the Sunday before last.

Next Friday, they tackle the return leg at Edinburgh, then Saturday sees them at Hoddesdon to meet Rye House, where the Rebels will be defending a nine-point lead from their home match last month.