Reserves make the difference in Rebels win (From Burnham & Highbridge Weekly News)

Reserves make the difference in Rebels win

3:12pm Tuesday 21st April 2009

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Premier Trophy.

Somerset Rebels 52, Birmingham Brummies 43.

SOMERSET were always in control of Friday’s match at the Oak Tree Arena and a last heat 5-1 to the Brummies gave the final result a far more respectable look about it from the visitors’ perspective.

Birmingham’s Lyons, Lindgren and especially Piszcz were always in the thick of the action and certainly played their part in keeping the fans entertained.

The big difference between the sides came at reserve, Brown and Herne showing their dominance over their opposite numbers with an easy maximum race win in heat two that set the hosts on their way.

They scored a match-winning paid 19 between them.

As Somerset’s Simon Walker quickly found out, though, the Brummies were not going to take this lying down as Lindgren gave him an almighty elbow going into the first bend just a heat later, and it was only a fair degree of skill and bike control that stopped the Somerset rider hitting the deck.

Piszcz set out his marker in the next heat, recklessly diving under Gathercole on the penultimate lap after the pair had continually swapped positions for the lead until then.

With Piszcz excluded from the re-run, it handed the home side their second 5-1 from the opening four heats to extend their advantage to eight points.

The introduction of Lindgren as a tactical ride in heat seven, the visitors by now ten points adrift, only had partial success as Gathercole made it two victories out of two.

But it brought Birmingham within eight points and striking distance of the Rebels.

Somerset hit back with consecutive 5-1s in the next two heats, Herne and Brown combining for their second maximum heat win.

This was after Brown replaced Sedgmen, whose bike gave up the ghost on his way out to the start of heat eight.

Birmingham put themselves within touching distance of claiming a match point as a 7-2 race advantage in heat 11 came their way after Gathercole had clipped Lyons as the Somerset rider fell with the pair entering the first bend on their last lap, causing Lyons to come to grief.

Referee Chris Durno had no hesitation in excluding Gathercole and awarded the race to Lyons.

The Rebels secured all three meeting points in heat 14, Kramer and Brown making sure the visitors’ last heat 5-1 became purely academic in terms of the final destination of the points.

Scores: Somerset – 1 Steve Johnston 9 (5r); 2 Justin Sedgmen 2+2 (3r); 3 Simon Walker 7 (4r); 4 Emil Kramer 12+1 (5r); 5 Cory Gathercole 6 (4r); 6 Tom Brown 8+1 (5r); 7 Jay Herne 8+2 (4r).

Birmingham – 1 Jason Lyons 13+1(5r); 2 Richard Sweetman 2+1 (4r); 3 Robert Ksiezak 7+2 (4r); 4 Ludvig Lindgren 8 (4r); 5 Tomasz Piszcz 10 (5r); 6 Ben Taylor 1 (5r); 7 Marek Mroz 2 (3r).

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