WITH their 2015 League Cup campaign now complete, the Somerset Rebels open their home Premier League campaign with the visit of the Sheffield Tigers to the Oaktree Arena on Friday (May 1) night.

Sheffield will come to the Oaktree Arena looking for revenge after Somerset handed them their first defeat of the season, a 47-43 reverse, when the Rebels visited the Steel City last Thursday.

Friday’s match will see a change to the Somerset line-up in that their young Australian star, Brady Kurtz will move into the number one race jacket, he taking over that mantle from Josh Grajczonek by just 0.02 of a point.

“Brady said to me last year that he would be wearing the Somerset number one race-jacket before the end of his second season with the Rebels, and with the application of the new May averages, that ambition has come true,” said Somerset team manager Garry May.

“I know that there are those who will say that moving into the number one position has come ‘too early’ for Brady, but I’m of the opinion that of you are good enough then a riders’ age is of no consequence.

“Brady just goes out to enjoy his riding and nothing seems to faze him, so I think we’ll see him continue his progressing as a result of his moving up to number one, though I know that Josh [Grajczonek] is determined to get that position back off Brady.”

Somerset will be missing the services of Richie Worrall from Friday night’s match as he will be away in Austria for the Grand Prix Qualification meeting, the first step of the qualification process for the 2016 Grand Prix World Championship series, and another ex-Rebel, Workington’s Kyle Howarth has been booked as a guest replacement for Worrall.

The Rebels are awaiting an update on the condition of their reserve, Benji Compton, who missed last Friday’s home match against Peterborough due to a knee injury sustained whilst riding for Somerset in the aforementioned away win at Sheffield, but if unfit to ride in Friday’s match, then the Rebels will bring in a guest replacement.

“The boys rode superbly well to get that win at Sheffield last week but as the saying goes, there is nothing more dangerous than a wounded Tiger, so we will have to be on top form if we are to build on that away win by doing the double over them,” continued Garry May.

“We put away a very good Peterborough side here at the Oaktree Arena last Friday, so if we can repeat that come this Friday night’s match against Sheffield then it’ll be mission accomplished.”

The Tigers would normally be led by Great Britain International Simon Stead, but the recently turned 33 year-old suffered a broken upper arm and broken femur following a horrific crash at Rye House just over a week ago, and Sheffield will use ex-Rebel Nick Morris as his guest replacement in Friday’s match.

To compound matters, the Tigers David Bellego was involved in the same incident and has been ruled out for approximately six weeks with a hip injury.

Somerset follow Friday night’s match against Sheffield with a trip to Hertfordshire on Bank Holiday Monday afternoon where they will take on Rye House in a Premier League match, the meeting getting underway at 2pm.