Just over a week ago the Somerset ‘Sharp’ Rebels came close to taking a vital away point at the home of the Redcar Bears. Leading at halfway the Rebels finally succumbed to a strong second half performance by the Bears, eventually losing out in a last heat decider. There was no such drama at the Oak Tree Arena, but that doesn’t mean that the racing was dull, far from it, as the two teams delivered a meeting of top quality, exciting racing.

In the early stages, just as the Rebels had done the week before, the Bear kept the scores close. Heat 1 was shared after Steve Johnston had overhauled quick starting Robbie Kessler before the first turn. Once at the front Johno made the best of his way home. Behind him Robbie Kessler, who had been relegated to third by his team mate Ty Proctor, was fighting off a very strong challenge by Simon Walker. Walker lined up Kessler and made a big blast around the outside of Bends 3 & 4 of lap 3, only to overcook it, and let the German off the hook.

Simon Walkers commitment in the opening heat was the first hint that the watching fans were in for an exciting evening, and any doubts to the contrary were blown away in the Reserves heat. Stuart Swales led from the tapes to give the Bears the early advantage, but he was soon joined by Tom Brown, as he challenged up the inside of the final bend of the lap. What followed was enough to have had any self respecting Sky commentator in the throes of ecstasy. Brown harried Swales, before executing a superb inside move to take up the running on the third bend of the second lap, only to see Swales reply in kind on the second bend of the next lap. Brown was immediately on Swales case, and again swept up his inside on the final bend of the lap. Nick Simmons who had been in a comfortable third place, was quickly closing on Swales, and saw his chance to give the Rebels a full house. He came with a wet sail, and then tried a sweeping pass on the outside of the final two bends of the race, only to lose it in almost the same spot as Simon Walker a race early. Simmons just got it all back together in time to hold off Arlo Bugeja for the final point.

Ben Wilson has always given a good account of himself at the Oak Tree Arena, and has been enjoying a run of superb form this season. So much so that he has been given a doubling up spot in the Poole Pirates Elite League line up. His improvement was there for all to see as he flew to the turn in Heat 3, leaving the fast starting Emil Kramer in his wake. Justin Sedgmen followed Wilson through, and chased the former Sheffield man for all four laps, but could never get in a blow, as Wilson powered away. Kramer took an easy third to share the points.

Heat 4 was also shared, after the Rebels looked to have the early advantage. Cory Gathercole just led on to the back straight after a level break. Gary Havelock was never far away, and showed his class with a sweeping pass around the outside of Gathercole on the second bend of Lap 2. Nick Simmons made up for his Heat 3 disappointment with a nice inside move on Swales, which he had set up the bend before, at the third bend of the last lap.

The Rebels made their first move towards all three league points with a full house in Heat 5, in a race where the Bears looked like sharing the points. Emil Kramer and Ty Proctor broke together, with Proctor taking Kramer out into the boon docks on the opening turns. As they exited the second bend, Robbie Kessler moved wide, almost taking his own man with him. Justin Sedgmen immediately too advantage as he cut neatly inside the whole field to lead on to the back straight. Emil Kramer had been relegated to last place by Proctor’s robust tactics, but was in no mood to take it lying down, and as they ran onto the home straight he powered through leaving the Bears pair for dead as he shot from last to second behind Sedgmen. Once at the front the Rebels made no mistake, as they pulled clear to give the home side a 6-point advantage.

Heat 6 brought together Steve Johnston and Gary Havelock in a their first head to head battle of the evening. It was Havelock who came out on top, but not before Johnston had pushed him all the way. The pair broke together, with Havelock just getting the advantage onto the back straight. Johno was soon challenging, and made his move up the inside of the final bend of the second lap. Havelock fended him off, only for the Rebels skipper to make a similar move on the next lap. As the pair ran towards the back straight for the final time, Johnston looked to have taken Havelock’s measure, but as he delivered his challenge he caught a huge handful of grip, giving him a big lift exiting the bend onto the straight. It was enough to hand the advantage back to Havelock as Johnston fought to control the bike from dragging him into the fence. Simon Walker took third to share the points.

Cory Gathercole was given a second chance in Heat 7, but at the unfortunate expense of his team mate Tom Brown. Gathercole and Ben Wilson had been having a titanic battle at the head of the field, with Wilson only just holding the advantage, when Brown threw a chain on the back straight of Lap 3, and took a nasty looking fall that resulted in a trip back to the pits in an ambulance, and finally to hospital with a shoulder injury. The latest news is that he suffered a hairline fracture to his left collarbone, and could be out for three to four weeks. In the re-run, which the referee had ordered as the pair were to close to split when the race was stopped, Gathercole had an easier time of it as he clamped Wilson on the first turn, after getting the better run to the bend from a fairly level break. Once at the front he never allowed Wilson another chance.

Heat 8 went to Simon Walker who had to do it the hard way, twice! In the original running he made a slow start, and running to the bend was stone last. He ran for the dirt and powered his way to the front with a sweeping move around the boards. Nick Simmons was also slowly away, and had worked his way to second with some nice passes on first Robbie Kessler, and then Stuart Swales on Lap 2 & 3. Swales made a battle of it, and tried to cut back under Simmons on the third bend, only to run into the side of him, and bring him down. The result was a re-run without Swales in the field. In the re-run Walker again made a poor start behind Kessler and Simmons, but the end result was the same as he careered round the boards to complete a last to first move for the second time as they exited the final bend of the lap. Simmons swept passed a disinterested looking Kessler on the inside as they ran onto the back straight for the second time. Whether Kessler’s apparent lack of interest was tactical or not the end result was a full house and a 10-point lead for the Rebels.

The Bears wasted no time in introducing Gary Havelock for a tactical ride. The band of travelling Bears fans must have been in ecstasy as Havelock broke quickly to lead from the start. They had reckoned without Emil Kramer, as the Rebels Super Swede came barrelling around the wide line to leave Havelock floundering in his wake. Justin Sedgmen had to avoid an out of control looking Arlo Bugeja in the opening turn, but was soon on the tail of Havelock, and looked to completely foil the Bears attempt at double points. He challenged hard up the inside of the former World Champion on the second turn, but Havelock held him off. Over the next lap he closed Havelock down again, and for the final two laps the Bears skipper had to be at his best to hold of the hard charging young Aussie, who was climbing all over his back wheel.

Ben Wilson made a superb start to lead Heat 10, but was chased down by Steve Johnston in the opening bends. Johnston was challenging as they ran onto the back straight. Wilson held him off, and the pair battled for the next three laps, with Wilson appearing to hold the aces. On the final lap Johno came with a storming run around the opening turns, and ran around the outside of Wilson as they hit the back straight. As Johnston went for the narrowest of gaps, it closed even further, and the pair touched as Johnston scraped the paint from the outside fence. The move was completed, much to the delight of the home supporters, with a fantastic sweeping outside pass around the final bend, with Johno just getting up feet from the line, it was breathtaking stuff, not the least for the two combatants. Carl Stonehewer held off a determined Simon Walker for third place to share the points.

Heat 11 was share with Ty Proctor taking the win for the Bears, with a very fast start. Cory Gathercole was next away and was soon delivering a sustained challenge on the inside of the length of the back straight. Gathercole continued harrying Proctor, and came with another run as the approached the back straight on the third lap. Like his skipper before him, he found some grip he didn’t want, sending his front wheel high into the air, and as he fought to control the bike he chance was gone. Behind them, Nick Simmons had passed the lack lustre Robbie Kessler at the opening turn of the second lap, and was now in a comfortable third spot as the German tailed off.

Justin Sedgmen celebrated his elevation back to the main body of the team with his second win of the night. Sedgmen, never afraid to race anywhere on the track, seems to have perfected the Matthias Kröger line around the opening turns, and he used it to good effect in Heat 12. Trapping in third behind the Bears pair of Wilson and Swales he shot to the inside, and cut a neat pass on the pair as they exited the second turn. Wilson was soon challenging, but Sedgmen belied his youth with a superbly mature ride as he cleverly, and somewhat comfortably it has to be said, held off the marauding Yorkshireman. Nick Simmons worked the oracle again, this time with a wide line, sweeping pass on Swales on the final two bends of the race, giving the Bears Number 6 no right of reply.

Heat 13 often provides one of the races of the night, and tonight was no exception. It was one of those ‘No quarter give, no quarter asked’ races with some hard riding tactics employed. With Ty Proctor wearing the ‘Black and White’, looking for double points, he trapped quickly, only to be clamped hard onto the kerb by Steve Johnston. In the meantime Gary Havelock came flying around the outside to join Johnston at the front. The pair raced down the back straight, with Johno just holding the upper hand. Havelock switched his attack from wide, to the inside as the turned into the third turn. He ran hard into the turn, and gave Johno an almighty clout in the middle of the turn, which the Rebels skipper did well to stay on board from. Behind them Gathercole was just getting the upper hand on Proctor. As the pair ran into the second bend on the next lap, Proctor plunged up the inside, and ran straight across the front of Gathercole, almost bringing him down. The end result was a 2-5 advantage to the Bears, giving them a shot at taking an away point back to Teeside.

They might have had a chance of an away point at the end of the previous heat, but the Rebels put that beyond them before the final heat. The race was restarted after Stuart Swales had taken a fall in a tight opening bend of the original running, but the Rebels made no mistakes in the re-run. Nick Simmons bolted from the gates to take an early lead, and was soon joined at the front by Emil Kramer, who’s wide powerful run around the wide line took him to the front off the second turn. Once at the head of affairs the home side took no prisoners as they wrapped up all the points on offer. Carl Stonehewer gave chase, but had no answer to the powerful Rebels duo, as they roared home to the chequered flag.

Justin Sedgmen crowned a wonderful night on the track with a nomination into Heat 15, alongside Steve Johnston. For the Bears Gary Havelock partnered Ben Wilson, in a race that quite fittingly ended all square. The only issue being would Bears skipper Havelock complete a full set over his Rebels counterpart by taking victory. The answer was a resounding no. Havelock did lead from the gates, but he had no answer to Johnston’s searing run around the outside to grab the lead onto the back straight. Not only that he had to fend off the early attentions of Justin Sedgmen, as the young Milduran staked his claim for second spot on the inside of the final bend of the lap. Havelock held off Sedgmen clamping him to the kerb. Ben Wilson took advantage of this, and took third place from Sedgmen on the next lap. By this time Johnston was in full control, and came home for an easy win to close the meeting out 53-40 for the Rebels.

For the Bears, their top order had been superb, especially the impressive Ben Wilson, but they were let down by the rest of the team, who could only muster 7-points between them. There are some ‘names’ in their team that need to take a good hard look at themselves if their general level of performance is anything like they produced here.

From the Rebels point of view they had seen off what could have proved to be a difficult match in some style, with every rider contributing to the win. Justin Sedgmen had a fantastic meeting on his return to the main body of the team. Emil Kramer’s defeat of Gary Havelock on his tactical ride was a joy to behold, especially after Havelock got the drop on him from the gate. The match sponsors, ‘Crown Carpets’ had a difficult decision to make for their ‘Rider of the Night’ award, and in the end they couldn’t split the pair, so gave it jointly to both riders, with the venerable Neil Street making the announcement on their behalf. The Rebels only concerns after the match are for Tom Brown, who’s fracture collarbone could see him out for quite a few weeks.

What was without doubt was that both teams had come together to produce a match of high quality and excitement, as once again the wide open spaces of the Oak Tree Arena saw an enthralling battle that could have swung either way early on, but despite the Rebels taking control in the middle stages, a match that the Bears were still in with a chance of points right into the dying embers. Roll on Workington next week. That should be a match to savour as the winners and runner up of the recent Premier League Four Team Tournament do battle on the track for the first time since that encounter.

For those expecting to attend the Rebels 10^th Season Celebrations next week, that fixture has had to be delayed, because of the fixture congestion caused by last weeks rain off, but it will now should take place later in the year.