After narrowly missing out on another valuable away point in their midweek clash at Birmingham, the Somerset ‘Sharp' Rebels looked to get their playoff quest back on track when they entertained the Workington ‘Thomas Armstrong Ltd' Comets at the Oak Tree Arena. Both sides were injury depleted, with the Rebels tracking Mark Baseby in place of broken collarbone victim Tom Brown, and the Comets brought in former Rebel Jay Herne to cover for John Branney, who was out with a hand injury.

The sides were meeting on track for the first time since the Rebels were runners up to the Comets in the Premier League Four Team Tournament at Derwent Park recently. On that occasion the Comets strolled to a comfortable victory on their home shale, but on the Rebels home ground they would have a much tougher time of it, especially if they had any pretensions of returning to Cumbria with anything to show for their efforts. Having said that they fielded a top three that on paper are a match to anyone else in the league, with Kevin Doolan as their spearhead, ably back up by Adrian Rymel and Andre Compton.

It was Doolan who made the early running in Heat 1, but he had no answer to a Steve Johnston's persistent challenge on the opening lap, as the Rebels skipper swept passed on the outside as they entered the home straight at the end of lap 1. From that point Johno pulled clear of the Comets top man to draw first blood. Simon Walker made a slow start, and despite chasing hard after Comets recent signing Phil Morris, he could never get on terms, leaving the Comets to share the points.

Mark Baseby's first race in Rebels colours went pretty well for both him and the team. Trapping behind the fast starting Comets pair of Cook and Herne, he wasn't fazed, and coolly cut underneath the pair on the opening turns, to lead onto the back straight. In the meantime Nick Simmons took advantage of Herne taking his partner wide to nip through and join Baseby at the front. Once at the head of affairs the pair pulled clear to take a comfortable full house in Heat 2.

Emil Kramer's form this season has been electric, and once more he proved just what a potent force he is, especially on his home shale. Breaking level with Adrian Rymel in Heat 3, he was forced wide by the former Czech Champion, but he kept the throttle on as he used the wide line to his advantage, sweeping around the boards, and then cutting back to execute a stunning inside pass on Rymel on the third turn. Justin Sedgmen was the loser in the first bend skirmishing as he was squeezed out when Kramer was forced wide, but he didn't panic. Instead he gathered himself to deliver a powerful wide run that took him passed Richard Lawson on the second end of Lap 3 to give the Rebels a heat advantage.

Heat 4 saw the Comets blast from the gate, with Andre Compton leading at the second turn from Jay Herne. Cory Gathercole came roaring around the outside, and was just getting on terms, when he spun out, doing a complete 360° turn before continuing a long way behind, before retiring on the final lap. With the Comets now on a 5-1 it was left to Nick Simmons to take up the chase, but despite chasing hard, he could not get passed the wheel of Herne.

With the Comets now only 2-points behind the Rebels wasted no time in restoring their 6-point lead. Over the last few weeks Justin Sedgmen has been showing the kind of form everyone had hoped he would when signed at the beginning of the season. A recent spell at reserve seems to have brought him a newfound confidence, and he is now producing some promising performances, and Heat 5 illustrated this to everyone. He found himself in a level break with the two speedsters that are Emil Kramer and Kevin Doolan, but he's not afraid of reputations and cruised through to the lead on the inside as they entered the back straight. Emil Kramer made a storming run on a wide line to pick off Doolan on the final turn of the lap, and from there the home pair pulled clear to a bloodless maximum.

The Rebels now had the bit between their teeth, and in the very next heat hammered home another full house. Steve Johnston and Andre Compton made the early running, but it was Simon Walker who emerged in the lead for the Rebels. Making another slow start he headed for the dirt on a very wide line, he swept around the Comets duo to join Steve Johnston, who had by now seen off the early challenge of Compton, as they raced down the back straight. The pair raced side-by-side for the remainder of the race, with their only scare coming as Johnston picked up a little grip on the third turn late in the race, but managed to get it quickly under control to finish a close up second to Walker.

Comets team manager, and well known magician, Ian Thomas managed to ‘pull a rabbit out of the hat' in the re-run Heat 7, where he sent out Adrian Rymel on a tactical ride. In the first running it looked as though Thomas's ploy had been foiled as Cory Gathercole made the early running from Rymel. Then as the field approached the fourth turn Mark Baseby, who was challenging Richard Lawson for third place, picked grip, and got a big lift, which sent him straight on into the rear of the unsuspecting Lawson. The pair crashed to the ground, but it was Lawson who suffered most, as he smashed into the safety fence very hard. Baseby was up relatively quickly and was able to walk back to the pits, but after a lengthy delay Lawson was taken from the track in the County Ambulance, and straight to the hospital to be checked over. At the time of writing there was no news of the extent of his injuries, but all at Somerset Speedway wish him well.

In the re-run, from which Baseby was excluded, it was Rymel who got the upper hand as he sailed around the outside of the fast starting Gathercole on the fourth turn. Once in front he gave the Rebels man no chance of a reply and with Lawson's replacement, Jay Herne, third the Comets took a 2-7 advantage.

The next two heats were shared to leave the Comets still in the match at the half way stage. Simon Walker took the first of the shared heats, with another searing outside run to grab the lead around the opening turns. It was left to Phil Morris to chase him home, with Jay Herne in third. Nick Simmons could count himself unlucky as he tried to grab an advantage for the Rebels. Herne seemed to have one of those races where he didn't look in full control of his machine, and with Nick Simmons all over his back wheel for the whole race; he was probably fortunate to hold on to his third spot.

Heat 9 proved to be a cracker of a race, despite the points only being shared. Emil Kramer made the early running with Andre Compton, with the former Sheffield racer getting the advantage on the opening turn. Justin Sedgmen was lurking close up behind them, and he pounced on the home straight, making it passed Kramer, but being fended off by Compton. For the next three laps the pair knocked spots of each other as the vied for the lead. Emil Kramer took a watching brief, close up behind, until late in the race when he joined the fray, coming with a storming run on the final lap to join the two at the front. The trio raced almost three abreast into the final turns of the race, with Compton just holding on in a tight finish from Sedgmen and the fast finishing Kramer, stunning stuff indeed.

Over the next two heats the Rebels put their foot on the accelerator and pulled out a 9-point lead with two more heat advantages. Heat 10 went to Steve Johnston, who made the best of a level break with Jay Herne and Simon Walker. Johnston led at the initial turn, but Simon Walker, despite making his best start of the night so far, was collared by Adrian Rymel on the second bend. Rymel moved passed his team mate into second spot and set off after Johnston. Rymel was still being held easily by Johnston when he took an unexpected fall, after getting a big lift in almost the same spot as Johnston and Baseby had earlier in the night. The race was awarded with the Rebels taking the advantage.

Cory Gathercole made up for his earlier faux pas by taking Heat 11. He broke quickly, but it was Kevin Doolan who emerged in the lead from the second bend. Gathercole was close up, and powered around the outside of Doolan on the home straight at the end of the lap. With Gathercole pulling out a lead, the race looked to be brewing into a classic when Doolan's machine expired on the back straight, leaving Gathercole well clear. Phil Morris took second a good way in front of a somewhat circumspect Mark Baseby.

Justin Sedgmen took up the running in Heat 12 after a level break alongside Adrian Rymel and Jay Herne. Rymel then used the wide line to his advantage as he swept passed Sedgmen on the second bend. Nick Simmons accounted for Jay Herne on the final bend of the opening lap, but the real action was at the front. Sedgmen was always within a bike length of Rymel, and gave the Comets man a hard time, trying every line, inside and out, and never allowing him a moment's peace until the flag fell.

As the tapes rose for Heat 13 it looked as though the Rebels were about to put the match almost beyond the Comets reach. The referee called the first start back, but Steve Johnston blasted from the tapes at the second time of asking to lead early. Cory Gathercole recovered from an early shove wide by Doolan and came storming back, from last place, around the outside to take second from his tormentor on the second bend of the next lap. All seemed set fair for a Rebels full house, until Gathercole went in too hot under his partner on the next bend. He hit Johnston, and fell, gifting the Comets a shared heat. He was up quickly, but soon retired to the centre green. Johnston was lucky to stay upright, but quickly fended off the attentions of the closing Comets pair. It capped a miserable night for Gathercole, but the upside for the Rebels was that it denied the Comets from utilising a second tactical ride late in the meeting.

With the scores now at 45-36 the Comets were still in with a chance of taking a valuable away point back to Derwent Park, but any lingering thought of that were quickly consigned to the dustbin as the Rebels smashed in their fourth maximum heat advantage of the night in Heat 14.

Craig Cook made a blinding start to lead for the Comets. Nick Simmons soon accounted for Jay Herne, setting off after Cook. As he challenged on the inside, Emil Kramer came flying up the outside, only to get squeezed up by Cook against the back straight fence. Undeterred he challenged again on the outside of the home straight, at the same time Nick Simmons was doing the same on Cook's inside. It all got very tight as the Rebels pair took the lead. For his part Cook appeared a little uneasy in the thick of the hurly burly of a full blooded Premier League race, and as he exited the first bend for the second time he ran very wide, throwing away any chance he had.

With the match, and any away points now well beyond the reach of the Comets, the nominated heat went to the visitors 2-4. A level break at the tapes between Adrian Rymel, Steve Johnston and Kevin Doolan saw the Comets pair come out of the opening turn on a 5-1. Emil Kramer came sailing through from the rear, firstly accounting for his team mate, and then putting a stunning move on Rymel as they ran down the home straight at the end of the lap. He wasn't done there as he continued his run, and cut inside Kevin Doolan on the third bend of the second lap. Doolan just held him off, but he couldn't rest as Kramer harried him all the way. As they ran into the third bend for the final time, the smooth Swede delivered another challenge, only to find the troublesome grippy patch that had caused problems all night, his momentary loss of control was enough to hand the victory to Doolan. With Rymel just getting the better of Johnston for third place, the final score was 52-41, with the Rebels taking all three points on offer.

No one can say what effect the injury of Lawson had on the Comets, but at the end of the match it was their top three, and guest reserve Jay Herne, who had done all of the donkeywork, leaving them wondering what might have been. Although he failed to score, Craig Cook looks to be one with some potential, and when he gains more experience in a tough league, his gating prowess is certain to hold him in good stead.

The Somerset ‘Sharp' Rebels produced an all round team performance, without any apparent weak link, that produced the goods. They showed once again that when one team member has a less than productive night, there is always someone else who will fill the gap. The highlight for many on the night was the performance of Justin Sedgmen, who now looks to be fulfilling his potential everyone hoped he would, and at 17-years-old the best is yet to come. Sedgmen's performance was such that he was given the ‘Rider of the Night' award for the second week running, and thoroughly deserved it was too.

Another positive for the Rebels fans, and the team, was the return of Steve Bishop as team manager. Steve had to leave the roll earlier in the season due to his personal and work circumstances. That has now changed, and he is able to resume his duties, and has wasted no time in making his mark with this victory, and the Rebels performance in the week at Birmingham, where at one point they looked like they could win the match. It was also good to see Ian Thomas getting back into the swing of things after his recent illness, and seemingly back on the path to good health.