After failing to bank any points in their last two away matches the Somerset ‘Sharp’ Rebels, Friday’s home match took on added importance in their quest for a top four place. The Rebels would need no less than all three points, in their last Premier League match of the season, to keep them in with an outside chance of one of the ‘Play Off’ places. Their opponents, the Scunthorpe ‘Henderson Insurance’ Scorpions have been in fine form of late, and have won their last seven league matches, and were attempting to take a club record eight league wins on the spin, so on the face of it the Rebels were in for a tough time. Despite this the Rebels were still defending their own record, a 100% home winning one, so they would be in no mood the relinquish that, let alone let the chance of the top four slip away.

The Scorpions arrived with Birmingham’s Tomasz Piszcz, as a guest for Magnus Karlsson, in the number one berth, and used rider replacement for to cover the absence of Viktor Bergstrom. Piszcz looked a good booking as only two weeks ago he recorded an 11-point tally, at the Oak Tree Arena, for the Brummies.

The night got off to a great start for the Rebels as Steve Johnston, and Simon Walker combined for a 5-1. After a restart for a flying start by Piszcz, Steve Johnston came storming around the outside of the fast starting Ritchie Hawkins to lead on the second bend. Piszcz was soon in second place, but it was short lived as he threw it down the road on the second bend of Lap 3. In the meantime Simon Walker had recovered from a slow start, and reeled in Hawkins, and made a sweet inside pass late in the last lap to give the Rebels a dream start.

After the good start the Rebels were unable to pull away as the Scorpions doggedly shared the next three heats. Nick Simmons took his place in the Rebels line up for Heat 2, despite taking a horrifying fall at Owlerton on Thursday, when his handlebars snapped. He had declared himself fit on Friday morning following his fall, and sustaining some damage to his coccyx. Justin Sedgmen broke level with Jerran Hart, but the pair were led to the bend by Ritchie Hawkins. Sedgmen was soon on his tail, and by the last bend of the second lap, he had despatched Hawkins with a nice move up the inside, and that was the race in a nutshell.

Heat 3 saw Emil Kramer burst from the tapes to lead all the way from the Scorpions duo of Howe and Lambert. Jari Mäkinen made a slow start, and closed on Lambert late in the race, but could not get on terms. Mäkinen’s plight may have been mechanical as his machine gave up the ghost shortly after the chequered flag.

Cory Gathercole made the best of a level break in Heat 4, as he led at the first turn from Carl Wilkinson and the busy Ritchie Hawkins. Nick Simmons made a slow start, and despite closing down Hawkins late in the race, he was never able to take the place.

The Scorpions took a couple of points back as they took the advantage in Heat 5, as Tomasz Piszcz took advantage of a huge lift at the start by Emil Kramer that left the Swede stone last as they entered the first turn. Kramer set sail for the front, and as they reached the final turn of the lap he had powered his way around the outside to second spot, but the Scorpions reserve, Jerran Hart, was having none of that, and slipped back passed Kramer. The cool Swede was soon back in second place, but by this time Piszcz was in the distance and beyond recall. Jari Mäkinen suffered a second engine failure, but this time just after completing the opening lap.

The Rebels restored their 4-point lead immediately as Steve Johnston forged ahead from the line, to lead as early as the first bend. Simon Walker came with a run around the outside, only to find Jerran Hart intent on giving him a close up perspective on the safety fence. Walker was shuffled to the back, but was soon charging after the Scorpions pair. As he approached their back wheels Carl Wilkinson went down on the first bend of Lap 3. Walker continued to charge around the boards, reminiscent of his old mentor Glen Cunningham, and produced a searing run on the final lap, which just failed to produce a second place on the line.

Another advantage followed to take the lead to 6-points at the end of Heat 7. David Howe made the break to lead from the start. Justin Sedgmen accounted for Simon Lambert on the wide line around the opening turns; meanwhile Cory Gathercole was getting about Howe. As they approached the third bend he made a superb cutback to slide passed the former Wolverhampton racer, and take an ever increasing lead. By the line Gathercole had pulled well clear to take the win, but despite chasing hard, Sedgmen could not turn the advantage into a full house.

Heat 8 has long been the domain of Simon Walker, and as the tapes rose he bolted from the gate, followed closely by Justin Sedgmen on a 5-1. The Rebels fans delight soon turned to despair as the red lights came on, in what seemed a perfectly good start. The reason for the lights was the exclusion of Ritchie Hawkins, who had been spotted, by the referee, spinning up his back wheel on the start line after the green light had come on, his place being taken by Jerran Hart.

In the re-start the inevitable happened, Walker got a poor start and Carl Wilkinson blasted from the tapes to pass the fast starting Sedgmen on the second bend. Walkers swept passed Hart on the inside of the fourth bend, and set off after the front two. By the fourth bend of the next lap he was in second place and flying after Wilkinson, who can always be relied upon to take at least one win on his visits to the Highbridge circuit. Despite another spectacular display of riding the outside line, Walker was unable to get to Wilkinson, and in the end had to make do with second spot, but was clearly unhappy with the referee’s original decision to call back the race, when the Scorpions had not gained the slightest advantage.

Heat 9 was shared, as Emil Kramer added his second win of the night to his tally. A jet propelled start saw him lead all the way, and after a brief challenge by Carl Wilkinson, he pulled well clear with every turn of his wheels. Behind him, Jari Mäkinen’s luck got no better, as he caught a huge lift off the line, that virtually ended any hope he had of posting a point.

Over the next two heats the Rebels doubled there lead, starting by adding 2-points in Heat 10. Steve Johnston had early company as David Howe broke level with him, but the Rebels skipper had too much in hand for his Scorpions counterpart as he roared around the widest of lines to lead along the back straight. Once in front he easily held Howe, despite the Leicestershire man’s persistence. Simon Walker again used the wide line to his advantage as he stormed around the outside of Simon Lambert to grab third as they entered the home straight at the end of the first lap.

Cory Gathercole made a great start to Heat 11 to get over the Scorpions pairing of Tomasz Piszcz, and Ritchie Hawkins, pinning them to the kerb, and allowing Justin Sedgmen free rein to blaze around the vacant outside line to pass the whole field and lead onto the back straight. Once Sedgmen was at the head of affairs, Gathercole joined him, and the Scorpions were cooked, with Tomasz Piszcz losing interest and coasting around at the back.

In Heat 12 the Scorpions reacted immediately to the 12-point deficit, and replaced the ineffective Simon Lambert with Ritchie Hawkins, and sent out fellow reserve Jerran Hart wearing the ‘Black and White’. Before the race could start, the clock ran out on Jari Mäkinen, completing a miserable night for the young Finn, and Justin Sedgmen replaced him. Hart bolted from the gate with Sedgmen on the wide line. Hawkins came up the inside of the second bend to steal the second place away, and put the visitors on an 8-1. Sedgmen set off after the pair, and was ready to pounce if the chance came. In the end it was Hawkins who gave him that chance, and needing no second invitation, Sedgmen guided through the gap at the end of the third lap. By this time Hart had built up enough of a lead, and the young Aussie was never able to deliver a telling challenge, leaving the Scorpions to take a 7-2 advantage to cut the lead to 7-points. Nick Simmons finished last to complete a forgettable evening for him, but anyone who witnessed his crash on the previous night will probably tell you he was lucky to be here at all.

In the very next heat the Rebels all but restored the difference, by taking a maximum advantage. As the tapes rose Steve Johnston made a lightning start to lead off the line. On the opening turn, Tomasz Piszcz forced Cory Gathercole so wide that he was almost sharing a drink with the spectators on the clubhouse patio. Gathercole kept it all together, in spite on Piszcz’z forceful tactics, and made a nice inside move to grab third place from Carl Wilkinson in a tight third bend. A lap later he was in a position to challenge Piszcz, and by the final bend of the lap he had delivered Piszcz the perfect repost as he flashed past him into second spot with some ease, leaving the visitors toiling in his wake.

Heat 14 ended with the points shared, as David Howe took the win. He made a good start, and just got the better of his opening duel with Justin Sedgmen. Sedgmen didn’t take it lying down, and made a nice cutback at the second turn that deserved more than it delivered, as Howe just about held him off. Emil Kramer had also made a good start, and he was flying down the back straight, and was soon alongside Howe. He threw in a challenge off the final bend of the lap, but again Howe repelled a Rebels rider. Kramer stuck to his task, and tried all lines to find a way passed Howe’s defences, but they held fast, and Kramer had to be content with second place.

The pair were pitted against each other again in the nominated heat, along with Cory Gathercole and Tomasz Piszcz. When the tapes rose all hell let lose. Gathercole and Howe burst from the line, with Gathercole just getting the lead off the second bend. The pair set off on a superb battle that was eventually to see Gathercole prevail, but the real excitement was behind them, as Kramer and Piszcz engaged in a war of hard fought, forceful passing and re-passing, which prompted one observer to say that ‘Behind the front two Kramer and Piszcz were knocking lumps off each other in a battle that Kramer won by the best of two fall and a submission’. It was stunning stuff, and to top it all, in the excitement, the start marshal failed to show the chequered flag after 4 laps, leaving Gathercole racing at top speed for another lap.

The final score of 53-40 gave the Rebels the three points they were looking for, and it raised them to third place in the table. Cory Gathercole top scored with a 13+2 paid maximum that saw him lift the ‘Rider of the Night award for the third week running. The Rebels have now done all they can to secure a play off place, but their fate is now in the hands of other, and a glance at the table will show that if results don’t go their way the likely focus of the late season fixtures is probably the Young Shield.

So with all the league fixtures complete, and the Rebels next opponents still not decided, the spotlight now shifts to the return of former Rebel Mark Lemon, for his testimonial meeting next Friday. Lemon rode for the Rebels in 2003, in their second season in the Premier League, and he has been a favourite all around the country, since joining the Poole Pirates in 1990.

He has complied an exciting field for his testimonial, with an Australian team of Jason Crump, Jason Lyons, Leigh Adams, Adam Shields, Steve Johnston, Travis McGowan and Lemon himself, managed by Phil Crump up against a Sam Ermolenko managed Rest of The World side consisting of Hans Andersen, Joe Screen, Tai Woofinden, Emil Kramer, Peter Karlsson, James Wright and Kenni Larsen. To add to the big names cricket fan Lemon has enlisted former Australian, and current Somerset CC captain, Justin Langer to present the prizes. The fun all starts at 7:30pm.