SGB Premiership

Somerset Rebels 50, Belle Vue Aces 40 (points: Somerset 3, Belle Vue 0)

IN far from ideal conditions, the ‘Cases’ Somerset Rebels overcame a resilient Belle Vue to complete a double over the Mancunian side, the Rebels having won at Belle Vue’s National Speedway Stadium at the beginning of May, writes Ian Belcher.

With rain and heavy drizzle making life difficult for the riders, Somerset got off to the worst possible start when the visitors opened things up with a maximum 5-1 race advantage in the first heat.

After their slow opening, the Rebels quickly turned things around to the extent that they had established a four-point lead of their own by the end of the initial third of the match, the highlight of those first five heats being Jake Allen’s superb win over Craig Cook.

With the next three heats all seeing a share of the spoils, it ensured the Rebels remained four points to the good by the halfway stage, and heat nine saw them double that advantage when Richard Lawson and Charles Wright combined for a 5-1 race win.

Belle Vue refused to yield and hit back just two heats later when Fricke and Worrall repeated their exploits of the opening heat to hit home their second maximum race advantage of the night, but it was ultimately to no avail as Richard Lawson and Jake Allen secured the win and a further three league points for the Rebels with a 5-1 race win in the penultimate heat.

Somerset team manager Garry May said: “The rain and heavy drizzle made it a difficult night for all the riders, and sometimes that can play into the hands of the visiting team.

"The Somerset boys were not going to be denied, and I think they were more than good value for their win.

“Having missed a couple of matches due to injury, Wrighty (Charles Wright) was determined to make up for lost time, and he was in superb form, as was Jake Allen.

"This was a good all-round team performance in far from ideal conditions, and credit is due to both sets of riders for they way they rode here tonight given those conditions.”

SOMERSET 50: Jake Allen 15+2, Charles Wright 14+2, Richard Lawson 11, Josh Grajczonek 5+2, Cameron Heeps 3, Lewis Kerr 2+2, Patrick Hougaard R/R.

BELLE VUE 40: Steve Worrall 11, Kenneth Bjerre 11, Max Fricke 9+2, Craig Cook 5, Zach Wajtknecht 2, Justin Sedgmen 1, Jack Smith 1