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Reading Racers v Somerset Rebels
Premier League, 18 July 2005
Smallmead Stadium, Reading
| 1 | Andrew Appleton | 2 | 1* | 3 | 1 | . | . | . | 7 | 1 |
| 2 | Zdenek Simota | 1* | 2 | 3 | 2* | 1 | . | . | 9 | 2 |
| 3 | Steve Masters | 1* | 1* | 0 | 2 | . | . | . | 4 | 2 |
| 4 | Mathieu Tresarrieu | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | . | . | . | 7 | 0 |
| 5 | Matej Zagar | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | . | . | 15 | 0 |
| 6 | Chris Johnson | 1 | 0 | 0 | . | . | . | . | 1 | 0 |
| 7 | Richard Wolff | 3 | 0 | Fx | R | X | . | . | 3 | 0 |
| 1 | Magnus Zetterstrom | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | . | . | 12 | 0 |
| 2 | Jamie Smith | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1* | 1* | . | . | 4 | 2 |
| 3 | Ritchie Hawkins | 3 | 1* | 0 | 3 | 3 | . | . | 10 | 1 |
| 5 | Glenn Cunningham | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | . | 9 | 0 |
| 6 | Lee Smart | 0 | 0 | 0 | . | . | . | . | 0 | 0 |
| 7(g) | Chris Mills | 2 | 1* | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2* | . | 9 | 2 |
* = BP. ^ = TR . ! = TS (15m Handicap). # = TR (Points Not Doubled). & = TS (Points Not Doubled, 15m Handicap).
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Reading tracked the same team which won at Newport yesterday which meant that Steve Masters was at number 3 with Appleton and Simota forming the opening partnership. Somerset were without Paul Fry and used R/R at number 4. They also had Chris Mills at number 7 as a guest for Jason King. Last week Reading won the last heat 4-2 to score 46 points but lose. This week they did the same but won. Somerset, who are turning out to be a real Jekyll and Hyde side, pushed the Racers all the way with the scores tied at 42-42 with one heat to go. Magnus Zetterstrom won the opening heat which was shared then Reading took the lead with a 4-2 in heat 2 through Richard Wolff and Chris Johnson. Ritchie Hawkins won heat 3 for Somerset and a shared heat then Matej Zagar did likewise for Reading to produce a score after heat 4 of 13-11. The next four heats were also shared producing wins for Zetterstrom, Cunningham, Zagar and Simota so there were still two points between the teams after heat 8 when the score was 25-23. In heat 9 Somerset finally got back on level terms with a win from Glenn Cunningham over Mathieu Tressarieu with Chris Mills beating Steve Masters but they were soon behind again. Heat 10 produced the first 5-1 of the match to Reading from Appleton and Simota to propel the Racers into a four points lead. Heat 11 saw the first battle of the big ‘Zs’ won by Zagar from Zetterstrom but the heat was shared. Somerset pulled two points back in heat 12 won by Ritchie Hawkins to cut the Racers’ lead to two points and the heat 12 score was 37-35. Zagar beat Zetterstrom again in heat 13 and with Appleton in third place the 4-2 to the Racers put them four up with two heats to go and looking favourites for the win. They got a shock in heat 14 though when Somerset scored a timely 1-5 in heat 14. Richard Wolff was excluded for bringing down Chris Mills and Hawkins and Mills took a maximum from Tressarieu to leave the match score at 42-42. Zagar made it three wins on the trot over Zetterstrom in heat 15 and it was Simota who took third place from Cunningham for the 4-2 which gave Reading the win. Match Report by Merlin |