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Somerset Rebels v Reading Racers
Premier Trophy (Group), 01 April 2005
Oak Tree Arena, Somerset

Somerset 48
1Magnus Zetterstrom3231*1 ..101
2Jamie Smith2*1*31. ..72
3Ritchie Hawkins2*11*2. ..62
4Paul Fry33220 ..100
5Glenn Cunningham2222. ..80
6Lee Smart1R0.. ..10
7Jason King31*101* ..62
Reading 45
2Chris Mills0Fx... ..00
3Richard Wolff11103 ..60
4Andrew Appleton02323 2*.121
5(g)Simon Stead3336^3 3.210
6Chris Johnson20000 ..20
7Mathieu Tresarrieu00211 0.40

* = BP. ^ = TR . ! = TS (15m Handicap). # = TR (Points Not Doubled). & = TS (Points Not Doubled, 15m Handicap).

It was tough going for Somerset in their match against Reading but they held on to win. Somerset were at full strength but Reading were without Danny Bird and Matej Zagar. Danny Bird has a broken leg so they used R/R for him. Matej Zagar was riding in the Slovenian Championships and Reading were therefore entitled to the use of a guest. And what a guest they got – none other than Simon Stead who, apparently, is still able to guest in the Premier League on his last year’s PL average which is so high that the only riders he can guest for on current averages is Matej Zagar and Edinburgh’s Daniel Nermark.

Magnus Zetterstrom and Chris Mills got the Rebels off to the perfect start ahead of Richard Wolff who took the R/R for Danny Bird. They followed this with a 4-2 in the reserves race before Paul Fry and Rirtchie Hawkins appeared to have put them on easy street with another 5-1 to give them a 14-4 lead. Simon Stead won heat 4 for a shared heat then Chris Mills was involved in a nasty accident in heat 5 which saw him carted off to hospital so the Racers were down to five riders. The 4-2 in that heat put the Rebels 21-9 ahead.

Simon Stead again stopped the rot by winning heat 6 from Magnus Zetterstrom for another share of the points but when Andrew Appleton won heat 7 from Glenn Cunningham with Richard Wolff third Reading tasted their first heat victory by 2-4 to take the score to 26-16. Back came the Rebels with their own 4-2 in heat 8 to restore their 12 point lead while Simon Stead kept it that way by winning heat 9. Another 4-2 in heat 10 for Somerset from Zetterstrom and Jamie Smith split by Andrew Appleton increased their lead to 14 points at 37-23.

In heat 11 Simon Stead took a TR and won the race from Glenn Cunningham with Mathieu Tressarieu third so Reading took a 2-7 to reduce the deficit to nine points at 39-30. Reading must have bitterly regretted not giving Richard Wolff the TR in heat 12 as he won the race with Chris Johnsson taking third place for a 2-4 to Reading which could have been another 2-7!. So Reading were still seven points adrift at 41-34 instead of 41-37. Simon Stead had his fifth consecutive race win in heat 13 for a shared heat before Andrew Appleton did likewise in heat 14 leaving the Racers seven down with only the last heat to come.

Simon Stead completed his six ride maximum in heat 15 and with Andrew Appleton following him home for a 1-5 ahead of Magnus Zetterstrom and Paul Fry the Racers finished three down at 48-45 but if Wolff’s heat win in heat 12 had been as a TR when Reading were still far enough behind to use one the final score would have been a 48-48 draw!

Match Report by Merlin