A good crowd had gathered at the Rye House Stadium for the double-header meeting that included the Somerset ‘Sharp’ Rebels KO Cup Semi-Final 2nd leg, with the majority of those attending the first meeting staying to witness the Rebels meeting. Earlier in the day they had seen the Rye House Rockets despatch the Stoke Potters 55-37, despite the enforced absence of Tai Woffinden who had aggravated an old shoulder injury on Saturday evening at Loomer Road. Len Silver seemed to miss a trick here, which is not like him, when he failed to employ Ryan Fisher as a guest for the absent Woffinden in this tie. Whether it was down to a misunderstanding of the 8-day rule, or for some other reason, who knows, the fact remains he could have employed Ryan Fisher, but didn’t.
The Rebels had arrived to defend a 15-points lead, something that historically they had found difficulty in doing at Hoddesdon. With Simon Walker still on the sideline the Rebels once more operated rider replacement in the number two spot. Heat 1 was won in the fastest time of the day when Jason Doyle trapped to lead on the first bend. He was never headed, pulling well clear as Robert Mear clamped Matthias Kröger on the first turn, ending any challenge Kröger might throw in.
After sharing the first heat the Rockets went in to over drive in the next few heats. Brent Werner, returning to his old stamping ground flew from the tapes in Heat 2, and was just about to take up the running on the second turn, when he locked up on a track that had been liberally watered over the interval. That was the only invitation Daniel Halsey needed, as he dived into the lead. Stefan Katt came shooting through from last place to grab second, only to be passed up the inside of the fourth bend on lap 2. With that the Rockets took a maximum advantage to dent the Rebels lead.
In Heat 3 the visitors fared no better, as Stefan Ekberg, and Tommy Allen lead from the gate to slam in another maximum heat win. In Heat 4 the Rebels looked to have steadied the ship as they got off the flying start, only for the race to be pulled back for movement at the start. Neath and Bowen had jumped, setting of Jordan Frampton, who was lucky not to touch the tapes.
In the restart the Rebels trapped first, with Brent Werner taking up the running from his team mate. Off the third bend the Rockets pair came either side of Frampton, sandwiching him, and trading a few elbows in the process. As Neath pulled clear of the battle, Bowen and Frampton were hard at up the home straight, resulting in the pair tangling, and taking a nasty looking fall on the first turn. The referee made the decision that Frampton was at fault, excluding him, but it was a tight one, and one that looked a little harsh on the Poole based rider, considering the treatment metered out to him leading up to the incident, and Bowen’s apparent reluctance to turn left at the turn.
In the final re-run Werner was again quickly away, but just failed to get over the top of Neath on the opening bend. Bowen tried to challenge, but had a similar amount of success as Werner was having in front of him, in his quest to tag on to the back wheel of Neath’s machine. In three heats the Rockets had reduced the Rebels lead to just 5-points.
Gary May wasted no time in reducing the Rockets match lead, sending out Jason Doyle in the ‘Black and White’ for Heat 5. Doyle made a flying start, but Robert Mear was away with him. Doyle ran wide to the first turn, allowing Tommy Allen to get on terms, but no sooner had he done that, Doyle pulled a sublime cut back to drive hard between the pair to lead off the second bend. In the hurley-burley of the first bend manoeuvres, Stephan Katt was forced out wide, spoiling any chance he had of getting in on the action. Doyle stormed away, pulling well clear to take 6-points.
Things started to look bleak again for the Rebels as the home side came from behind the fast starting Stephan Katt, after Jordan Frampton’s chances went west as he locked up un the opening turns. Stefan Ekberg was the first one to collar Katt, exiting the second bend. Robert Mear accounted for the recovering Frampton on the second bend, and then set about Katt on the fourth turn. Frampton set off in pursuit, but could only pass Katt on the home straight, and despite a spirited chase could never get on terms with the home pair, who’s resulting 5-1 cut the difference to just 4-points.
In previous round the Rebels have proved just how tough they are when teams think they have them beaten, and so it came as no surprise to see them come roaring back with two maximum heat advantages on the trot in Heat 7 & 8. Emil Kramer put his earlier race behind him as he trapped first in Heat 7, and was closely followed by Brent Werner, who deputised for Matthias Kröger. Kramer took a quick look, and allowed Werner to come round the outside to lead off the second turn, and then sat on his tail, on the inside line, to protect him from the Rockets attacks. Kramer’s comfort zone was increased on the second lap, as Daniel Halsey almost took out Chris Neath as he ran very wide into the second bend.
Jordan Frampton took the rider replacement ride in Heat 8, and led all the way from the tape rise to chequered flag. A busy Brent Werner followed him home after another good start saw him ease into second place coming out of the opening turns. Werner sat on the line, as Frampton powered around the boards, to cover all possible challenges. Luke Bowen briefly challenged on the opening turns, and then again on the final lap, but he was easily held by the visiting pair.
Those two heats had given the Rebels a bit of breathing space, and in the process put them back in control of the match. The way they were riding, it looked as though they might even take the meeting, never mind just win on aggregate. They say that’s its never over until the fat lady sings, well that’s true, but she was definitely warming up her tonsils, but there was always the possibility that someone would put sand in her gargle.
The Rebels went a long way to making the meeting safe by taking a share of the points in the next two heats. Jordan Frampton again did what he has been doing all season, and took a win at a vital stage, this time in Heat 9. He shot off the line to lead at the first bend, and was soon challenged by Tommy Allen going down the back straight. He held off the tough riding Rocket, and was soon putting distance between himself, Allen, and Chris Neath in third place, riding so wide that he could have filled in the spectators programmes as he passed the stands.
Rebels stand in skipper, Emil Kramer, added a win to his total in Heat 10, to go with his paid win in the seventh heat. He blasted off the line alongside his fast starting team mate, Matthias Kröger. The pair led at the first turn, but Kröger was clearly having problems getting to grips with his first ever visit to the tricky Hoddesdon circuit. Kröger was pounced on by the Rockets, Ekberg and Mear at the second turn, and had no answer as the swallowed him up easily going onto the back straight. Mear made a solitary challenge to Kramer on the back straight of the second lap, which was easily held, but other than that he could get in a blow.
So with just five heats remaining the Rebels held a 12-point aggregate lead, but that was soon to change. The Rockets reduced it over the next two heats to just 6-points. In Heat 11, Chris Neath took away Jason Doyle’s unbeaten status, as he took advantage of a Doyle lock up coming out of the second turn, after Doyle had made another blistering start. For three laps Doyle chased hard after Neath, but he was also aware of what was going on behind. The Rebels had held a 3-3 position in the heat, until Daniel Halsey forced his way passed a very busy Brent Werner on lap 3. Doyle immediately slowed to help his partner, but could not slow too much in case Halsey took advantage. He did all that he could do, without giving away more points, but the line came too soon and Werner was left just short of regaining the place.
The referee called them back in Heat 12, after movement as the tapes went up, as not for the first time in the afternoon, Luke Bowen employed the Ivan Mauger School of Starting method to get away from the tapes. In the re-run the Rockets pair were just too quickly away for Emil Kramer, and Brent Werner, taking his sixth ride of the day. Taking another 5-1 the Rockets brought themselves back in striking distance of an overall win.
Stefan Ekberg must have thought he had gone a long way to cutting the deficit even further, when he trapped out in front in Heat 13. With Chris Neath also getting a good start alongside Doyle, the Rockets were looking at just a 4-point shortfall going into the final two heats, but they figured without Jason Doyle. In a tight first bend he repeated his trick of riding right through, and between the opposing pair, and by the back straight was in front and pulling away. At the same time, Jordan Frampton was getting in the swing of things at the back. He rode right round Neath off the final bend of the lap, and set off after Ekberg, but could never get to him. That 2-4 advantage had put the Rebels in a position to go through as long as they didn’t concede a 5-1 in each of the last two heats, which would have given the Rockets a tie, and a replay.
Things didn’t go well in Heat 14, as the Rockets switched Halsey for Bowen, and the Rebels replaced Matthias Kröger with Stephan Katt. The field broke level, but it was the Rockets pair who made the best of the first turn to lead. They easily beat Brent Werner into third place as the experience Californian completed his full quota of rides.
The Rebels only had to avoid a Rocket’s maximum in Heat 15 to go through, and all looked well with a level break from the tapes. The field approached the bend four abreast, and something had to give. With Allen moving out from the inside gate, and Kramer funnelling in to the first turn, the outside three bunched up, with Doyle almost pushed to the ground. He held his line for all he was worth, but the inevitable happened, as the outside three came down, careering through the safety fence in a tangle of men and machines. For the Rebels supporters, it was a tense time as Doyle lay on the ground, appearing to have injured himself. The paramedics attended to him, but the fans needn’t have worried, as after a considerable period he rose to his feet, none the worse for wear, and made his way back to the pits under his own steam.
All four were put back in, and in the re-run it was Emil Kramer who took advantage of another level break to lead in an equally tight opening bend. As they ran onto the back straight, Doyle shot up the inside to join the super cool Swede at the front. He eased to the front, and rode home at close quarters with Kramer, securing a Rebels 5-1 to finish to the cheers of the visiting fans. That result secured the Rebels a place in the KO Cup final for the third year running, and ended an enthralling cup tie where the identity of the first finalist was in doubt right up to the final race of the night.
The final score of 52-43 was the smallest winning margin of the season for the Rockets, who couldn’t have been helped by the absence of tai Woffinden, but that’s Speedway, and you can only race what is in front of you, and that is what the Somerset ‘Sharp’ Rebels did to great effect. They once again showed their strength in depth, as two members of the team had a less than successful day, the remaining four dug in, and battled hard to win through, and no doubt the two who struggled will make up for it on a night when someone else is less effective.
The Rebels must wait now for news of their KO Cup Final opponents, as the Edinburgh/Workington Semi-Final is not scheduled to take place until the end of September. Whoever that opponent might be the Rebels are sure to give a good account of themselves, as they will be keen to make it ‘Third Time Lucky’ after two comprehensive defeats at the hands of the Kings Lynn Stars in the previous two runnings of the event. A much more pressing engagement comes in the next week, when the Rebels will take on the major challengers to the league title, when they take on the Edinburgh Monarchs, home and away, in a much anticipated clash.
Rye House – 50 (88)
1. Stefan Ekberg - 1*, 3, 3, 1*, 2, 1 = 11+2
2. Rob Mear - 2, 1*, 2*, 0, 2 = 7+2
3. Tai Woffinden – R/R
4. Tommy Allen - 2*, 2, 2, 2*, 2*, 0 = 10+3
5. Chris Neath - 3, 0, 1*, 3, 0 = 7+1
6. Dan Halsey - 3, 1, 1 = 5
7. Luke Bowen - 2*, 1, 1, 3, 3 = 10+1
8. Rob Smith – DNR
Somerset – 43 (96)
1. Jason Doyle - 3, 6^, 2, 3, 3 = 17
2. Simon Walker – R/R
3. Emil Kramer - 1, 2*, 3, 0, 2* = 8+2
4. Matthias Kröger - 0, 0, 0 = 0
5. Jordan Frampton - 0, 1, 3, 3, 1 = 8
6. Stephan Katt - 1, 0, 0, 0, 0 = 1
7. Brent Werner - 0, 2, 3, 2*, 0, 1, 1 = 9+1
8. Kyle Newman - DNR
