As speedway’s Premier League season heads towards a thrilling finale, the Somerset ‘Sharp’ Rebels have a busy week of action, one that could determine whether or not they lift the Premier League Championship.

Whilst Edinburgh remain favourites for the title, the Rebels still have a chance of snatching the title away from under the Monarchs noses, but it will require them, as things currently stand, to win at least two out of their remaining 5 away matches.

Believe it or not, Somerset will be contesting four of those away matches in the next 6 days, starting with the visit to Reading tomorrow [Monday] night in what will be the last ever Premier League match to take place at the Smallmead Stadium, as the Racers take a year’s sabbatical from the sport whilst they wait for their new track to be built.

The two sides have met on no less than three occasions at Smallmead already this year, Reading coming out on top in the early season challenge match, before the Rebels took victory at Reading in their Premier Trophy encounter.  Although Reading gained revenge for that defeat by beating Somerset in the second leg of the Knock Out Cup quarter final, their margin of victory was not enough to stop the Rebels progressing through on aggregate.

Reading have, of late, however, shown some vulnerability on their home track which could give the Rebels hope of gaining something from this match, especially as their main title contenders, Edinburgh, won at Smallmead earlier in the year.

After the relatively short trip to Reading, Somerset move on the following night to the Isle of Wight, who, like the Rebels, have been unbeaten at home in the Premier League this year.  Add to that the fact that the Islanders comfortably beat Somerset when the Rebels visited Smallbrook in the Premier Trophy earlier in the year and it is easy to see that the Rebels will have to be at their very best if they are to come away from Smallbrook with an away victory and three precious Premier League points.

The team then have a day’s rest on Wednesday, before heading up the M1 on Thursday and another important Premier League encounter, this time against Sheffield.  The Tigers have not had the best of seasons by their normally high standards, and what was once deemed to be ‘fortress Owlerton’ in previous years has been breached twice in the League this year, so the Rebels will be aiming to add to that tally come Thursday night.

Finally, as far as this week’s away matches are concerned, Somerset travel to Hertfordshire on Saturday to face Rye House for their Premier League match that was postponed last Saturday due to the bad weather that engulfed the country.

Somerset will be without both Stephan Katt and Matthias Kröger for this match as they will be competing in Germany in the final round of the World Long Track Championship.  The Rebels are, however, entitled to use guest replacements to cover for their German duo, Glasgow’s Robert Ksiezak will replace Katt, whilst the guest for Kröger has yet to be confirmed.

The Rebels will look back on their recent Knock Out Cup tie at Rye House for inspiration as they posted the best performance by a visiting team to Hoddesdon so far this year, and will, no doubt, be hoping to go that bit better in Saturday’s league encounter to inflict the first home defeat of the season on the current Premier League Champions.

Whilst the Rebels are not in action themselves at the Oak Tree Arena this coming Friday (12th), the club will be staging the third, and possible deciding Test Match of a three match series at under 23 level between England and Australia.  The first two Test Matches are being held at Wolverhampton tomorrow [Monday 8th] and Swindon on Thursday [11th].

Further details of the meeting and teams will be released during the week leading up to the match itself, suffice to say that two of the current Somerset side will be taking part in Friday’s meeting, Jordan Frampton lining up at number 2 for England with Jason Doyle being part of the Australian septet.

Somerset Rebels Diary w/c 8th September
Monday 8th September – away at Reading (Premier League) 7.30pm
Tuesday 9th September – away at Isle of Wight (Premier League) 7.30pm
Thursday 11th September – away at Sheffield (Premier League) 7.45pm
Friday 12th September – England under 23 v Australia under 23 at Oak Tree Arena 7.30pm
Saturday 13th September – away at Rye House (Premier League) 7.00pm*

*this meeting follows Rye House v Mildenhall which commences at 6pm, therefore start time of the Rye House v Somerset match is an approximation